How COVID-19 Is Changing Fine Dining Restaurant Reservations
KDR In-Focus Productions/Shutterstock By Gillie Houston/Jan. 19, 2022 2:42 pm EST
Hard-to-get tables at Michelin-starred fine dining spots like Eleven Madison Park have long been a highly sought-after form of foodie currency. Now, as the Omicron variant of COVID-19 continues to sweep across the country, many food lovers are being forced to give up their meal reservations due to unexpected health reasons. To avoid wasting money on a non-refundable table, some of them are selling their high-dollar time slots on Reddit, Eater reports.
While most restaurants offer free cancelation of reservations, some higher-end establishments with months-long waiting lists have strict no-refund policies — which can be inconvenient during an unpredictable pandemic. Dining-focused Reddit threads, such as r/foodNYC, have recently become hotbeds for restaurant goers who can no longer make their reservations to sell and trade their expensive spots. Last month, one Redditor offered up a $1,500 four-person New Year’s Eve reservation at Eleven Madison Park: “Unfortunately 2 people in our party have tested positive for covid, so we will not be making the trip to NYC” (via Reddit). Another posted an up-for-grabs four-top at the buzzy Korean restaurant Jungsik for over $1,300 when they realized they wouldn’t be able to make the dinner. This trend has prompted some enterprising diners, hoping to snag a table that would typically have to be booked months in advance, to ask about available reservations — such as one Reddit user who inquired if anyone wanted to sell a Valentine’s reservation at an NYC hot spot. It has since been removed by moderators of the thread.
The reservation-selling trend prompted this subreddit to change its rules
Friends Stock/Shutterstock
According to Food & Wine, reservation reselling has also grown popular on food-related Reddit threads for cities like Los Angeles and Chicago. It has become so hot on the r/foodNYC page, however, that its moderators were forced to create a new set of rules around the exchanging of high-priced tables. In a post, a moderator laid out guidelines such as, “You may sell reservations for below or equal to face value (plus all taxes and fees) ONLY. … One penny more than the exact amount you paid and you will be banned.” The rules also specify that users can only sell non-refundable reservations, and they ban the posting of requests for canceled reservations.
Some restaurants, like the Michelin-starred New York City Korean restaurant Atomix, are now relaxing their no-refund policies in response to the Omicron wave so this reselling practice can be avoided altogether. “We understand the situation of guests who require cancellations day-of due to exposure of positive test results. … For this reason, for COVID-19 we issue a full refund,” a spokesperson for the restaurant told Eater.
How COVID-19 Is Changing Fine Dining Restaurant Reservations
KDR In-Focus Productions/Shutterstock
By Gillie Houston/Jan. 19, 2022 2:42 pm EST
Hard-to-get tables at Michelin-starred fine dining spots like Eleven Madison Park have long been a highly sought-after form of foodie currency. Now, as the Omicron variant of COVID-19 continues to sweep across the country, many food lovers are being forced to give up their meal reservations due to unexpected health reasons. To avoid wasting money on a non-refundable table, some of them are selling their high-dollar time slots on Reddit, Eater reports.
While most restaurants offer free cancelation of reservations, some higher-end establishments with months-long waiting lists have strict no-refund policies — which can be inconvenient during an unpredictable pandemic. Dining-focused Reddit threads, such as r/foodNYC, have recently become hotbeds for restaurant goers who can no longer make their reservations to sell and trade their expensive spots. Last month, one Redditor offered up a $1,500 four-person New Year’s Eve reservation at Eleven Madison Park: “Unfortunately 2 people in our party have tested positive for covid, so we will not be making the trip to NYC” (via Reddit). Another posted an up-for-grabs four-top at the buzzy Korean restaurant Jungsik for over $1,300 when they realized they wouldn’t be able to make the dinner. This trend has prompted some enterprising diners, hoping to snag a table that would typically have to be booked months in advance, to ask about available reservations — such as one Reddit user who inquired if anyone wanted to sell a Valentine’s reservation at an NYC hot spot. It has since been removed by moderators of the thread.
While most restaurants offer free cancelation of reservations, some higher-end establishments with months-long waiting lists have strict no-refund policies — which can be inconvenient during an unpredictable pandemic. Dining-focused Reddit threads, such as r/foodNYC, have recently become hotbeds for restaurant goers who can no longer make their reservations to sell and trade their expensive spots. Last month, one Redditor offered up a $1,500 four-person New Year’s Eve reservation at Eleven Madison Park: “Unfortunately 2 people in our party have tested positive for covid, so we will not be making the trip to NYC” (via Reddit). Another posted an up-for-grabs four-top at the buzzy Korean restaurant Jungsik for over $1,300 when they realized they wouldn’t be able to make the dinner. This trend has prompted some enterprising diners, hoping to snag a table that would typically have to be booked months in advance, to ask about available reservations — such as one Reddit user who inquired if anyone wanted to sell a Valentine’s reservation at an NYC hot spot. It has since been removed by moderators of the thread.
The reservation-selling trend prompted this subreddit to change its rules
Friends Stock/Shutterstock
According to Food & Wine, reservation reselling has also grown popular on food-related Reddit threads for cities like Los Angeles and Chicago. It has become so hot on the r/foodNYC page, however, that its moderators were forced to create a new set of rules around the exchanging of high-priced tables. In a post, a moderator laid out guidelines such as, “You may sell reservations for below or equal to face value (plus all taxes and fees) ONLY. … One penny more than the exact amount you paid and you will be banned.” The rules also specify that users can only sell non-refundable reservations, and they ban the posting of requests for canceled reservations.
Some restaurants, like the Michelin-starred New York City Korean restaurant Atomix, are now relaxing their no-refund policies in response to the Omicron wave so this reselling practice can be avoided altogether. “We understand the situation of guests who require cancellations day-of due to exposure of positive test results. … For this reason, for COVID-19 we issue a full refund,” a spokesperson for the restaurant told Eater.
Some restaurants, like the Michelin-starred New York City Korean restaurant Atomix, are now relaxing their no-refund policies in response to the Omicron wave so this reselling practice can be avoided altogether. “We understand the situation of guests who require cancellations day-of due to exposure of positive test results. … For this reason, for COVID-19 we issue a full refund,” a spokesperson for the restaurant told Eater.
