Booking a restaurant table in New York? Online trade in reservations faces a crackdown


Fancy some pasta at New Yorkโ€™s posh Italian restaurant Carbone or maybe a whisky at The Polo Bar, Ralph Laurenโ€™s first New York restaurant?

Hold on to your wallet, because some folks are shelling out hundreds of US dollars just for the privilege of booking a table, not even for the food.

In a city that never sleeps, money talks โ€“ especially when it comes to dining out.

As it is often impossible to get a table in the cityโ€™s most popular restaurants weeks in advance, an online marketplace for table reservations has developed.

A view of Prince Street Pizza, a restaurant in New York, with a queue of people waiting to get in. Photo: Shutterstock
A view of Prince Street Pizza, a restaurant in New York, with a queue of people waiting to get in. Photo: Shutterstock

On these portals, people with deep pockets can bid for reservations that others have previously bought.

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