4 ms·

I believe they have restaurants that don’t require upfront payments, or “ticket” resales? I get it for some of the destination restaurants. If a three star Mic

I believe they have restaurants that don’t require upfront payments, or “ticket” resales? I get it for some of the destination restaurants. If a three star Michelin restaurant is in the countryside of Spain, they have to protect against last minute cancellations, and even no show fees would probably be less revenue than the full meal price. We could argue on the merits of whether that type of restaurant should be seen as a similar experience as theatre, but since people seem to, the model makes logical sense to me at the high end.

lisper 8y ago
The difference between restaurant and theatre is that in the theatre everyone is getting the exact same product at the exact same time (with the only variant being seating location). Restaurants are more personalized. Even high-end restaurants that only offer tasting menus will make adjustments based on individual tastes, preferences, allergies, etc. At least most of the time. Here's a data point: My wife and I are frequent patrons of high-end restaurants. 99% of the time we have a great meal, but very occasionally we have an experience that is an absolute nightmare. On one occasion we went to a very well known (two Michelin star) restaurant in the Bay Area. They offered both a tasting menu and a la carte options. When we made the reservation (by phone) we told them that 1) we wanted to do the tasting menu but 2) my wife doesn't eat red meat. They said no problem. Well, it was a problem. When we asked if they would substitute the red meat courses on the tasting menu they refused. We even offered to pay the price of a fish course from the a la carte menu. They still refused. (It was the chef who refused. The rest of the staff were as mortified as we were.) So we walked out, which we have not done before or since. So I know for a fact from first hand experience that even a high end restaurant will occasionally treat their customers like shit. When that happens, I want to retain my leverage.
- pmart123 8y ago
  Fair point. Shows and concerts are a one-to-many versus a many-to-many experiences. Everyone hears the same sound versus your steak is perfect and mine is overdone. Although, Broadway shows can have alternative actors perform though in case the main actor gets sick, Lebron James gets hurt, etc. I've never walked out of a restaurant after the food was served. I've had poor experiences at nice restaurants where little was done to remedy the situation, and I've had times where simply moving tables resulted in a free meal. I realize Yelp and Tripadvisor have been known to hide or remove bad reviews, but this often is the best recourse of action along with contacting the manager or owner, or potentially disputing the charge with your cc company. I'm not sure if Tock has any policy specifically in this instance? My guess would be that they leave it to the you and the restaurant to figure out? Interestingly enough, the co-founder of Tock and Alinea just had a public dispute with Cat Cora of "Iron Chef." I've been to Alinea and Next, and had incredible service, but things happen.
dfxm12 8y ago
I believe they have restaurants that don’t require upfront payments, or “ticket” resales? This is true.

lisper 8y ago

The difference between restaurant and theatre is that in the theatre everyone is getting the exact same product at the exact same time (with the only variant being seating location). Restaurants are more personalized. Even high-end restaurants that only offer tasting menus will make adjustments based on individual tastes, preferences, allergies, etc. At least most of the time. Here's a data point: My wife and I are frequent patrons of high-end restaurants. 99% of the time we have a great meal, but very occasionally we have an experience that is an absolute nightmare. On one occasion we went to a very well known (two Michelin star) restaurant in the Bay Area. They offered both a tasting menu and a la carte options. When we made the reservation (by phone) we told them that 1) we wanted to do the tasting menu but 2) my wife doesn't eat red meat. They said no problem. Well, it was a problem. When we asked if they would substitute the red meat courses on the tasting menu they refused. We even offered to pay the price of a fish course from the a la carte menu. They still refused. (It was the chef who refused. The rest of the staff were as mortified as we were.) So we walked out, which we have not done before or since. So I know for a fact from first hand experience that even a high end restaurant will occasionally treat their customers like shit. When that happens, I want to retain my leverage.

pmart123 8y ago
Fair point. Shows and concerts are a one-to-many versus a many-to-many experiences. Everyone hears the same sound versus your steak is perfect and mine is overdone. Although, Broadway shows can have alternative actors perform though in case the main actor gets sick, Lebron James gets hurt, etc. I've never walked out of a restaurant after the food was served. I've had poor experiences at nice restaurants where little was done to remedy the situation, and I've had times where simply moving tables resulted in a free meal. I realize Yelp and Tripadvisor have been known to hide or remove bad reviews, but this often is the best recourse of action along with contacting the manager or owner, or potentially disputing the charge with your cc company. I'm not sure if Tock has any policy specifically in this instance? My guess would be that they leave it to the you and the restaurant to figure out? Interestingly enough, the co-founder of Tock and Alinea just had a public dispute with Cat Cora of "Iron Chef." I've been to Alinea and Next, and had incredible service, but things happen.

dfxm12 8y ago

I believe they have restaurants that don’t require upfront payments, or “ticket” resales? This is true.