Securing a dining reservation in New York City has become increasingly difficult. Over the past three years, acquiring a table at some of the city’s most sought-after restaurants has transitioned from a challenge to an almost unattainable endeavor for many diners.
Joel Montaniel, CEO of the booking platform Sevenrooms, shed light on the issue, stating, “There are some restaurants that people can’t get into.” He mentioned conversations with restaurateurs who candidly admitted they had no solutions for securing reservations.
The competition for dinner spots has escalated to the point where the New York state legislature recently passed a law prohibiting third-party booking sites like Appointment Trader, which enabled users to resell restaurant reservations for prices exceeding $200 – a practice typically associated with concert tickets and major sports events.
Melissa Fleischut, President & CEO of the New York State Restaurant Association, hailed the legislative move as a significant win for the hospitality sector. She asserted that it would lessen reservation competition and shield restaurants from costly no-shows.
Nonetheless, even with these new regulations, the reality remains that the demand for unique, trendy, and upscale dining experiences continues to surpass the supply. Travel advisor Jaclyn Sienna India observed, “Post-COVID, everything is booked up. Every plane is full, every restaurant is full, every hotel is full.” This raises the question of how to navigate the challenge of securing reservations in an already saturated market.
With 16 years of experience running Sienna Charles, a concierge and travel planning service catering to the ultra-wealthy, India has a wealth of insight into the dining reservation game. Her clientele typically includes families with assets exceeding $100 million, and she has worked with high-profile figures such as George W. Bush and Mariah Carey.
Despite her impressive clientele, India notes that gaining access to the most coveted dining experiences hinges on understanding customer preferences and nurturing relationships with restaurants able to meet those needs.
She observed a trend in diners shifting away from traditional fine dining, noting that clients are less interested in multi-course tasting menus. “The entire shift in the last three years has been towards trendy restaurants where the focus is not necessarily on food,” she said. “It’s about FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out). It’s about the bragging rights of being able to say you got in.”
For those eager to gain bragging rights of their own and determined to persist in securing a reservation, a guide to the toughest tables to book in New York, according to Sienna Charles, is on the horizon.