Lottie’s:

How OpenTable’s data informs a local neighbourhood restaurant opening in Dublin

Fast facts

	Restaurant name: Lottie’s
	Type of restaurant: Independent
	Location: Dublin
	Year founded: 2023

A recent addition to Dublin’s dining scene, Lottie’s has quickly gained attention for its modern European cuisine with a seasonal Irish twist. Recognised in the 2024 MICHELIN Guide, it’s the creation of Domini Kemp – chef, restaurateur, food writer and CEO of Valence Hospitality. According to Domini, Lottie’s was designed from the ground up to be a “great neighbourhood restaurant.”

Beautifully blending the earthiness of stone and wood with warm lighting and soft furnishings, Lottie’s is a comforting haven that calls Rathmines, the charming suburb of Dublin, home. Though the uniqueness of the neighbourhood is a selling point, it also poses some challenges. “You have to work a little bit harder when you’re in the suburbs,” Domini explains, “you don’t have that same city centre hit from tourists. So we have to have that deep relationship with our customers.”

Not only was there a need for Lottie’s to build strong guest relationships due to its location, but there was also a lack of historical data for Domini and her team to measure success against when launching. This is where OpenTable has been so critical.

Domini says, “It’s a new venture and, obviously, you’re learning every day, every week, every month. You have nothing historical to compare it to. That’s why we decided on using OpenTable here because the data it provides is so important for our success.”

Fast facts

	Restaurant name: Lottie’s
	Type of restaurant: Independent restaurant
	Location: London
	Year founded: 2023

Even as a relative newcomer to Dublin’s dining scene, Lottie’s has already gained attention for its modern European cuisine with a seasonal Irish twist. Recognised in the 2024 MICHELIN Guide, it’s the creation of Domini Kemp – chef, restaurateur, food writer and CEO of Valence Hospitality. According to Domini, Lottie’s was designed from the ground up to be a “great neighbourhood restaurant.”

Beautifully blending the earthiness of stone and wood with warm lighting and soft furnishings, Lottie’s is a comforting haven that calls Rathmines, the charming suburb of Dublin, home. Though the uniqueness of the neighbourhood is a selling point, it also poses some challenges. “You have to work a little bit harder when you’re in the suburbs,” Domini explains, “you don’t have that same city centre hit from tourists. So we have to have that deep relationship with our customers.”

Not only was there a need for Lottie’s to build strong guest relationships due to its location, but there was also a lack of historical data for Domini and her team to measure success against when launching. This is where OpenTable has been so critical.

Domini says, “It’s a new venture and, obviously, you’re learning every day, every week, every month. You have nothing historical to compare it to. That’s why we decided on using OpenTable here because the data it provides is so important for our success.

Dialling in the details with OpenTable restaurant management software

Being able to access the system remotely is one of Domini’s favourite features. She says, “As a restaurant owner, you tend to work odd hours. At 11 or 12 o’clock at night, when I want to see what the bookings are like for the next few weeks, I can make decisions around whether we go for different marketing initiatives.” OpenTable’s restaurant reservation software allows Domini to make those decisions anywhere, anytime.

OpenTable also helps Lottie’s run an efficient kitchen. As the chef and entrepreneur explains, it’s vital “to understand how much pressure a kitchen can take in terms of the amount of covers. Looking at OpenTable’s Shift Occupancy gives us a really good way to track how manageable that is. And being able to adjust it and then adjust the amount of tables available – that’s been really helpful.”

“We decided on using OpenTable here because the data it provides is so important for our success.”

Domini Kemp, Owner
Lottie’s

Creating customised experiences and chef events with OpenTable

Domini was blown away by OpenTable’s easy and intuitive Experiences function. “One of the things we decided to do was this incredible evening with Mark Moriarty, who had just brought out his first cookbook. To celebrate the launch, we had a special dinner here. We were able to sell it under Experiences, and it sold out super quick.”

Of course, selling out an evening like this is a big win for any restaurant. However, Domini says OpenTable’s restaurant management system delivered far more than just a sold-out event. “I think the nicest part of it was that it was so easy to block off the restaurant from a bookings point of view. There were no difficulties with it from a customer perspective. And for us, we were able to sell out the event really seamlessly. It was a great initiative and well handled by OpenTable.”

Best in class support

Domini says she doesn’t know what they would do without OpenTable and the customer support that comes with it. Whether 24/7 technical support, or assistance from her Account Manager, it’s a vital component when setting up a new restaurant like Lottie’s. “I really vouch for the people behind the product. It’s been really impressive to see how quickly they deal with all the teething problems we had when we were learning to use the system… ”

“… I can say, hands down, I would highly recommend OpenTable to any business.”

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