When OpenTable CEO Debby Soo joined the restaurant reservation company in 2020, the industry was struggling through the pandemic. These days, she is focused on growing the 25-year-old company, which was acquired by Amsterdam-based Booking Holdings in 2014. OpenTable manages reservations for 55,000 restaurants worldwide and seats more than 1 billion diners per year. Soo has noticed some shifts in dining trends over the years. For instance, there had been a surge of early dinner dining during the pandemic that still remains today, with more people opting to make dinner reservations at 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. instead of the previously more popular 7 p.m. slot.
