AI now tracks your restaurant habits and shares data with other venues

Maybe you order sparkling water, start every meal with an appetizer, or prefer to dine as soon as the restaurant opens. You may not follow these habits. OpenTable could.

Some restaurants are now seeing new AI-assisted tags on diners when they reserve a table. These tags can note spending habits, spending levels, review habits, and last-minute cancellations.

This information surfaced after Kat Menter, a host at a Michelin-starred restaurant that posts about food under the name Eating Out Austin, spotted the new “AI-assisted” tags at work. She shared a glimpse of the system in a TikTok video that quickly gained attention. The media later confirmed the test with other restaurants.

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WILL YOU EAT IN AN AI-MANAGED RESTAURANT?

AI tags leverage reservation and point-of-sale data to highlight patterns such as drink choices, spending ranges and eating habits across visits. (Jeffrey Greenberg/UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

How OpenTable gathers this information

OpenTable integrates with POS (Point of Sale) platforms such as Toast or Epos. These systems manage orders, payments, and the timing of a meal. When your contact information matches your OpenTable account, the platform can connect your visit to your profile.

This may include arrival time, general order details, time spent and invoice total. Reports show that these elements help OpenTable generate AI summaries of unidentifiable customer data when the restaurant uses a supported point-of-sale system and has data sharing enabled. You don’t need to book through OpenTable for this to happen. You only need an account and corresponding contact details.

Some users who pulled their data through OpenTable’s privacy request form saw very limited information. Basic contact details and a list of past bookings were the main items. This suggests that the level of information depends on which restaurants use POS integrations and how long they use them.

Why restaurants want this information

Restaurants have been following their customers’ preferences for years. Staff can note favorite dishes or favorite seats. They can monitor frequent delays or recurring celebrations. This helps them have a smooth visit.

Guest information summarized by OpenTable’s AI is intended to provide a simplified version of these notes. They highlight beverage categories, spending ranges or behavior patterns. However, Menter notes that the tags may be wrong. A single business dinner can mark someone as a big spender. Eating with friends who order cocktails can give the impression that a person is a cocktail lover. For this reason, Menter treats beacons as vague suggestions rather than reliable signals.

It’s not a human talking to you in the fast food drive-thru.

How AI works

OpenTable says the AI ​​does not process customers’ personal data. Instead, it is used for high-level classification and categorization of large anonymized data sets. For example, AI analyzes various point-of-sale descriptions (like “glass of cabernet”) to systematically categorize them as “red wine,” “white wine,” etc., without ever interacting with specific customer profiles.

The platform says this information can help staff suggest dishes or adopt a relaxed pace. OpenTable also states that use of point-of-sale information depends on the privacy settings you choose and that you can review, adjust, or opt out of data sharing at any time. Yet the privacy policy uses broad terms like culinary preferences.

A TikTok video from a Michelin-starred restaurant host revealed for the first time the AI-assisted restaurant tags currently being tested in OpenTable’s Pro tools. (iStock)

“Guest insights are the driving force behind personalization, allowing restaurants to optimize their service and deliver the type of thoughtful hospitality that both benefits the business and delivers a special experience to the diner,” an OpenTable representative told CyberGuy. “This information comes from a mix of sources, including OpenTable, our restaurant partners, and our retail partners, and is limited to non-confidential information.”

“They might help a server suggest a dish you’ll love or recognize that you prefer a more relaxed pace of dining,” the rep said. “We also share this information across our network so that restaurants can learn and improve the dining experience for everyone, not just individual customers. You are responsible for the data you share. Through your OpenTable preferences and settings, you can review, adjust, or opt out of data sharing at any time. What we share with restaurants is guided by the choices you make in your privacy preferences.”

What data is shared and how to limit it

If a restaurant is listed, OpenTable shares your name, contact information, party size, and special requests with the restaurant you reserve. The company also confirms that participating restaurants share their point-of-sale data with OpenTable. This may include items ordered, bill totals and the length of your stay. OpenTable then transforms this into aggregated information.

RESTAURANT INSIDER SHARE THE SECRETS TO GETTING HARD-TO-GET RESERVATIONS

OpenTable would share information about its broader restaurant network. This only applies when this feature is enabled and only for restaurants on the OpenTable Pro plan. This is a beta feature.

How to disable the “Point of Sale Information” button

If you want more privacy, you can turn off the “Point of sale information” setting:

• Log in to your OpenTable Account
• Press your profile in the upper right corner
• Click Account settings
• Faucet Communications
• Scroll down and turn off Allow OpenTable to use point-of-sale information
• Click To safeguard

This prevents your order history from contributing to future information.

What does this mean for you

Your eating habits can change with you when you dine at restaurants that use OpenTable Pro.

This awareness helps you understand what your applications are tracking. It also gives you the ability to adjust your privacy settings so you stay in control of your information.

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Customers can limit the amount of data contributing to this information by turning off the OpenTable point-of-sale sharing setting in their account. (Educational Images/Universal Images Group via Getty Images)

BE ON HIGH ALERT IF YOU USE THIS POPULAR BOOKING APP

Kurt’s Key Takeaways

Dining out should seem simple, but today’s technology adds a new dimension to the experience. These AI-assisted tags give restaurants additional insight, but they also remind you how much of your behavior is being recorded behind the scenes. By reviewing your privacy settings and turning off data sharing at the point of sale, you have more control over what follows you from meal to meal. Staying aware makes a big difference. It helps you enjoy your evening without wondering who is tracking your habits or how your data might appear on a screen. With a few quick choices, you can shape what restaurants see and keep your preferences truly personal.

Would you change the way you dine out if you knew your ordering habits might follow you to restaurants you’ve never visited? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

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