« Vegas Vittles--Help! | Main | Veal Cheeks with Mashed Purple Potatoes, Roasted Carrots, Reduction Sauce »
October 25, 2007
View Comments | Post CommentReservations For Sale
Jeanette and I are trying to get a reservation to Minibar for our two-year anniversary. It's a pricey meal, but we're willing to pay for it. Nevertheless, it's difficult. There are only six seats, and they do two seatings per night. With only twelve diners per night, and all the foodies and chefs in DC wanting to try it out, reservations are very tough to come by. They take reservations exactly one month in advance, starting at 9:00am. By 9:03am, they are sold out. Invariably, attempts to get a reservations end in a busy signal, followed by frustration.
Similarly, although we restrained ourselves this summer from the temptation of the French Laundry (Northern California's only three-Michelin star restaurant, now for two years in a row, and the fourth best restaurant in the world), we fully plan on going once we start our lucrative jobs next year. But even when we are willing to pay $240 per person, before tax, tip, and drinks, we will still face the same problem trying to get a reservation. The demand for the restaurant is simply higher than its seating capacity.
With so many people who clearly have substantial disposable wealth vying for reservations at more or less fixed-price restaurants, there is a huge market for someone willing to endure the ire of the industry. Why haven't people started selling their restaurant reservations? Why isn't Craigslist littered with $100 OBO postings for Minibar? Why aren't Valentine's Day reservations on eBay?
If I were such a person, willing to incur the wrath of the restaurant industry (I might be), I would start a business. I would map out a schedule for each day's calls to the most desirable restaurants in the country, and reserve as many tables as possible, each under a different, uncommon name. Then I would sell the reservations, advertising my service on food blogs and fancy magazines, or perhaps auction off the reservations. When payment is received, I would tell the buyer what name they should give. If their party is one less person than the reservation, they simply call the restaurant to inform them that their party size has shrunk.
If someone is willing to pay over $600 for dinner for two at French Laundry, wouldn't they be willing to pay $50 more to eat at the time and date of their choice, and avoid the hassle of endless redials and busy signals?
If one were to do this, I think it would very quickly change the way the entire restaurant industry handles its reservations. If you think about it, the system is quite archaic. There is no way to affirmatively match the identity of whomever calls for a reservation to the identity of the party that shows up.
I think restaurants would very quickly find that if someone is going to making money off of their reservations, it might as well be them. They might start auctioning off their own reservations, or perhaps charging more for more desirable times and days. In the end, it would end up that those most willing to pay for a reservation would get it. This would be a good result to an economist. But is it what we want?
I know that I don't want to be priced out of reservations at all the places I dream of going, and I don't want anyone else to be either. But if it were impossible for someone of my means ever to eat at Minibar, wouldn't competitors crop up to serve the market of people with slightly less disposable income? Wouldn't we, in the end, have a distribution of dining experiences that better reflects the wealth curve? Are dining experiences scarce resources, or can a competitor always crop up to substitute for any restaurant that is too desirable to be afforded?
Posted by Barzelay at October 25, 2007 12:19 PM | Comments (2) | Food Politics and Culture
Comments
Post a new comment
Funny that you mention Minibar--I just read that Chef Andres is planning on expanding it to 36 seats. Assuming that the food remains innovative, entertaining, and (mostly) delicious, will the increased availability alone make the dining experience any less sought-after? Any less exclusive? Interesting questions, as are the ones raised by your post.
Posted by: bettyjoan at October 25, 2007 2:26 PM
Sorry about your troubles getting into Minibar and French Laundry.
I just wanted to share with you a site that allows one to actually purchase a reservation to really great places and the prices of the reservatinos are really reasonable.
I use it all the time because I travel alot and sometimes I need tables at the last minute to take my dates.
Posted by: Ron Harper at November 18, 2007 8:42 PM
