Eliminating reservation fraud

Reservations are making headlines this week, specifically as they relate to squatters and scalpers. A handful of restaurants in the U.K. have found a way to punish those insufferable diners who hoard reservations they don’t use, while California seeks to squash third-party seat sellers. Pull up a chair for The Prep.

🔹Public relations: A professional opinion
🔹The simple bliss of washing dishes
🔹Colorado's tipping controversy
🔹A tater tot origin story

'Working with a PR company also requires work from you'

Whether or not to invest in public relations is a question many small restaurants struggle with. On one hand, media attention and a bustling dining room would be nice, but the price tag that comes along with PR representation isn’t a small one.

Lisa Nourse has been a PR professional for 25 years. She owns her own boutique agency in San Francisco that specializes in hospitality, and has some sound advice for any restaurateur who is thinking of working with a public relations partner.

What should a restaurateur consider before hiring a PR professional?I think they should consider their goals. What do they want from a publicist? Do they want media coverage? Do they want to help build their digital identity? Do they want the public to know about them? Do they want to put butts in seats? They also need to know what that scope of work looks like to help set expectations.

What is one of the biggest issues you see with restaurateurs who reach out to you for PR help?Understanding that working with a PR company also requires work from you. It's not a magic bullet. It's not like, "Alright, make us busy, make us famous!" It is a process and you have to participate. You have to create things like menus, specials, events, etc. that are interesting and inspiring to people to get them engaged with your restaurant.

What’s something a restaurateur can do on their own if they can't afford PR?Have a really robust social media that's super authentic and interesting and reflects what's going on in your restaurant. And update it regularly. People will see that you’re putting yourself out there. If I were you, I would also reach out to my local media and create relationships with them. You don’t have to do anything special; just tell them who you are and what you’re about.

Map quest. The organization behind the annual World’s 50 Best Restaurants is launching a North America spinoff that will include the U.S., Canada and parts of the Caribbean.

Dodging the paradox. As dining out becomes more costly, some Chicago restaurants are taking steps to ensure customers don’t put them in the "special occasion" box, including ditching reservations. Take a listen.

Reservation squatting? You’ll be charged a rather hefty fee at these U.K. restaurants that have implemented a ‘minimum spend’ to try to deter unserious diners.

NSFW. A restaurant worker was fired after complaining about a racist environment, including a work group chat filled with racial slurs and Nazi references.

Shhh. Let the quiet joy of doing the dishes wash over you. 

California is cracking down on reservation ‘scalping’

If a newly proposed bill passes in California, it would become illegal for third-party websites to sell unauthorized reservations.

The California Restaurant Reservation Anti-Piracy Act, proposed by Assembly Member Catherine Stefani (D-San Francisco), “will crack down on the predatory practice of reservation scalping, which not only deceives consumers but also exploits our local restaurants who are still struggling to recover from the pandemic,” Stefani said via press release.

Why it matters: “This bill is truly meaningful for California restaurants and will help protect their bottom lines by reducing the ‘no shows’ caused by fraudulent reservations,” OpenTable CEO Debby Soo said in the press release. New York is already following a similar law that took effect in December. (SF Chronicle)

Will Trump renew partnership with JBF? 

A program created to utilize U.S. chefs as a way to engage foreign dignitaries could face the chopping block. Under the Diplomatic Culinary Partnership, chefs not only cooked for dignitaries at the White House and global summits like NATO, but were integral in spreading the gospel of food as a tool to support communities.

It was launched in 2012 by then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton in collaboration with the James Beard Foundation. The program was stopped by President Donald Trump during his first term, only to be resurrected in 2023 by the Biden Administration. The contract with the State Department expired in December, and Trump has yet to renew it.

Why it matters: Lauren Bernstein, who served as program director of the inaugural Diplomatic Culinary Partnership in 2012, tells Bon Appétit that this type of diplomacy (called “gastrodiplomacy”) can be significant in peace-keeping efforts and that “food is such a powerful connector.” (Bon Appétit)

Colorado’s controversial tipping bill sparks harassment 

Tens of thousands of tipped restaurant workers in Colorado face a potential pay cut, as a proposed bill aims to even out the pay for tipped and non-tipped employees statewide. Those in favor of the bill are now being harassed, including restaurant owners and employees.

“[Restaurants have] been bullied not only on social media, or given bad Yelp and Google reviews, they've also been receiving calls where people are yelling at their employees. It’s been really horrible,” Sonia Riggs, president and CEO of the Colorado Restaurant Association, tells Colorado Public Radio. She says the harassment has led some restaurant owners to second-guess their decision to speak at the Capitol in support of the bill.

Why it matters: “Targeting businesses or members of the public who participate in the legislative process threatens the very principles of democracy we all swore to uphold,” said Speaker Julie McCluskie and House Majority Leader Monica Duran in a joint statement. 

What’s next: Riggs says they’re working to amend the bill in order to address concerns made by legislators and city council members. (CPR News)

$52

The price of Delmonico’s Royal Eggs Benedict, topped with butter-poached lobster, Ossetra caviar and black truffle. Egg-flation be damned. (New York Post)

💠 The tater tot origin story you never knew you needed
💠 Pasta at center of strip mall turf war in New Jersey 
💠 Bobby Flay’s favorite cake is a diabetic nightmare
💠 Is this how iconic NYC cocktail bars stay relevant?
💠 How to have tough talks with restaurant staff

"That job, I think, is the most undervalued and misunderstood by the general public."

– Author Andrew Friedman, who's made a career chronicling chefs, on the critical importance of dishwashers in restaurants.

(🎧Splendid Table) 

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