Monday, October 1, 2012

Would You Pay $50+ For A 'Premium' Reservation?!

coast
The crowd at Coast Sushi Bucktown on a busy night. (Photo: Coast Sushi)

Online concierge newcomer Table Host hopes you do, and the owners want you to shell out the $$$ to them for hard-to-get seats at the likes of The Gage, Hot Chocolate and Coast Sushi.

Here's why they really launched this service, according to the site:

"Without realizing it, you are already paying a fee for last minute reservations. It may be a tip to a restaurant's MaƮtre d' (awkward) or a hotel concierge (his salary is built into your room cost + expected tip), or by being a regular at that restaurant (the $$$ quickly add up). Table Host streamlines the process."

This sounds like a service for the bottle-service crowd. How do you feel knowing that some restaurants are willing to sell their seats to basically the highest bidders?

The site already has signed up 26 restaurants, but what's most curious to me is that they also showcase restaurants where it's damn near impossible to get a reso. Places like Girl & The Goat, The Aviary and Gibsons. These are not their clients, yet they will "contact (them) on your behalf." To me that means that you might be better off trying to secure those seats yourself.

And finally . . . what's got me particularly buggin' is the fact that a host of these restaurants are listed as being located in the wrong neighborhoods.

The last time I checked GATG, Gibsons, Sprout and The Pump Room were not in Albany Park.

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