Strapped for Cash? Sell Your Reservation!

by Bruce Watson, Posted Dec 16th 2008 @ 4:00PM

One of my favorite scenes in LA Story occurs when Steve Martin's character tries to get a reservation at the hottest restaurant in the city. After being grilled over the phone, he has to meet with the chef and owner at a disturbingly Nazi-esque bank, where his finances (and he) are brutally scrutinized. Finally, just when it looks like he's about to give up, he is given a reservation...for eight weeks in the future.

It's hard to believe, but these sorts of restaurants still exist and are continuing to do massive business. What's more, a new type of online reservation service, reso-scalping, is making it possible for patrons to find tables at the best restaurants without having to wait in line or plan ahead by a few months. Basically, retro-scalping works like this: a scalper makes a reservation for a particular night in the distant future and, as the date nears, sells the reservation to someone with deep pockets and a yen for pricey eats.

A couple of websites, CelebrityTables and Primetime Tables, make the reservations themselves and sell them directly to customers. On the other hand, Table Xchange is sort of like a "Stub Hub" for tables, where individuals with reservations to sell meet up with patrons eager to eat out at the best restaurants. While CelebrityTables and Primetime Tables operate across the United States, Table Xchange is only available in New York.

All in all, this seems like a pretty good deal: the scalper pockets the fee, the customer gets the reservation, the restaurant gets to sell its super expensive wares, and almost everyone walks away happy. Of course, there are some naysayers in the restaurant business who feel that it is underhanded. However, the service is completely legal, and seems to benefit everyone involved, with the possible exception of Maitre D's!

Filed Under: Trends, Chefs & Restaurants, Restaurants
Tags: america, Celebrity Tables, CelebrityTables, dinner, LA Story, LaStory, Primetime tables, PrimetimeTables, Stub Hub, StubHub, Table Xchange, TableXchange