You think about Saturday dinner on Wednesday. By then, every restaurant you'd actually want is booked for the next three weeks. But that's life in the big city — there are just more people who want that table than the restaurant can accommodate.
Reserve has those tables. Restaurants share their prime-time inventory with us — tables you won't find by refreshing Resy or OpenTable. One payment, and the reservation is yours, confirmed. You pay for your meal at the restaurant as usual.
The same restaurants have tables that sit empty at certain times — early dinner, mid-week lunch, quieter hours. The food is the same. The service is the same. The only difference is when you show up.
Book one of these tables on Reserve and you earn cash-back — real money, credited to your account after you dine. Just eat and pay as you normally would. The cash-back is separate from your bill.
Where does the money come from? Paid reservations fund cash-back directly — the money diners pay for prime-time tables goes straight to cash-back diners. Reserve doesn't take a dime. Restaurants pay us a commission for each additional guest we help them serve — that's our business model.
Paid reservations fund cash-back
When you book, we'll place a temporary hold on your card — the same amount the restaurant charges for a no-show on any platform. It's not a charge. The hold is released automatically after you dine.
Cash-back is credited to your account within 24 hours of dining. It's not a discount, not a gift card, not points — it's real money you can withdraw to your bank account anytime. No minimum, no waiting period.
Cancel anytime — no strict cutoff. Your refund depends on current demand for that table:
High demand: Full refund. If the table is worth more now than when you booked, you keep the upside.
Low demand: Part of your deposit may be charged. You'll see the exact amount before confirming.
No-show: Full deposit charged. Restaurants rely on these tables being filled.
If you cancel a reservation paid by card, a 3% booking cost is retained from your refund. This covers payment processing costs that can't be recovered when we issue a refund.
No. Order whatever you like, tip as you normally would. Cash-back is completely separate from your restaurant bill — it's not tied to how much you spend.
In-demand restaurants have more tables than they can fill at off-peak times, and more demand than they can accommodate at popular times. Reserve helps with both — it brings in guests when they need them and manages demand when they're full. Restaurants only pay when it works.
The opposite. Scalpers resell reservations without the restaurant's knowledge or consent. On Reserve, restaurants choose to participate and share tables directly through our platform. They benefit economically, and diners get tables they wouldn't find anywhere else.
NYC only for now — Manhattan and Brooklyn. More cities coming soon.
Cash-back varies by restaurant and time slot. Right now, tables on Reserve are offering between $30 and $72 per booking, with the single-reservation record at $72. You'll see the exact amount for every table before you book.
Yes. No membership, no subscription, no account fees. You only pay if you buy a prime-time reservation — or you get paid if you book a cash-back table.
Yes. Your reservation is placed directly in the restaurant's booking system under your name and phone number. To the restaurant, it's the same as any other reservation.
Nope, just show up on time and enjoy your meal. The restaurant handles everything — no need to mention Reserve, show a code, or do anything out of the ordinary.