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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.
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