Are restaurant reservation apps worth it?

Just before Christmas, at a loose end on a Tuesday night, New York-based Mitchell Hochberg asked his wife Suzan about dinner — where should they go, he mulled. “We hadn’t been to Carbone in a year,” recalls the real estate developer of the buzzy, booked-solid spot in Greenwich Village, “so I went onto Dorsia to see if anything was available”.

The members-only app offered him a table for two at 6pm — at least, as long as he guaranteed to spend $600 on supper. “We had a marvellous meal, and as you’re sitting there, you can check the app to see what you’ve spent.” Their tab was $600, almost to the dollar. “It works out great for someone like me,” he says.

Dorsia, a Miami-based start-up (named after the restaurant which American Psycho’s Patrick Bateman obsesses over) is just one player in an increasingly crowded niche on both sides of the Atlantic: companies aiming to simplify, streamline or shortcut premium restaurant reservations.

If you’ve ever tried to book a table at a vaguely popular spot and seen the next available booking is weeks away, you’ll see the appeal. Pricey concierge services and fixe...
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