OpenTable seems to have hit the right note with its decision to sell third-party restaurants coupons through its website. The company’s Spotlight program has made it a direct competitor to Groupon – the first company to fully demonstrate the effectiveness of group-based online discounts. And restaurants using Spotlight seem to have plenty of positives to report. Notably, 90% of restaurants participating in the program recommend it to other restaurants. Already the leading provider of free and real-time online restaurant reservations, OpenTable is comfortably ahead of its competitors in an industry that also includes Urbanspoon, owned by IAC/InterActiveCorp, and UK-based companies liveRES Ltd and Livebookings Ltd.
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