OpenTable is adding a new feature that will let restaurants tag diners as “verified” for meeting entry requirements. The initial — and obvious — use of the verification feature will be for restaurants to log guests who are vaccinated for COVID-19, but the feature could also be used to do things like confirm a diner is of legal drinking age or other requirements for entry.
The feature should be rolling out to restaurants later this month, and it aims to help make it easier for restaurant owners to better serve repeat customers, especially with cities like New York City starting to roll out vaccination requirements for restaurants as the delta variant continues to rise.
The verification tag only applies to a single restaurant or restaurant group and doesn’t actually log any vaccination data or personal information. Actually checking the vaccine status of a diner will fall to the restaurant, in line with whatever policies a location has for vaccine requirements.
But in theory, the OpenTable system would allow for a diner to show proof of vaccination on their first visit, and then make future reservations easier. Since OpenTable isn’t extending the “verified” status between different restaurants, you’ll still have to meet that verification status at each new place you go (unless they’re operated by the same group), but it still could be a convenient feature for customers who frequent the same places often.
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