As times get tougher, for restaurants and everyone else,
more establishments have started to impose steep fees for missed reservations.
Continue reading »
New York Times restaurant critic Frank Bruni is frustrated at the reservation process at Momofuku Ko, the impossible-to-get-into pork-injected haute-cuisine spin-off of David Chang's Momofuku empire in New York. The place has 12 seats and employs a web-based reservation system that requires you to log in at 10 a.m. for seats a week out. It's egalitarian in theory, and I admire Chang and company for subjecting everyone—VIPs and schlubs alike—to the same miserable experience of signing on and viewing a series of little red Xs indicating you're hosed. Supposedly, the place does not play favorites. Still, as level as the playing field is, there've been complaints about logging on, seeing a green checkmark, clicking on it, but then being told...
Continue reading »
Savory New York reports that OpenTable, the online reservations system used by 7,000 restaurants across the country, is being sued for patent infringement by a Texas-based company. This comes at an inopportune time for OpenTable, which is rumored to be eyeing a public offering....
Continue reading »
Among the toughest tables to book in the U.S., according to ForbesTraveler.com, are: Rao's: Unless you've already got a table reserved there, don't bother. The address and phone number follow, but it's not like you'll be using them anytime soon. 455 East 114th Street, East Harlem, New York 10029; 212-722-6709 Minibar: Six seats here, where Forbes Traveler says, "It’s not uncommon for the staff ... to find people banging on the door at 8:30 a.m., trying to beat the 9 a.m. opening of the phone reservation line for its 30-day-in-advance seats." 405 8th Street NW, Washington DC 20004; 202-393-0812 Alinea: "Books up to two months in advance for a weekend spot." 1723 North Halsted Street, Chicago IL 60614; 312-867-0110 Downcast...
Continue reading »
The
New York Times food section today was particularly toothsome and yummy, and it got me thinking ...
Continue reading »
