OpenTable Pivots to Managing Crowds at D.C.’s Largest Farmers Market
It’s safer and there are no fees — for now
The weekly Sunday morning market is a crown jewel of outdoor life in D.C., as much of a weekend destination as it is a mecca for farm shoppers. In the peak of summer, the market can draw over 10,000 shoppers with more than 50 vendors.
In the time of Covid-19, though, managing a market the size of FRESHFARM Dupont Circle is a feat. But it is essential, and it’s been deemed such, as a market in one of the many states that declared markets as necessary as a grocery store, allowing them to continue to operate through the pandemic.
But with that kind of volume every Sunday morning, both farmers and consumers were increasingly at risk for exposure — even with big changes to comply with the new rules for socially distanced shopping. Yes, masks are mandatory. For crowd control, there’s a single entrance and exit. Only one person per household is permitted to attend the market. And advance ordering is strongly encouraged, with some vendors now only selling to pre-ordering customers to promote contactless pickup.
But even with changes, crowd control was challenging. A novel solution came in the form of the restaurant-reservation system OpenTable, and it could become a best practice for…
