Urbanspoon, the Seattle-based restaurant locator and reservation service, is rolling out a new feature that will let diners check the immediate availability of tables at restaurants where they want to eat, stepping up the company’s competition with the rival OpenTable service.
The new feature, called Rezbook “Right Now,” is being rolled out as an option in the company’s Rezbook iPad app for restaurateurs, letting them publish real-time details about their open tables for consumers using UrbanSpoon’s online service and mobile app.
Urbanspoon explains in a news release, “This new functionality gives diners the immediate gratification of securing a table when they want it, and accessing table availability at a broader pool of restaurants that may not take reservations or have heavy walk-in and waitlist traffic. In turn, restaurants can market available tables to Urbanspoon users while they are making their restaurant choice, helping to fill inventory in an instant.”
The feature is visible in the Urbanspoon iPhone app in a “Tables Available Right Now” feature on the home screen.
Restaurants that have been testing the feature include Tom Douglas Restaurants in Seattle.
Urbanspoon, started by entrepreneurs in Seattle, is part of IAC’s CityGrid Media.
