In Houston, making a dinner reservation now comes with one more question: Who’s driving? The city is the first in the country to test a new OpenTable feature that lets diners choose a designated driver while booking a table, thanks to a new pilot program from Heineken USA and OpenTable.
Beginning Friday, July 31, diners who book through a dedicated OpenTable experience at 10 participating Houston restaurants can assign a designated driver during the reservation process. After completing a pre-experience survey, entrants can opt in for a chance to win a $25 gift card to purchase Heineken 0.0 for their night out, and select designated drivers may also receive a $100 SafeRides.org voucher after completing a post-experience survey.
The pilot runs each weekend through Sunday, October 4 at participating Federal American Grill locations in Downtown, Shepherd, Katy and River Oaks, Goode Company Seafood locations in Memorial and Westpark, Good and Co. Kitchen & Cantina in the Heights, Morton’s Houston Downtown, Morton’s Houston Galleria and Truluck’s Houston.
The partnership is part of Heineken’s “There’s No Such Thing As Fine to Drive” campaign, which aims to encourage diners to plan a safe ride home before heading out. The company says Houston was chosen for the inaugural pilot after local survey results found that 74 percent of Houstonians would be more likely to make a transportation plan if prompted while booking a reservation. The survey also found that 34 percent had underestimated how intoxicated they were until they were already behind the wheel, while 36 percent admitted they had driven after drinking because they believed they were the “most sober” person in the group.
Reservations can be made through the dedicated OpenTable experience beginning July 31. The pilot is open to diners 21 and older and includes participating restaurants across Houston through October 4.
