The article is interesting, but doesn't seem to address that the pandemic ruined the illusion of fine dining.
This is especially true for single people. What used to be a red flag is now a litmus test. Inviting people back to your place to entertain is a prime opportunity to flex. It's not even about the cost. Your home says a lot more about you than ever before.
So interesting to read about weird cultures. I'm not a New Yorker, so the world described in this article is so foreign it might as well be a different planet. I would never drop $600 on a restaurant bill, let alone just to reserve a table. If I'm spending that kind of money, I want something tangible in return, not just some vague cachet of having sat down on some "exclusive" restaurant seats. It's so weird that a cottage industry has sprung up to monetize and trade these reservations. People really care about this stuff. SMH
> At a certain size, cities seem to tip from "there's always somewhere quality to eat" to "there are more people than places."
Nope. There's always somewhere quality to eat. It's just as true in NYC as it is everywhere else.
The reservations described in the article are just there to provide a certain Fine Dining Experience. If you don't want that, go to different restaurants. They are not in short supply.
Does your definition of demographic include "the demographic of people who only eat at restaurants that are constantly booked and one has to fight to get a table at"?
In which case, sure, you're right: that doesn't exist in all large cities.
I enjoyed the article, a lot of detailed reporting that was refreshingly nonjudgemental (the substance itself is kind of mortifying though but maybe this is more of a NYC thing?).
Side note, the hosts using the nickname "Eagle" for a bald guy is awesome, never heard that one before.
Does financialization know no bounds? What's next, bots booking up doctor's appointments and reselling the slots? Many restaurants in NYC have started to add a charge for no-shows—I wonder if it were more widespread would it help to dampen the market a bit.
>Frey launched Appointment Trader, an online marketplace for people to buy and sell reservations—everything from private shopping experiences (the Hermès store in Paris), doctors’ appointments (a hot commodity in Miami and Beverly Hills)
How much does this same problem exist outside of Manhattan? I've had difficulty getting reservations in other major cities, but nowhere near as much as in NYC.
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[ 2.7 ms ] story [ 52.4 ms ] threadThis is especially true for single people. What used to be a red flag is now a litmus test. Inviting people back to your place to entertain is a prime opportunity to flex. It's not even about the cost. Your home says a lot more about you than ever before.
At a certain size, cities seem to tip from "there's always somewhere quality to eat" to "there are more people than places."
And then it's off on the crazy train as to how far down the rabbit hole restaurants want to go.
To be fair, NYC has been doing this a long time (on US timescales).
Nope. There's always somewhere quality to eat. It's just as true in NYC as it is everywhere else.
The reservations described in the article are just there to provide a certain Fine Dining Experience. If you don't want that, go to different restaurants. They are not in short supply.
At some point, it's mostly fashion, rather than being about the food.
So it doesn't feel like something inherent to the fine dining enterprise, but rather present or not in certain cities.
And all large cities have all demographics.
This is just a misunderstanding on your part of what "demographic" means.
In which case, sure, you're right: that doesn't exist in all large cities.
Side note, the hosts using the nickname "Eagle" for a bald guy is awesome, never heard that one before.
>Frey launched Appointment Trader, an online marketplace for people to buy and sell reservations—everything from private shopping experiences (the Hermès store in Paris), doctors’ appointments (a hot commodity in Miami and Beverly Hills)