Debby Soo on pricing
From EP 19: A Conversation with Debby Soo, CEO of OpenTable · · Say Grace Podcast
“The first thing was pricing. We're expensive. We had this pricing model that was like no matter who you are, you pay a dollar for cover — that's been a dollar since 1998. Not all restaurants are created the same, so we adjusted pricing so restaurants can choose what fits them: some stay at a dollar, some pay more for demand-driving covers, others pay a SaaS fee.”
On , Debby Soo, Chief Executive Officer of OpenTable at Booking Holdings Inc, spoke about pricing 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.