Debby Soo on small business
From EP 19: A Conversation with Debby Soo, CEO of OpenTable · · Say Grace Podcast
“OpenTable works with over 60,000 restaurants — for the most part mom-and-pop shops — and the stakes feel a lot higher here than in travel; these are livelihoods, families, and communities, and many operators don't come with MBAs.”
On , Debby Soo, Chief Executive Officer of OpenTable at Booking Holdings Inc, spoke about small business during EP 19: A Conversation with Debby Soo, CEO of OpenTable on Say Grace Podcast.
About Debby Soo
Debby Soo, CEO of OpenTable, received the 2026 Hospitality ICON Award at the Hospitality Leadership Summit hosted by Boston University School of Hospitality on April 10, 2026. In a conversation with Dean Arun Upneja, Soo discussed her career journey and OpenTable's restaurant-first mission. She described the company she joined in August 2020 as "not shiny," noting it was in the middle of the pandemic when restaurants were largely closed. Soo criticized past practices, saying that during COVID, OpenTable waived fees but required restaurants to sign three-year contracts to receive free months, calling that approach "stupid." Soo stated that under her leadership, OpenTable's revenue per restaurant has not grown and has "declined purposely" to compete with flat-rate competitors and ensure the value matches what restaurants pay. She emphasized that restaurants are the paying customers, not diners, and that resources are focused on providing best-in-class software for them. Soo added that despite declining revenue per restaurant, overall revenue has increased every year due to growing the install base, hiring more salespeople, and improving the product.