How to Become a Regular at the Hottest Restaurants
You scroll through your IG feed and suddenly become engrossed in a video about the latest and hottest restaurant in downtown. You search Google and find stunning photos of delicious dishes and cocktails. Come to find out, it’s also owned by a celebrity chef. Several other influencers and food bloggers have dined there as well. At this point, you are striving to snag a table on a Saturday night. As soon as you go on OpenTable, the reservations are booked for months. You check everyday for the next few weeks and there is still no opening. You become exhausted in trying and eventually give up. We’ve all been there, including me, a restaurant professional of nearly 20 years. Through trial and error, I’ve learned ways to successfully dine at several trendy restaurants. The 3 tips I’m about to share have helped me immensely, and I hope it helps you as well.
1. Be Prepared and Go Early
You’ll be surprised to know that most restaurants do accept walk-ins. However, this doesn’t apply to all restaurants, especially fine dining restaurants that charge their guests ahead of time for their pre-fix menu. Fine dining restaurants are rigid and highly structured because they tend to have two or three turns for the evening. While other restaurants have limited physical space to seat walk-ins. Calling ahead of time will help to know what your options are. If you can’t get hold of someone, you may have to try and wait outside before the doors open. Sometimes, it’s just luck of the draw because people cancel and there’s last minute open reservations.
Aim to dine as soon as the restaurant opens, between 4–5pm, as most reservations are booked between 7–8pm. If it is brunch, again go early, as 12–2pm is the rush hour as well. Walking in a restaurant during peak hours reduces your chances of securing a table. Some establishments usually have lounge or bar seating available on a first come, first serve basis too.
Read past guest reviews, because all that glitters isn’t always gold. Influencers and food bloggers often get paid for their positive reviews. I always suggest checking credible sources such as Eater or your local hospitality news. Watching YouTube reviews will give you an idea what the experience will be like as well. Get to know the menu and be ready to order, as there might be a time limit. Doing your part by understanding the overall space and vibe of the restaurant can be the key to elevating your experience.
2. Get to Know the Restaurant Staff
The worst thing you can do is to be rude to any restaurant employee. There’s a saying by Maya Angelou, “I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.” This is tried and true for the restaurant industry and being kind will go a long way. Get to know the maitre’d because they run the doors. They have a whole team of hosts and being on their good side is a step “in” the restaurant.
Personally talk to other managers, especially the general manager or other floor managers, as they run the restaurant operationally. They play a huge role in the success of the restaurant as they are there almost everyday. Getting to know your server and tipping them well will also create a meaningful relationship. Servers will certainly help you snag a reservation on a busy weekend evening since they are on the front lines of the restaurant. Listen to their recommendations, as servers go through rigorous training and desire to imprint their knowledge onto their guests. Let them guide you and take care of you, because they are after all, dedicated to do so.
If you want to go even further, bring the kitchen beer, or other goodies like snacks because they don’t share tips and often work long hours. This simple gesture will be greatly appreciated by the executive chef. They will for sure remember that because most people do not care to do so. All in all, be kind to the restaurant staff, because they do keep tabs on those that are not.
3. Be Open Minded
The menu being presented is the chef’s artwork, and if you try to modify it, that will definitely piss the chef off. It’s like painting over a Frida Kahlo masterpiece, you just don’t do it. Understandably, people do have allergies and kids can be picky eaters, which most restaurants can accommodate for. Again, reading the menu beforehand will set you up for a positive dining experience. The last thing you want to do is mistakenly take your date or business client to a meat heavy restaurant when they are vegetarian. Most times, the kitchen cannot accommodate because sauces are made with meat broth and substitutions are not readily accessible.
A great amount of work goes into the menu as there is a prep team that comes in early to make the sauces, butcher the meat, chop the veggies, and prep the whole menu for the evening. Hours of labor have been poured onto the menu. Equally so, chef’s go through great lengths to find high quality purveyors to ensure the best product possible. So you can see why a chef can be offended by modifications.
The same can be said for the cocktail program. Beverage directors a.k.a bar chefs create specific cocktails to be enjoyed with the food. Depending on the cocktails, it may be pre-batched to ensure a quality cocktail and to meet the demands of a high volume restaurant. Trying to ask for a cocktail you saw on TikTok can deter the flow of the bar. Be direct and to the point if you do want to make modifications. Don’t just do it to look cool because it can end up tasting like something you don’t like. Your bartender is more than willing to help, however, their ingredients may be limited. For example, a Mediterranean restaurant will not have the same products as an Asian restaurant.
There is something magical that happens when you allow yourself to fully immerse yourself in an experience. Be open minded to having a new experience, because it can truly be life changing. These 3 simple steps will surely contribute to that. If there is anything else I could add, make sure to request another reservation after you’ve already dined. At this point, the host has already made several notes under your name and is looking forward to having you back. Making a reservation on site and in person will create a positive connection because the restaurant can put a face to the name. This is just the start to becoming a regular at the hottest restaurant!
