How COVID-19 Is Changing Fine Dining Restaurant Reservations

Hard-to-get tables at Michelin-starred fine dining spots like Eleven Madison Park have long been a highly sought-after form of foodie currency. Now, as the Omicron variant of COVID-19 continues to sweep across the country, many food lovers are being forced to give up their meal reservations due to unexpected health reasons. To avoid wasting money on a non-refundable table, some of them are selling their high-dollar time slots on Reddit, Eater reports.

While most restaurants offer free cancelation of reservations, some higher-end establishments with months-long waiting lists have strict no-refund policies — which can be inconvenient during an unpredictable pandemic. Dining-focused Reddit threads, such as r/foodNYC, have recently become hotbeds for restaurant goers who can no longer make their reservations to sell and trade their expensive spots. Last month, one Redditor offered up a $1,500 four-person New Year's Eve reservation at Eleven Madison Park: "Unfortunately 2 people in our party have tested positive for covid, so we will not be making the trip to NYC" (via Reddit). Another posted an up-for-grabs four-top at the buzzy Korean restaurant Jungsik for over $1,300 when they realized they wouldn't be able to make the dinner. This trend has prompted some enterprising diners, hoping to snag a table that would typically have to be booked months in advance, to ask about available reservations — such as one Reddit user who inquired if anyone wanted to sell a Valentine's reservation at an NYC hot spot. It has since been removed by moderators of the thread.