The Reservation Game

WaiterRant analyzes a new service in the restaurant biz:

If you’ve read my blog you know I hate customers who call at 7 on Saturday night and demand the best table in the house to be readied for them by 8. Not only are these people suffering from delusions of grandeur, they forget the simple economy of restaurants. There’s a limited number of choice tables. Chefs, owners, and maître d’s try and ensure heavy spending regulars get the nicest tables. It’s a simple business tactic. Regular customers make or break a restaurant. Loyal patronage can and should be rewarded. Setting tables aside for rich connected regular patrons lowers the numbers of tables available for mere mortals. That’s a fact of life. Some foo foo New York eateries require reservations be made weeks, if not months, in advance.

Of course, instant gratification Yuppie types can’t wait for anything. They’re always trying to get around reservation roadblocks. An article in today’s NY Times discussed a new internet service called PrimeTime Tables. For a fee this service will snag that coveted eight o’clock table you’re so desperate to have. The service secures reservations at fancy restaurants in advance, often making them under a fake name. When a frantic Yuppie needs a last minute reservation the service sells them the time slot. Once the slot’s sold, PrimeTime changes the reservation to the new diner’s name or the diner has to use the fake name PrimeTime made the reservation under. Sneaky huh? Sounds like ticket scalping you say? The Manhattan District Attorney’s office says it’s not illegal.

Read the rest here.