How-to · Updated October 12, 2026
How to create a dinner date plan that gets responses
On The Reserv, hosting is the power move: you design a real night out — restaurant, date, time — and let people request the seat across from you. Here is exactly how creating a plan works in the app today, step by step, plus some honest advice on making a plan people actually want to join.
Hosting at a glance
| Figure | What it means |
|---|---|
| $0 | to download, browse, host, join and chat. No subscriptions or in-app purchases. |
| 60+ | Austin restaurants a host can book through OpenTable inside the app. |
| 15 min | to finish the OpenTable booking once you start it in the app. |
| 3 | booking details checked before a plan goes live: restaurant, time and party size. |
| 3 | payment preferences, shown on every plan: Splitting it, Host treats, Guest treats. |
| 3 | active hosted plans at a time, per host. |
The eight steps, start to seated
1. Pick the restaurant and party size
Open The Reserv and start a plan. Choose a restaurant from the curated Austin list (or the map) and set your party size. Host solo, or invite a co-host for a Double Date.
2. Book the table on OpenTable, inside the app
The Reserv opens the restaurant’s OpenTable page in the app. Pick the night and time there and complete the booking. OpenTable holds the reservation in your name; The Reserv never books or pays for it.
3. Let The Reserv check the booking
When the OpenTable booking goes through, The Reserv automatically checks it against the restaurant, the time, and the party size. There is nothing to upload. This confirms the booking exists, not anyone’s identity.
4. Choose who pays and publish
Pick the payment preference — Split it, I’ll treat, or Let them treat — add a short description if you like, and publish. Your plan goes live with the restaurant, the night, the time, the open seat, and who is paying.
5. Let requests come to you
People who want the seat request to join your plan. There is nothing to swipe through — interested guests raise their hand on the specific night you booked.
6. Review requests and choose your guest
Look through the profiles of the people who requested the seat and accept the one you want to meet, or pass. Nobody is auto-assigned to your table, and passing does not send the other person a notification.
7. Chat once the date is set
Messaging opens only after you accept a request. The first message already has a where and a when attached, so the conversation is about the dinner, not about scheduling one.
8. Handle the bill like a normal dinner
Your plan stated the payment preference up front. The Reserv does not process the restaurant bill; you settle with the restaurant directly. If plans change, manage or cancel the reservation on OpenTable yourself.
After you publish
- What you can change: on a solo plan, the description. The restaurant, night, time, and party size come from the verified OpenTable booking, so to change those, cancel and create a new plan.
- Cancelling: you can cancel a plan in the app. The Reserv never touches your OpenTable booking — cancel or change the reservation on OpenTable yourself, before the restaurant's deadline. Where we know a restaurant's cancellation policy, the app reminds you before it.
- Limits: you can have up to three active hosted plans at a time.
- Sharing: you can share an open plan to Instagram Stories from the app.
More on booking and verification in how reservations work.
What makes a plan easy to say yes to
No app can guarantee responses — anyone who promises that is selling something. But a plan is a pitch, and some pitches are simply easier to accept:
- Be specific. A named restaurant on a real night beats vagueness every time — that is the whole reason the plan model works. Lean into it: the more concrete the night, the less a guest has to imagine.
- Pick a night people can make. A Thursday 7:30 is easier for most working people than a Monday 6:00. You pick the time on OpenTable, so check a couple of nights before you book.
- Choose a place with a point of view. The restaurant says something about the night you are proposing. It does not need to be expensive — it needs to be a choice.
- Set the payment preference honestly. Split it, I'll treat, or Let them treat all work — what matters is that the guest knew before they requested the seat.
- Fill in your own profile. Hosts review guests, but guests are deciding too. Give them something real to say yes to.
Related reading
Prefer to take a seat instead of hosting? Read how to join a date plan. Not sure where to book? See the Austin restaurant list. For the bigger picture, read what to look for in a plan-first dating platform and how The Reserv approaches safety and trust. Ready to host your first table in Austin? Download The Reserv on the App Store.