Interesting read in the Hustle today. I wonder when this type of thing is going to affect reservations at Wineries. In the battle for restaurant reservations, it’s diners vs. bots Have you ever finished reading a list of the hottest new restaurants in your city only to find that you can’t get a reservation at a single one? It’s because someone — or something — already booked them. And it’s making the restaurant industry a lot less fun. Battle of the bots Like Taylor Swift concert tickets, hot restaurant reservations get snatched up instantly by bots (like this one) as soon as they’re posted. Then, the people operating those bots look to turn a profit on reservation resale sites, which are multiplying: On Appointment Trader, users buy and sell restaurant reservations. The site takes a 20%-30% cut of the sale price and has reportedly facilitated $2.4m+ in reservation sales since launching in 2021. Cita is a “peer-to-peer” marketplace for buying and selling reservations. A Saturday night res for two at Semma, an Indian restaurant in New York City, was recently listed for $480. For more frugal diners, ResX is free to use. Users can exchange reservations for tokens, which can be put toward a new booking. A $10 monthly subscription lets users access “premium” restaurants. These marketplaces, unfortunately, are a lose-lose for the rest of us. Diners trying to book the old-fashioned way — through apps like Resy, Tock, or OpenTable — can be out of luck. As for restaurants: When bot-booked seats go unfilled, they lose out on cancellation fees charged to invalid credit cards, and on empty tables. Now, restaurants are fighting back Some are painstakingly combing through reservations to confirm that a human has booked them, while others are saving more spots for walk-ins. And some platforms aim to partner with restaurants, rather than usurp them: With Dorsia, users prepay a minimum spend to secure a reservation, which is calculated based on demand. That prepayment is then applied toward their total bill. Resy’s Global Dining Access program gives American Express cardholders access to exclusive reservations. Ultimately, restaurants are finding that the safest way to secure a reservation is to charge upfront. So get ready to pay a reservation fee before you even step foot in a restaurant.
What happened to hospitality? No one answers the phone or looks you in the eye any longer. It’s definitely gotten out of hand and I support those that care about how their customers feel from the moment of contact whether it’s on their website or at the door…1st impression to the last should be anticipating the need of the guest. After all without us/them they do not have a business. It’s sad…
Dano Weir
11mo
Unless a bot made that platform its humans vs humans, and man don’t we always find a way to do this stuff over and over 😂😂
Austin Johnson
11mo
DORSIA might be the greatest app name of all time. 😅
This has made me not want to go to certain places, it’s just not worth it anymore.
Experienced Business Manager with a gift for connecting people and resources
11moNo thank you!!! Let’s go back to personalizing customer service and actually speaking to people again!