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New York legislation would ban black market restaurant reservation services

The Restaurant Reservation Anti-Piracy Act was passed by the New York State Senate and heads to Gov. Kathy Hochul’s desk next

Joanna Fantozzi, Senior Editor

June 10, 2024

2 Min Read
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Hot restaurant reservations in New York can be tough to come by.monkeybusinessimages / iStock / Getty Images Plus

Joanna Fantozzi

The New York State Legislature just passed a bill, that if signed into law by state Gov. Kathy Hochul, would ban unauthorized third-party restaurant reservation platforms. The Restaurant Reservation Anti-Piracy Act would require restaurant reservation platforms to enter a written agreement with operators before listing available reservations online—essentially requiring resellers of popular hard-to-get restaurant tables to operate like OpenTable or Resy.

“Now, when diners do have the ability to dine out, they will no longer have to compete with predatory bots capturing reservations and reselling them at exorbitant prices,” Melissa Fleischut, president & CEO of the New York State Restaurant Association, said in a statement. “And restaurants will no longer be left with empty seats from unauthorized third-party reserved tables. This legislation supports restaurants, diners and the legitimate apps uplifting the hospitality industry.”

Restaurant reservation resellers are popular in major metropolitan areas with expansive food scenes like New York City. To stand a chance at snagging hard-to-get restaurant tables at the likes of Theodora, Carbone, and The Polo Bar, would-be diners will often turn to third-party restaurant reservation resellers, which snatch up these rare reservations and resell them at a hefty price tag (on top of a usually expensive meal out). This, of course, makes the hard-to-get dinner reservations even harder to secure unless you go through these “black market” platforms.

Related:Squarespace acquires Nick Kokonas’ reservations platform Tock for more than $400 million

In fact, according to articles on The New York Post and Business Insider, these third-party reservation resellers — which have often been compared to sporting event and concert ticket scalpers — can make nearly six figures snatching up and reselling hot restaurant tables. Apps like Appointment Trader are set up so people who are willing to pay a premium just to get into a popular dining venue can secure their spot. Restaurant resellers have divulged that their client lists are often comprised of a-list celebrities and the mega-wealthy who are willing to pay hundreds of dollars (or even thousands) just to get in the door.

This proposed bill has been popular with reservation platforms, OpenTable and Resy, which do not engage in reservation reselling:

“The passage of this bill is a meaningful one for restaurants and will help protect their bottom lines by reducing the 'no shows' caused by fraudulent reservations,” Debby Soo, CEO of OpenTable, said in a statement. “We are pleased to see New York take a strong stance to support its restaurants.”

Related:Here’s how restaurant reservations are changing in the wake of COVID-19

According to the proposed legislation, violators of this would-be crackdown on restaurant resellers would be charged up to $1,000 per violation, and any person who has been charged fees by a third-party restaurant reservation service may bring a civil action in court.

Contact Joanna at [email protected]

About the Author

Joanna Fantozzi

Senior Editor

Joanna Fantozzi is a Senior Editor for Nation’s Restaurant News and Restaurant Hospitality. She has more than seven years of experience writing about the restaurant and hospitality industry. Her editorial coverage ranges from profiles of independent restaurants around the country to breaking news and insights into some of the biggest brands in food and beverage, including Starbucks, Domino’s, and Papa John’s.  

Joanna holds a bachelor’s degree in English literature and creative writing from The College of New Jersey and a master’s degree in arts and culture journalism from the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. Prior to joining Informa’s Restaurants and Food Group in 2018, she was a freelance food, culture, and lifestyle writer, and has previously held editorial positions at Insider (formerly known as Business Insider) and The Daily Meal. Joanna’s work can also be found in The New York Times, Forbes, Vice, The New York Daily News, and Parents Magazine. 

Her areas of expertise include restaurant industry news, restaurant operator solutions and innovations, and political/cultural issues.

Joanna Fantozzi has been a moderator and event facilitator at both Informa’s MUFSO and Restaurants Rise industry events. 

Joanna Fantozzi’s experience:

Senior Editor, Informa Restaurant & Food Group (August 2021-present)

Associate Editor, Informa Restaurant & Food Group (July 2019-August 2021)

Assistant Editor, Informa Restaurant & Food Group (Oct. 2018-July 2019)

Freelance Food & Lifestyle Reporter (Feb. 2018-Oct. 2018)

Food & Lifestyle Reporter, Insider (June 2017-Feb. 2018)

News Editor, The Daily Meal (Jan. 2014- June 2017)

Staff Reporter, Straus News (Jan. 2013-Dec. 2013)

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