It’s not just New York or Los Angeles anymore. In cities across the country, snagging an online reservation at a high-end restaurant feels nearly impossible.

Getting a reservation at high-demand restaurants, once a challenge primarily in major cities, is now a widespread issue across the U.S. This growing difficulty is attributed to several factors, including the emergence of third-party reservation resellers and intense competition among major booking platforms. These third-party services often snatch up coveted dining slots, then resell them at a premium, creating a "Ticketmaster-ification" of the dining industry. This practice has raised concerns among 72% of consumers and approximately 70% are worried about its financial harm to restaurants, according to the National Restaurant Association.

The restaurant reservation market has become a battleground for large corporations. DoorDash, for instance, acquired SevenRooms for $1.2 billion, while American Express, owner of Resy, bought Tock for $400 million. UberEats also partnered with OpenTable to integrate reservations into its app. These companies are vying for control over customer relationships and the ability to influence discovery and demand in the dining sector. This competition includes strategic alliances with credit card companies, where Platinum American Express cardholders receive special access to reservations and a $400 dining credit annually for Resy restaurants, and Visa and Chase cardholders get exclusive OpenTable reservations.

This fierce competition has led to a fragmented reservation landscape, where restaurants are utilizing various platforms, forcing diners to manage multiple apps and websites to find available tables. The situation is further complicated by unauthorized resellers, which contribute nothing to the dining experience but make it more expensive and frustrating. These resellers can also lead to no-shows for restaurants if reservations go unsold, resulting in lost revenue and tipping opportunities for staff. States like New York have begun to address this with legislation requiring restaurants to opt-in to third-party resellers via written agreement, and California and Illinois are exploring similar regulations to protect both restaurants and consumers.