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Key Takeaways
- Debby Soo uses direct feedback from operators and diners to steer OpenTable’s product decisions.
- Soo believes storytelling is essential for discovery, connection and long-term success.
- She prioritizes technology that removes friction for restaurants so teams can focus on service, guests and community.
Debby Soo believes a CEO should never hide behind the brand.
As the leader of OpenTable, she uses social media to stay close to the people who matter most: restaurant operators and diners. She scrolls, reads and listens. For her, staying visible is not about promotion. It is about connection.
“I get so much feedback from social,” she says. “Feedback is gold. I look at comments. I look at reviews. I look at everything.” And she means it. She reads tags from restaurants, questions from diners, pushback, praise and everything in between.
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Before taking over at OpenTable, Soo spent years in travel and technology, working in product, marketing and leadership roles that taught her the value of staying curious.
But when she stepped into the CEO role during one of hospitality’s most turbulent eras, she was walking into an industry still reeling from the pandemic. Restaurants were short-staffed, reservation patterns had changed, and operators everywhere were speaking honestly about what was not working.
In New York City, one of OpenTable’s biggest markets, the data showed a clear decline. “We had lost the hearts and minds of restaurants and diners in New York City,” she says.
Search interest was down. Sentiment had shifted. Some inside the company did not want to share that reality publicly. Soo disagreed. “We cannot fix it until we talk about the fact that it is broken,” she says.
Her instinct was not to pull back, but to show up. “I think the worst thing you can do is not be present,” she explains. The only way to rebuild trust was to begin with honesty.
Her team encouraged her to take that presence even further. They pushed her to show up online, speak directly to operators and make being the CEO more human than corporate. She resisted at first, but once she leaned in, something shifted. “I started posting more because my team told me I needed to,” she says. “And I realized they were right.”
Related: This Michelin-Trained Chef Now Cooks for One of California’s Fastest-Growing Brands
Her experience taught her something she believes applies to every restaurant, not just a global platform. You cannot afford to stay silent. “If you want people to find you, you have to tell your story,” she says.
Diners want to follow restaurants they feel connected to. That mindset helped OpenTable begin the work of rebuilding. It helped Soo understand what restaurants needed most and where the company had to evolve. The feedback was sometimes tough, sometimes helpful, always honest. She welcomed all of it.
Her leadership begins with listening. Her strategy begins with transparency. And her belief in hospitality begins with understanding the people she serves.
Related: His Restaurants Won Awards — Then His Next Business Changed the Industry
Smarter dining solutions
Today, Soo is focused on shaping the next chapter of OpenTable. The company that transformed reservations decades ago is expanding its role, becoming a platform restaurants can rely on for far more than bookings.
Large-party dining is one of the biggest opportunities. Restaurants told her that big groups bring big revenue but enormous operational pressure. Soo responded by directing her team to build tools that help restaurants manage demand, secure commitments and communicate more clearly with guests.
She is equally focused on using AI responsibly. OpenTable’s AI-driven tool, Concierge, automates guest messaging, handles common questions and surfaces smart recommendations so managers can focus on service instead of screens.
But Soo’s belief in restaurants goes far deeper than product strategy. She sees restaurants as the heartbeat of a community. They are where people celebrate, reconnect, grieve, heal and feel seen. In her view, restaurants are not optional. They are essential. “Restaurants are resilient,” she says. “They always find a way.”
For Soo, the future of OpenTable is about supporting the people who bring hospitality to life. And for a CEO who refuses to stay quiet, showing up for restaurants is the only way forward.
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Key Takeaways
- Debby Soo uses direct feedback from operators and diners to steer OpenTable’s product decisions.
- Soo believes storytelling is essential for discovery, connection and long-term success.
- She prioritizes technology that removes friction for restaurants so teams can focus on service, guests and community.
Debby Soo believes a CEO should never hide behind the brand.
As the leader of OpenTable, she uses social media to stay close to the people who matter most: restaurant operators and diners. She scrolls, reads and listens. For her, staying visible is not about promotion. It is about connection.
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