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@rrhoover we're fans of these guys. They're doing something different than Cover and we're excited to see more people (and good people) in this space.
@loris Cover is agnostic about how you get into a restaurant. You can walk in and sit at the bar and use Cover, you could call in for a reservation, you could even have a standing table where you've sat every Tuesday for years. And everyone in the restaurant can pay with Cover at any time, it's not limited to the number of people a host wants to let in.
In this sense the comparison is like Sosh to American Express. One is about curating great experiences and the other is the best way to pay when you're out.
EDIT: and to make it clear, I'm also a huge fan of Sosh. That was a compliment there.
Very excited to see this launch, but how will Reserve differentiate from Open Table? Open Table has the same features (reserve a table; pay for your check; great iOS app) and has an incredible selection of restaurants (quantity and quality).
For restaurants that already use Open Table, will they be willing to implement another service? Is it even a significant burden for them? There's already a few other competitors vying for adoption, including Resy and Cover (both of which seem to be focused on high-end restaurants, like Reserve). And is the high-end restaurant market itself a big enough opportunity?
Reserve has an incredibly successful team behind it. I would love to hear how they are navigating these issues.
@GeoffreyWeg Reserve is free to restaurants, and this was something that was really important to us since the restaurant industry generally has very slim margins (3-5% last I saw reported). In terms of tech integration, we worked very closely with our restaurant partners to make sure our tech was lightweight and very easy for our partners to use. Especially since Reserve diners have a default payment card linked to the app, the payment piece can actually become simpler for a restaurant and involve fewer trips for the server. The response from our partners has been really great, and its been terrific to work with them so far and get their feedback on the service and technology. And to your final question, we're really just getting started. Part of the vision is to see this be a service people want to use every time they go out to eat, and continuing to build out great partnerships is a big part of that.
some messaging on the website that could be clarified a bit: "the check is automatically billed to your card, including the tip and Reserve's small concierge fee"
1) is Reserve's concierge fee the $5?
2) is the tip a fixed amount? can the user select a different tip amount?
@_jacksmith The fee is $5, and users can definitely choose how much they want to tip
@_jacksmith Default tip is set at 20% and up to the user to adjust accordingly. Polished work @ovonhauske.
How does the product make money, if the fee is only $5? Does the credit card payment method fees (which are often like 2.9% or whatever) for the transaction come out of that $5? Are there any other areas which Reserve makes money?
Cool to see things heat up in this space. Waitress.com (@waitressapp) in Stockholm, Sweden is picking up and may be one to take the European market. Cover and Reserve both look great too.
@bramk @garyvee There are a few things - in addition to being focused on the whole experience (from the minute you decide you want to go out to eat to after the meal is over), we also have a fixed concierge fee, which doesn't change even if you have a large group or want to eat at a hot table or a super popular time.
Very excited that Reserve is on Product Hunt!
Reserve is focused on the entire process of going out to eat, from finding the right place to getting a table and then also handling the check.
@ovonhauske congrats on the launch! do you have an access code that I can use this weekend in NYC?
Have been using in LA and find it to be a great experience. I find the interplay between the SMS concierge and the app itself to be a little odd, in that the sms responses suggested several times that I go into the app and do something (modify a request, cancel a request, spin up a new request) that the user should simply be able to request via text.
Greg and the whole Reserve team are fantastic! We put together a short video for Reserve and just posted it today. @rrhover asked me to post it here :)
I've been using @Reserve for a few months now. Amazingly efficient way to book high-end restaurants. What used to be a race to dial the hostess at exactly the right time of day weeks in advance is now just a few clicks. Also, don't underestimate the beauty of paying through the app. In fact, by letting them auth with my credentials I was able to use it to send my parents to a fancy dinner! Anyway, I think this is early days for Reserve. You know that when you have @JoeMarchese, @gmc, and @vl in the mix, shit is going to happen.
@sacca given the team and the model I assume the roadmap anticipates moving downscale (reserveX), any ideas on how they would do that?
My first time I used Reserve I wanted to not like it. I dunno why. But then I used it. And while I found the app experience seamless and elegant (kudos), I still wasn't sure I wanted to like it. What really got me was how that online experience translated to my offline experience, though. It's a tricky thing to get right -- having one's experience transcend like that, especially in the restaurant world. Yup, Reserve nailed it for me. I got a table at Flour + Water last minute. The seamless payment process delivered with the classy black Reserve card made my wife think I was cool again (which is pretty much my goal in life). Nicely done. Looking forward to more venues signing up.
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