​Tech to attract hungry guests in your neighborhood

​​Tech to attract hungry guests in your neighborhood

Technology is increasingly making it possible for restaurant brands to successfully play matchmaker with guests looking for a place to eat. Geofencing is allowing a number of brands to identify when their loyal guests are in the vicinity — then making it worth their while to visit. Tavern in the Square uses its geofencing feature to identify loyalty program members within a set radius of the restaurant, then send limited-time discounts. One recent buy-one-get-one-half-price offer boosted sales by 50 percent in one day. OpenTable is now making a play to help a lot more restaurants accomplish this sort of feat. Skift Table reports that the online reservations company found that 25 percent of its bookings were happening within 90 minutes of their seating time. Their goal is to become more of a recommendation engine, so a sushi lover who uses the site is more apt to get Japanese restaurants and offers on his list of top recommendations.