OpenTable will allow you to book your turn at the supermarket

OpenTable allows its users to reserve a slot to go to the supermarket, following the same system as a reservation in a restaurant.

In fact, the initiative aims to minimize congestion in supermarkets so that we can shop safely during this coronavirus epidemic. Among the solutions that emanate from the Tech world since the start of this pandemic, this is one of the simplest. Yet it could also be one of the most effective. But how does it work?

How the OpenTable tool for shops works

On the site and the application, this new functionality allows you to subscribe to a waiting list to go to a supermarket, but also to other essential businesses. Alternatively, we can directly reserve a place if there is one available in the desired time slot. For the rest, the process is the same as to reserve a table in a restaurant.

However, the functionality is currently only available in San Francisco where a grocery store and six outlets for takeout foods are listed. According to The Verge, OpenTable is however in the midst of negotiations with partners to deploy the tool in the rest of the United States.

Why this idea would be welcome in France

The Covid-19 pandemic places grocery stores and supermarkets in a difficult position. Even if they are allowed to stay open as essential businesses, their employees face enormous risks.

Signs are adapting, limiting the number of people who can enter the sales area simultaneously. However, this creates parallel queues in front of stores. For their part, supermarket drive services are struggling to meet the exponential rise in demand.

A tool like the one offered by OpenTable will reduce the time consumers spend in these queues. Less time outdoors, less risk of contamination for buyers and shop staff.

It would also facilitate the introduction of certain measures, for example, reserving special slots for the elderly. So we cross our fingers so that the OpenTable tool crosses the Atlantic.

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