Dive Brief:

• Visa has partnered with OpenTable to launch a new dining program that’s piloting in Chicago and Los Angeles, the two companies said Tuesday in a press release. The program will provide access to Michelin-starred restaurants as well as local staples.
• Visa and OpenTable will offer reservations at participating restaurants when they book with a Visa card from the collection as well as access to exclusive culinary events. While Rose Mary and Virtue are participating in the program in Chicago, Bestia and Kato will take part in the program in Los Angeles, the release said. 
• Visa and OpenTable aim to add more than 500 restaurants across 34 North American cities by 2025. The two companies will soon add restaurants in Miami, New York, San Francisco and Washington, D.C., per the press release.

Dive Insight:

On launching the program, Visa is also extending the new program’s benefits to Visa Infinite cardholders in the U.S. and Mexico and Visa Infinite Privilege cardholders in Canada. The company said it will offer the benefits to more Visa customers in the future.

This is the first time that the San Francisco-based Visa has partnered with OpenTable, a spokesperson for the card giant said. 

The program, called the OpenTable & Visa Dining Collection, “rewards diners for paying with their Visa cards while bringing the restaurants in the Collection additional business and new customers,” Kim Lawrence, regional president of North America at Visa, said in the release.

As Visa courts restaurant customers, a major card rival is also seeking to boost its appeal to diners, particularly in the premium restaurant arena. 

Last month, American Express entered into a deal to buy the reservation and event management platform Tock from the website creation company Squarespace for $400 million. Chicago-based Tock runs a restaurant and hotel reservation system and an event management service.

Industry analysts suspect that focusing on the restaurant business is part of Amex’s strategy to generate higher payment volume and provide premium experiences.