Not quite what it used to be, but still a great place to work - Lead Software Engineer OpenTable Employee Review

4.0
Nov 5, 2015
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Lots of smart people working on some pretty cool projects. Move towards SOA definitely opened up a lot of opportunities for learning within engineering. Pretty open collaboration with minimal stonewalling between teams. Most people are passionate and energized by the product roadmap.

Cons

Not many advancement opportunities for individual contributors. Over time, as team leads grew into Directors, members of technical staff only got to senior level, and senior got to principal. Relatively flat reporting structure worked great up to a certain size, but at some point the company outgrew it. Until recently, comps were not keeping up with the market, and new-hires (some through acquisitions) were coming in with inflated titles and packages. This also significantly diluted the culture.

Explore other reviews about OpenTable

5.0
Mar 2, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

Great place to work - really good work life balance and culture.

Cons

Not much to say, everything is good

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OpenTable Response
16h
Hooray!! Thank you for taking the time to leave this review,
1.0
Jun 5, 2026
Recommend
CEO approval
Business outlook

Pros

* It's a great brand * Great partners * Decent product with strong distribution

Cons

* Management style was heavily top-down, with decision-making concentrated among a small group of senior leaders. * This was the same when they were all working at KAYAK under the same group * I observed what I felt was preferential treatment of certain employees (notably of a certain ethnicity - IYKYK), which negatively impacted perceptions of fairness and inclusivity within the organisation. * The workplace environment could be highly stressful, and concerns raised by employees were not always addressed effectively. * Staff wellbeing, retention, and morale appeared to be ongoing challenges during my time with the company.

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OpenTable Response
16h
Thank you for sharing your feedback. We're glad to hear you had a positive experience with our brand, partners, and product. We take employee feedback seriously and are committed to creating an inclusive and supportive workplace while continuously improving communication, leadership effectiveness, and the overall employee experience. We appreciate the contributions of both current and former team members, and we use feedback like yours to help inform our ongoing efforts to grow and improve as an organization. We wish you all the best in your future endeavors.
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