Outrage at reservation 'scalping' site that makes last-minute bookings at popular restaurants and sells them for $12 each



Brian Mayer launched his startup ReservationHop.com on July 4



Mayer makes reservations at in-demand San Francisco restaurants under false names and then sells the booking to diners for $5-$12

Restaurant owners say they could lose business if bookings aren't sold

Critics say the site is unethical because it capitalizes on a free service



Following the backlash, Mayer calls himself 'the most hated person in San Francisco'

Follows New York apps that allow people to buy reservations and even spaces in line for cronuts



A new 'reservation scalping' website which makes last-minute restaurant bookings under false names before selling them for up to $12 each has caused outrage.

ReservationHop.com is the latest entrant in the pay-to-play booking wars, buying up tables at popular San Francisco restaurants and selling them back to customers for a $5 to $12 fee.

While the creator says he's helping users get a spot at in-demand eateries, critics claim the site is 'unethical' because it makes money off a free service and could damage businesses if bookings aren't sold.



The service: Brian Mayer launched the ReservationHop.com website (pictured) on July 4 and it currently applies to San Francisco restaurants

HOW RESERVATIONHOP.COM WORKS

The website buys last-minute bookings from popular restaurants



It sells the bookings online for $5-$12, giving customers false names



The website cancels any bookings it hasn't sold up to four hours before the reservation

Richie Nakano, owner and head chef of Japanese restaurant Hapa Ramen, said the website is 'disgusting and hurtful to restaurants that already operate on razor thin margins'.



'An app like that, while not breaking any rules or laws per se, has the potential to be hurtful to small businesses that rely on having a reservation book full of diners that actually show up ,' he said in an email to Valley Wag.

'What happens to the reservations that no one winds up buying? This is a perfect example of tech trying to 'disrupt' something without thinking of the consequences.

'I hate this idea.



'It's awful and selfish and if it was my restaurant I would check that site everyday to see if my place were listed there so I could delete those reservations.'

ReservationHop.com creator Brian Mayer said he developed the website, which applies only to San Francisco restaurants, after waiting 30 minutes for a burrito.

He said he cancels reservations that aren't purchased four hours in advance and that 'in the interest of ethics and fairness', he wants to talk to restaurants about working with them directly.

Twitter users have slammed Mayer as self-interested and 'sleazy'.



Observers have noted the website could make it harder for diners who don’t want to use ReservationHop.com to get a reservation, and have compared it to apps that allow users to sell street parking.



'I'm the most hated man in San Francisco': Brian Mayer (pictured) has infuriated many restaurant owners and tech writers with the launch of 'scalping' website, ReservationHop.com

Inspiration: Brian Mayer (pictured left and right) said he created ReservationHop.com after waiting 30 minutes for a burrito



NEW YORK'S RESERVATION APPS Similar apps are available in New York for everything from spaces in line to buy cronuts to table reservations.

Reservation apps for New Yorkers include: Killer Rezzy- restaurants in New York and The Hamptons Resy - New York restaurants Shout - everything for theatre shows and cronuts to restaurants

Zurvu - restaurants

Others have commented that the website capitalizes on and exploits a free service to the detriment of customers and restaurants.



Beyond Twitter, Josh Ong at The Next Web described the idea as 'sleazy' and as 'tech enabled scalping'.



After receiving a torrent of abuse for his website, Mayer defended himself on his blog in a post titled, 'How I became the most hated person in San Francisco, for a day'.

'I built this site as an experiment in consumer demand for a particular product, and the jury’s still out on whether it will work...,' the University of Chicago history graduate wrote.



'Reservations aren’t free.



'Restaurant tables are limited, in high demand and people wait a good long time as walk-ins to get them.



'Reservations take time and planning to make and the restaurant assumes an opportunity cost from booking them...



Backlash: Twitter users, including Selena Larson (pictured), are outraged that startups like ReservationHop.com are capitalizing on services that have always been free

Backlash: Twitter user Mat Honan (pictured) has labelled startups such as ReservationHop.com 'irresponsible' and 'sleazy' Backlash: Observers and restaurant owners say ReservationHop.com puts businesses in San Francisco at risk if it fails to sell bookings

'What about ethics? We are talking about an asset that most people don’t think about having a value. ... If someone does pay for it willingly, is it really unethical?



'The consumer has made a choice, the reservation stands, the restaurant gets a table filled as planned, and I have made money for providing the service.



'That seems perfectly ethical to me.'