The 5 best ways to get a reservation at a booked restaurant
Turn on reservation app notifications.
Turn notifications on for your target date and a few other days (to improve your chances). Both OpenTable and Resy will now notify you if a reservation opens up at the time and day you’re looking for. You just have to click on the “Notify” button in Resy or the “Set alert” button in OpenTable where you would normally find a list of reservation times in each app. If you get a notification, make sure you act on it immediately because it’ll probably be gone if you wait more than 5 seconds. I’m not kidding. The number of times I thought I secured the reservation only to get a “The lock was not found” message where I was expecting a confirmation message…
On the flip side, you’ll feel like you won the lottery whenever you secure an elusive reservation.
Call the restaurant. Call again.
A lot of restaurants only release a portion of their reservations on digital platforms, so you might get lucky if you call. Call as far in advance as possible, and if you don’t get lucky, call again the day before or the day you want to go. They might have some last-minute cancellations or be able to squeeze you in if another party cut down their reservation size last-minute.
Set a reminder to search for reservations 5 minutes before they’re released.
Most restaurants will let you know how far in advance they release reservations. 30 days in advance at 10am EST (or the local time) is the most common in my experience, but some go as short as two weeks in advance now. If you search at the exact moment they’re released, it’s your best chance of grabbing one. Set a reminder on your phone for 30 days ahead of your target date (or however many days ahead the restaurant releases reservations), 5 minutes ahead of the release time, and get your search set up in the app: without clicking enter, input the number of people, your desired date, and the restaurant name in the search bar. Wait until the clock strikes the release time to execute your search. Tap on the first reservation you see - don’t think twice about the time of the reservation. The second you debate two time slots is the second you give up any chance of securing a reservation.
Ask if the restaurant keeps a waitlist.
Some restaurants keep waitlists for reservation requests, in case somebody cancels a reservation. I’ve had success with this method in the past. It’s exciting for you and it’s helpful for the restaurant: they’re able to reward a customer for their dedication and they don’t have to suffer the revenue loss of a last-minute cancellation.
Try walking in.
I know, it sounds crazy, but if all else fails, you might get lucky. A lot of hot restaurants hold tables for walk-ins and it’s totally possible to snag one right at opening. You’ll have to accept a very early meal time, but if it’s so hard to get a reservation, you’ll feel grateful for the meal no matter what time you eat.
Have any other good reservation tips I should share? Any ways to improve the tips I shared above? Leave a comment below :)
