A visit to Dhamaka takes some advance planning, but until recently, there was a way into one of Manhattan’s most buzzed-about spots that didn’t involve weeks of waiting or constantly checking for a cancellation. For those who were a part of an online group called #FreeRezy, getting a table at the city’s hottest Indian restaurant often came down to four words: “Dhamaka on Saturday please.”
The group comes from Cole, Steve, and Sal, three former investment bankers who asked to be referred to by their first names in this article because they worry about repercussions in their industries. They say the system of making reservations is broken in New York City — even though two of them no longer live in the five boroughs — and thought they had the solution, until Resy shut them down in early February.
“We had a daily calendar,” he says. “When I’d wake up at 6 a.m. every morning to book reservations, I knew what was coming up that day.” Things got so bad that Pandya, who occasionally works the door at Dhamaka, held one group of four for 15 minutes to make sure that another customer with the correct name didn’t show up to claim the reservation. Of course they never did, and the group was eventually seated. “We felt so bad,” Mazumdar says.At Nom Wah Tea Parlor, which was occasionally listed on #FreeRezy, marketing director Barbara Leung says she hadn’t noticed anything off, and employees hadn’t raised any concerns.
LaurenSteussy Trumpet Day!! 2/2/22---say it aloud, 'to to to toooo!!' see & for 80 years, bid it adieu it rings from the calendar, and carries a song! 2/22/22 is one two too many--just a little too(t) long. (a bit like looking for ice cream from Ben Ben and Jerry's) :)
We have a reservation at Dorsia at 8:30