The Price of a Seat: How Reservation Apps Are Locking Out Diners

The landscape of restaurant booking is shifting as major players scramble to secure inventory. Credit card companies now pay establishments to reserve seats specifically for their cardholders, while membership clubs like Dorsia charge significant fees for priority access. The scale of this competition intensified last year when DoorDash acquired the reservation platform SevenRooms for $1.2 billion, signaling a broader push to monetize table availability.

This consolidation creates a ripple effect, forcing diners into a narrow window of availability at either end of the evening. While some industry leaders argue this capital infusion benefits struggling restaurants, the reality for the consumer is a narrowing path to a table. Pablo Rivero, CEO of the American Express-owned app Resy, defends the trend, asserting that any investment flowing into the restaurant industry serves a positive purpose, regardless of the impact on accessibility for the general public.