heh i dont know if this would actually work in a restaurant. how are they going to 'fulfill' the seating fee? does the user (restaurant goer) have to sign up w

heh i dont know if this would actually work in a restaurant. how are they going to 'fulfill' the seating fee? does the user (restaurant goer) have to sign up while they wait and pay $5 with their CC in a little terminal before they sit down? if so, is this really any different from an online reservation service like OpenTable (the variation being you aren't actually getting anything in return from the service, just paying a fee)? are customers supposed to be happy with this? the only way this could practically work is if the seating fee was charged to the bill when they are seated. how are you going to communicate this fee to the customer? tell them at the door? any restaurant that implements this will certainly solve the problem of over booking. they'll alienate all of their customers. "welcome to Posh Food, where we are so pompous we charge you a floating fee for the privilege of dining here. right now it costs $8 just to sit down. cash or charge?"