Obtaining a reservation at New York’s top restaurants has become increasingly difficult in recent years, reaching an all-time high. The process has shifted from merely challenging to nearly impossible for many food enthusiasts.
Joel Montaniel, CEO of the booking platform Sevenrooms, recently shared insights with Bloomberg about the situation, noting, “There are some restaurants that people can’t get into,” and that even restaurateurs he has spoken with have been unable to offer tips on securing a table.
The intense competition for dinner reservations led New York’s state legislature to pass a law last month prohibiting third-party booking services like Appointment Trader. These platforms allowed users to sell their reservation slots for $200 or more, a practice akin to scalping tickets for concerts and sporting events.
Melissa Fleischut, President and CEO of the New York State Restaurant Association, hailed this new legislation as a significant win for the hospitality sector, aimed at reducing the competition for reservations and shielding restaurants from costly cancellations.
Despite these legislative efforts, the demand for trendy and luxurious dining experiences continues to outpace supply. “Post-COVID, I’m sure you’ve noticed that everything is booked up. Every plane is full, every restaurant is full, every hotel is full,” remarked travel advisor Jaclyn Sienna India. She has spent 16 years running Sienna Charles, a concierge service for the ultra-wealthy, with clients such as George W. Bush and Mariah Carey.
India brings substantial knowledge to the table, emphasizing that securing access to popular dining spots hinges on understanding what customers want and establishing relationships with restaurants. “People have really moved away from fine dining; we very rarely have a client that wants to sit through a tasting menu,” she observed. “The entire shift in the last three years has been towards trendy restaurants, where the emphasis is not necessarily on the food but on avoiding ‘FOMO’ — the fear of missing out. It’s about the status of having dined there.”
For those eager to enjoy coveted dining experiences and willing to persist in their quest for a reservation, Sienna Charles highlights which New York restaurants currently have the toughest tables to book.