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Wow. I am a huge foodie and a big fan of Alinea. I am surprised they actually blog about data and thought process behind the ticketing system. I completely unde
by lominming 12y ago
Wow. I am a huge foodie and a big fan of Alinea. I am surprised they actually blog about data and thought process behind the ticketing system. I completely understand the reasoning behind this. High demand for a table at Alinea allows them to do this. I think this will work for very limited number of restaurants like Per Se, TFL, Saison, etc., but will not apply to majority of other restaurants. The big difference between Open Table vs Alinea is for Alinea, you actually need to pay upfront. The demand and the quality of the restaurant allows Alinea to do that, but again, does not work majority of restaurants when there is no single fixed menu.
- nkokonas 12y agoSure... but the thing is this: you could just take small deposit against the final check. And vary the scale or application of that deposit. For example, putting in a $10 deposit could give you a $ 15 credit. That's just one example on how a 'normal' demand restaurant could use ticketing and dynamic, variable pricing.
- tptacek 12y agoTry getting a table with a few days notice at Osteria Nico in Chicago. Nico isn't Alinea; it is a restaurant you might go to for a good meal, and not a life experience. And yet your odds of getting a prime-time table there this year are pretty bad. There are lots of non-event restaurants that would be more customer-friendly with some sort of ticketing scheme; not for every table and every time, but for hotspots?