Restaurant reservations systems such as OpenTable and Yelp Reservations may be one of the biggest areas where technology is working to help restaurants win new customers and build a bigger roster of loyal regulars. The services offer tools that help eateries customize the experience and add a personal touch to each interaction with a patron.

When Kristi Quick first began working in restaurants as a teen, reservations and notes on customers’ likes and dislikes were kept with paper and pen and on laminated pages edited with grease pencils.

Paul Swansen/Flickr

Today, at Jax Fish House & Oyster Bar in lower downtown (LoDo) Denver, the general manager and her staff do it all on iPads, using Yelp Reservations systems to keep detailed notes from customer comments, comment cards, and posts patrons put up on the system.

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