Karen Hanton

Karen Hanton is a British entrepreneur and business executive, best known as the co-founder of Toptable (later rebranded as OpenTable), a leading online restaurant reservation service.

Hanton, along with her husband Scott Hanton, launched Toptable in 1998 in the United Kingdom. The company aimed to streamline the process of booking restaurant tables online, addressing the frustrations consumers faced with traditional phone-based reservations. Toptable rapidly grew in popularity, becoming a dominant player in the UK restaurant booking market.

In 2005, Toptable was acquired by OpenTable, an American company providing similar services in the United States. Following the acquisition, Toptable was rebranded as OpenTable UK. Karen Hanton remained involved with the company for a period after the acquisition, contributing to the integration of the two businesses and the continued expansion of OpenTable's presence in Europe.

Since leaving OpenTable, Hanton has been involved in various entrepreneurial ventures and has been an advocate for women in business. She has also served as a mentor and advisor to startups. Her contributions to the online reservation industry have been recognized, and she is considered a significant figure in the development of digital solutions for the restaurant sector.