Maybe it’s a seasonal ingredient hitting peak flavour, or a talented new chef eager to showcase their skills. Perhaps it’s simply a desire to reinvigorate a typically slower service period with something fresh and buzzworthy. Whatever sparks the idea, OpenTable’s Experiences helps you bring unique dining visions to life through easy-to-manage, pre-paid ticketed events.
But when is the best time to create an Experience on OpenTable? During special holiday events? Or maybe it’s in line with seasonal changes. Then again, perhaps any time is the best time to create an experience.
With that in mind, we’re looking at when you can create an OpenTable Experience and make the most of the occasion to attract more diners.
What makes a good experience?
The aim of an OpenTable Experience is to provide guests with something out of the ordinary through creative concepts. Multi-course tasting menus that narrate your perspective across drink-paired dishes. Collaborations with guest chefs or partnerships with local makers. Reimagining weekend brunch or happy hour in a fresh way. The possibilities are vast for designing experiences beyond a standard meal.
When is the best time to host an Experience on OpenTable?
While inspiration can strike at any moment, certain annual events and seasonal shifts naturally lend themselves as opportune times to launch buzzworthy OpenTable Experiences.
Festive Season and New Year’s
The holidays present a chance to treat guests to cosy, festive dining journeys composed of regionally-inspired classics that conjure nostalgia. Celebratory multi-course affairs with beverage pairings provide an enticing way to ring in the New Year. Or host an indulgent holiday tea to immerse guests in seasonal rituals—these themed events encourage gathering loved ones.
Mother’s Day and family-centric occasions
Few occasions are more deserving of thoughtful celebrations than those honouring mothers, families and those all-important personal bonds. A lavish brunch or lunch with beverages and a sweet treat is a fitting way to spoil mum or anyone else in the family. Think about hosting an Interactive cooking class to create lasting memories by involving loved ones. Even just a modern spin on a nostalgic family-style meal will feel exceptionally heartfelt for these holidays.
Halloween and Guy Fawkes Night
These fun, whimsical holidays provide a canvas for irreverent dining experiments. Costumed guest chefs cooking frighteningly tasty bites. Trick-or-treat inspired tasting journeys with thrills and surprises. Explosively flavourful fireworks feasts served in a spirited style. Getting creative for these occasions keeps experiences feeling refreshingly unexpected.
Seasonal shifts
Nature’s changing cycles provide constant inspiration for rotating Experiences. Spring’s bloom of bright produce calls for vegetable-forward tasting menus that awaken the palate. Autumn’s harvest lends itself to shareable feasts with orchard-fresh beverages. Even winter’s chill makes for convivial fireside meals centred around hearty, comforting fare. Keep things fresh with changing Experiences and let the seasons guide your storytelling and keep things fresh.
Any time inspiration strikes
While making the most out of holidays and events with Experiences is a great way to get more covers, the truth is that the best time for a unique dining experience is any time you have an idea for treating guests to something special. Jump on the special occasion, by all means. But you don’t need to wait for a particular holiday—the most memorable experiences often arise spontaneously from your team’s creativity and passion.
Maybe you want to spotlight your dining options through an immersive tasting menu, like Flesh & Buns in Covent Garden. Or one of your talented line cooks has perfected an innovative technique deserving its own intimate guest chef experience. Perhaps your seasonal cocktail program is so enticing that it calls for its own dedicated happy hour experience.
The power of Experiences is the ability to act quickly on those inspired moments, transforming concepts into bookable reality. Don’t hesitate when creativity strikes, and make any day the launch date for your distinctive vision.
Experiences with OpenTable
Using OpenTable Experiences to craft and manage these one-of-a-kind guest journeys lets you go from ideation to execution. Setting up an Experience takes no time at all, and you can be up and running with great unique dining ideas to delight your guests.
Get started and create an Experience with OpenTable
Summary: the perfect Experience
Whether paying homage to time-honoured traditions or crafting moments any time during the year, OpenTable’s Experiences is your launchpad for captivating guests and giving them something a little different at your restaurant. Sure, holidays and annual events present natural inspiration for unique dining journeys. But the most extraordinary experiences are often born from those spur-of-the-moment eureka moments driven by your team’s creativity.
