86 i S t o c k / S a nj a Dj o r d j e v i c
B C B U S I N E S S . C A
J U LY/A U G U S T 2 0 24
H O S P I TA L I T Y
RESO
DOGS
Tips on how to get
a reservation at that
hot new restaurant
in your city
by Neal McLennan
You know the rub: after
months of back-and-forth the
big deal has closed and the
boss wants you to choose a
spot to celebrate; or maybe
you've been working late for
weeks and your anniversary
has suddenly crept up on you.
You read your local city maga-
zine, you know the current hot
spots that are worthy of such a
momentous occasion, but click
after click on the "reserva-
tions" button on their websites
yields nothing but "we're
sorry, there's no availability at
your chosen time."
It's disheartening, true. But
all too many diners take this as
the end of the voyage instead of
the opening bid. In Vancouver,
at least, diners actually have it
pretty lucky: the city doesn't
yet have bots snapping up
reservations to resell for profit
like you'd find in New York or
L.A. (The Vancouver entries
on the reservation reselling
site Appointment Trader are
laughably thin.) And even the
city's hottest spots are quietly
confessing to having more space
in 2024 than they did in 2023. So
trust us: there's no need to give
up and slink toward your nearest
Moxies for a night of sweet
potato fries and aioli—just follow
our how-to guide to help you on
the path of culinary nirvana.
