OpenTable beyond dining: assessing a move into bookable workspace

OpenTable, best known for restaurant reservations, is considering letting people reserve desks and offices too. How would you decide whether this is a good idea? ```hint Check what carries over Before sizing any market, list what OpenTable already has (its diners, its venue relationships, its booking software, its brand) and ask which of those would still be an advantage when the thing being booked is a desk. ``` ### Clarifying Questions - Who would be booking: employees reserving a desk in their own employer's hybrid office, or remote workers, freelancers and travelers paying for a desk or private office for a few hours or a day? - What is OpenTable trying to achieve: a new revenue line, more reasons for existing users to open the app, or more value for its current venue partners? - Should I assume OpenTable builds this itself, or are a partnership or an acquisition also options? - Is there a time horizon or a size of prize this needs to reach to be worth pursuing? ### What a Strong Answer Covers - The possible readings of "desks and offices" (who books, who supplies the space, who pays), compared, with one chosen and the reason - Why now, how large the chosen market could be, and who already serves it - OpenTable's right to win: which of its assets transfer, and which capabilities it would have to build or buy - The economics and the risks, including distraction from the restaurant business and stretching a dining brand - A recommendation with a low-cost first test and the results that would justify scaling or stopping ### Follow-up Questions - Suppose most large employers already get desk booking inside workplace software they pay for. Does that change your recommendation, and how? - OpenTable's parent, Booking Holdings, also owns travel brands. Would that change which version of the idea you pursue? - How would you price it, and who should pay: the space owner, the employer or the person booking?