Dining out in New York has become increasingly challenging, with securing a reservation at the city’s hottest restaurants reaching unprecedented levels of difficulty. In the past three years, what was once a competitive process has now become nearly impossible for many diners.
Joel Montaniel, CEO of the booking platform Sevenrooms, noted in a recent discussion with Bloomberg that certain restaurants are nearly impossible to enter. Restaurateurs themselves often lack solutions for securing reservations, indicating the severity of the issue.
So intense has the competition for dining spots become that the New York state legislature recently passed a law to ban third-party booking sites like Appointment Trader, where users were reselling coveted restaurant reservations for prices starting at $200. This trend mirrors practices typically seen in the ticketing for concerts and sports events.
Melissa Fleischut, president of the New York State Restaurant Association, hailed the legislation as a significant win for the hospitality sector. She explained that it would ease the competition for reservations and shield restaurants from costly cancellations.
Nevertheless, even with these new regulations, the reality is that the demand for unique and luxurious dining experiences continues to exceed their availability. Travel advisor Jaclyn Sienna India observed that since the COVID pandemic, the appetite for bookings across travel and hospitality has surged. “Every plane is full, every restaurant is full, every hotel is full,” she said.
India, who heads Sienna Charles—a high-end concierge and travel planning service—has spent 16 years securing reservations for affluent clients. With experience catering to families with fortunes exceeding $100 million, including celebrities like George W. Bush and Mariah Carey, she highlights the importance of understanding clients’ desires and fostering relationships with restaurant owners.
She noted a notable shift away from traditional fine dining. “People have really moved away from fine dining,” India explained, adding that modern diners are more interested in trendy spots that offer social clout than just food. “It’s about FOMO. It’s about saying that you got in; it’s a bragging right.”
For those eager to claim their own bragging rights and willing to persist in their pursuit of reservations, Sienna Charles shares insights on which New York restaurants boast the most coveted tables.