For those looking to dine out in New York, it seems like the difficulty of obtaining a reservation has reached unprecedented heights. In the last three years, the process of getting a seat at the city’s trendiest tables has gone from challenging to out-of-reach for many would-be foodies. “There are some restaurants that people can’t get into,” Joel Montaniel, the CEO of bookings platform Sevenrooms, recently told .
“I’ve even talked to restaurateurs, we’ve hosted them on panels and asked them for tips to get in, and they say, ‘I don’t have them.’” Dinner reservations have become so competitive that last month the New York state legislature voted to ban third-party bookings sites like Appointment Trader, where users were scalping their restaurant slots for $200 or more – in a manner that was once reserved for concerts and sporting events. Melissa Fleischut, the President & CEO of the New York State Restaurant Association, described the legislation as a “major victory for the hospitality industry” that would reduce competition for reservations and protect restaurants from expensive cancellations.
Even with legislative changes, however, the reality remains that in recent years, the desire for exciting, trendy and luxurious activities continues to outstrip their availability. “Post-COVID, I’m sure you’ve noticed that everything is booked up, right? Every plane is full, every restaurant is full, every hotel is full,” says travel advisor Jaclyn S.