Dining out in New York has become incredibly challenging, with securing reservations at popular restaurants now seemingly more difficult than ever. Over the past three years, the situation has escalated from tough to nearly unattainable for many food enthusiasts.
Joel Montaniel, CEO of the reservation platform Sevenrooms, shared insights with Bloomberg, stating, “There are some restaurants that people can’t get into.” He has asked restaurateurs for advice on how to secure reservations, only to hear them admit they have no tips to offer.
The competition for dinner reservations has intensified to the extent that the New York state legislature recently voted to ban third-party booking sites like Appointment Trader, where users were reselling restaurant reservations for prices upwards of $200. This practice, once typical for concert tickets and sports events, has now spread to dining.
Melissa Fleischut, President & CEO of the New York State Restaurant Association, called the new legislation a “major victory for the hospitality industry,” aimed at reducing reservation competition and protecting restaurants from costly cancellations.
Despite these legislative actions, the trend of people seeking out intriguing and upscale dining options continues to far exceed availability. Travel advisor Jaclyn Sienna India noted, “Post-COVID, everything is booked up — every plane, every restaurant, every hotel.”
India, who has spent 16 years leading Sienna Charles, a concierge and travel service for affluent clients, believes that gaining access to sought-after dining spots relies on a few key elements: understanding client preferences and cultivating relationships with the restaurants that can meet those needs.
She explained that clients are increasingly moving away from traditional fine dining experiences, with fewer wanting lengthy tasting menus. Instead, there has been a shift towards trendy venues, often driven by the desire for bragging rights rather than culinary excellence. “It’s about FOMO,” she said, highlighting that the appeal often lies in the social status of being able to say one has dined at a particular place.
For those eager to nab a coveted reservation in New York, persistence is key, and insights from experts like Sienna India can point to the hardest tables to secure.