I’m a big fan of Au Cheval and 4 Charles and was looking into Monkey Bar now that they’ve taken it over. But was surprised to see they charge $2.50 per diner for a reservation. Is this happening with other spots and I just haven’t noticed? Or are they the first ones to do it? I have no prob with deposits that go towards your check (ie Crown Shy) but this non-refundable fee is rubbing me the wrong way… (Or did I get this totally wrong and they do refund it?)
by gab_the_bomb
6 Comments
I dunno, people have unleashed bots on Resy and are selling reservations. This is a very nominal fee (and it does NOT qualify as part of your tip, folks. Do I need to say that again? If you’re eating at these places, you can tip the service staff well, cuz the American wage system is fucked up).
My 2 cents or 250 cents? Eh, aren’t cancellation fees worse? Also, having organized some startup and meetup events, if you charge a very nominal fee, you get less flakes.
negative multiple points, and no other comments.
gab_the_bomb, you are very bad at discussion. don’t forget to go through my posting history to downvote everything else.
I don’t love the principle of a nonrefundable deposit for making a reservation online, even if it is just $2.50. This alone probably wouldn’t discourage me from booking a table at a place I really want to try, but it could definitely push me towards other options if I’m on the fence.
The big concern is where we go from here. Does it stay a nominal service fee? Fine, I guess. But do places start charing $5, $10, $50 just for a res down the line?
$2.50 is reasonable. It discourages people from taking up a spot they don’t intend to use and keeping those spots from other potential patrons.
I’m guessing this measure is more preventative than anything. Forces people to consider “do I actually want to go to this place?” and “am I sure I can make this date and time?”
I was on the fence between Monkey Bar and another restaurant for my husbands birthday, and the fee is the reason I went with the other one. I’ll probably still try Monkey Bar one day, but I didn’t want to feel locked in and still wanted the ability to cancel in a timely manner if necessary.
If the reservation fee doesn’t go towards the bill as a credit, and it’s just another source of revenue, I’d personally head somewhere else.