Paywalled restaurants are the new 'slipping the host $20'

Paywalled restaurants are now a thing, and they're here to get you a table at some of the world's most popular and exclusive restaurants.

One of the new 'slipping the host $20' paywalls are on the rise, like Global Dining Access, which allows customers to get dibs on tables in popular restaurants.

However, it does not come cheap and the annual fee required can be in the hundreds if not thousands of dollars.

The paywall's description reads: "Unlock access to exclusive reservations and special dining experiences when you add your eligible American Express Card to your Resy profile."

Global Dining Access

Alex Lee, the chief executive of Resy and vice president of American Express Dining, who also runs the Global Dining Network, said: "However many years ago, it was slip the host or hostess $20 and bypass the line."

He then explained that paywalled restaurants are just the natural next step, the New York Times reports.

Describing the popularity of some of the restaurants behind the paywall, Steve Saed, who founded #FreeRezy which allows people to swap free reservations, said that getting tables at some of them felt like 'winning the lottery'.

"Without over-embellishing, within five seconds basically all reservations are taken," he said, adding that competition for restaurants, particularly in New York, is at a fever pitch after the pandemic. "It's like winning the lottery to eat at these places."

This could therefore explain why some people are willing to pay so much to get behind the paywall.

Alamy / Iain Masterton

However, other people are willing to go even further than paying the paywall fee, as Haiku, a private sushi restaurant in Miami, requires even more from its diners.

They have to be invited to dine there, in exchange for an annual fee, and agree to make a minimum of four reservations for 10-to-12-course menu a year.

There's also the option of private members' clubs for diners looking to access exclusive spots, but don't despair if you don't have hundreds to fork out for reservations.

As it turns out that there are paywalled restaurants on the (marginally) cheaper side of things, although not quite as cheap as just quietly giving $20 to a willing host.

Alamy / Robert K. Chin - Storefronts

Table Concierge can also get diners into places that are otherwise inaccessible for around $50 per person per reservation.

However, because this is on the cheaper end, it does come with its limitations.

Peter Adams, its founder, said of their finds: 'You could do this on your own', but they do the hard work for you so 'you don’t have to wake up at 8 am or book at midnight'.

"We can get you in anywhere other than Rao's," he said. "But if you want to give me $10,000, I can find a way to get you into Rao's."

UNILAD has reached out to reps for Resy, Table Concierge, Haiku and Rao's for comment.

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