More people are opting for early dinners since the pandemic, says OpenTable CEO

(AP)–  When OpenTable CEO Debby Soo joined the restaurant reservation company in 2020, the industry was struggling through the pandemic. These days, she is focused on growing the 25-year-old company, which was acquired by Amsterdam-based Booking Holdings in 2014.

OpenTable manages reservations for 55,000 restaurants worldwide and seats more than 1 billion diners per year.

Soo has noticed some shifts in dining trends over the years. For instance, there had been a surge of early dinner dining during the pandemic that still remains today, with more people opting to make dinner reservations at 5 p.m. or 6 p.m. instead of the previously more popular 7 p.m. slot.