Q:  It seems more and more restaurants are requiring deposits to make a reservation. Don’t you think that’s unfair?
Tom: I’m very sorry, but definitely not. In the era of booking apps, it’s easy for diners to make reservations at multiple restaurants for the same night and timeslot, then decide later where they want to go. Unfortunately, many do just that. It’s a heinous practice I call “restaurant roulette.” Nothing chafes a restaurant owner faster than a four-top no-show at 8 p.m. on a Friday. It’s not just an empty table possibly killing a vibe, it’s a kick to the bottomline, especially for independent restaurateurs working with razor-thin margins. One unused four-top during peak service can wipe out the profit from several other tables. That’s why more restaurants are requiring credit cards to hold reservations, instituting 24- to 72-hour cancellation windows, or charging per-person no-show fees. It’s also why tasting menu concepts, such as Counter-, Omakase by Prime Fish, Sora, and others require payment upfront, To plan 10-16 courses in a restaurant with only 8-16 seats, even a single no-show can wreak financial havoc. Other spots like Leluia Hall charge a token “holding fee.” These policies are certainly not about money grabbing; they’re about predictability. Staffing, ordering, and prep are all calibrated to booked tables. When those tables go empty, food is wasted, labor is misallocated, and operating profit is lost. If you’re a stand-up person, a deposit is no sweat since that’s coming off your bill anyway. Also, my experience has been if a true emergency arises and you need to cancel last-minute, several restaurants will work with you to come up with an equitable solution.

Q: What’s the next big trending food thing?
Tom: We are too diverse a society to have “a” big anything anymore, if we ever really did. However, there are several concepts that are one the rise nation and worldwide. My favorite is a return to old school table service like trolley carts and at-table prep. Also, more char and smoke also seems to be making their way from the barbecue pit to three-star kitchens. The folks who see more worldwide trends than anyone, the Michelin inspectors, have put together a list of what’s on the rise, including the aforementioned.