Michael Berner

It’s Friday night and I need a dinner reservation for my family.  Lacking the foresight on such things, I am looking at 7:30pm for said reservation and coming up understandably empty handed unless 10:30pm is my ideal eating time.

This isn’t a unique situation.  Reservations are made on a first come first serve bases across the board.  Plan ahead and you’ll be golden.  Don’t and you’re SOL.

But does it always need to be this way?  Imagine if restaurants would hold a small portion of their table inventory for auction.  People finding themselves in my situation could pay flat out or bid on tables/times based on anticipated demand.  

Would I drop $25+ to avoid the preplanning and hassle and get me and my family into a good restaurant right now? Yes.  Would other people? Well certainly not everyone but I’m sure there is a fraction of eaters who would appreciate this service even if it came with the cost.

Varying entry points to accomodate the consumer can benefit not only the dining guests but puts added cash into the coffers of the restaurants. Win Win

*Note, I only endorse this if on a fraction of tables and in certain circumstances. I would be crazy if I felt like paying for a reso all the time