Aiming for a seat at the table

OpenTable is the Goliath of the Web restaurant reservation system. Now, upstart firm CityEats hopes to take a bite of that business with the support of some popular D.C.-area restaurants.

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Chef Mike Isabella has moved all of the available tables at his restaurant, Graffiato, to CityEats from OpenTable. The decision is mostly financial, as CityEats offers the restaurant a similar service at a lower cost. The "Top Chef" alumnus is banking on the probability that his celebrity-chef status will drive interest in his restaurant, regardless of the reservation system.

Scott Suchman / for The Washington Post

Equinox in downtown Washington is also trying out CityEats. Like the vast majority of the approximately 80 restaurants that have signed up for the service, it is splitting its tables between OpenTable and CityEats. The reason? “Seventy-five percent of the people walking down the street don’t know what CityEats is,” says Randy Cole, dining room manager at Equinox.

Xiaomei Chen / The Washington Post

Cathal Armstrong's four-star Restaurant Eve Tasting Room is another local restaurant that has moved its business to CityEats.

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

Dean Gold, chef at Dino in Cleveland Park, has opted to give CityEats a shot despite maintaining a positive view of OpenTable and continuing to take reservations through that system. He figures that 75 percent of his diners book a reservation through OpenTable.

Bill O'Leary / The Washington Post

Perry Smith, co-owner of the small Matchbox chain, pictured here, notes, “OpenTable is synonymous for restaurant reservations.”

Dominic Bracco II / for The Washington Post

CityEats president Sameer Deen, vice presidents Meet Narisa, center, and Dria de Botton, right, sit for a portrait at the Donovan House in the District. Washington is essentially the New York-based company’s test market, where executives have introduced the reservation service and where they will work out the kinks before rolling out CityEats to other cities across the United States, approximately one city every two or three months.

Ricky Carioti / The Washington Post

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