On Thursday, New York Governor Kathy Hochul signed a bill that makes selling reservations on the black market illegal, EaterThis Beloved N.Y.C. Restaurant Is Reportedly Being Forced Out to Make Room for Prada“We’re putting an end to the predatory black market for restaurant reservations—protecting consumers and businesses, and giving everyone a chance to get a seat at the dinner table,” Hochul said in a statement obtained by Eater.
As reservation books have largely gone online, it’s become easier and easier for people to snap up a number of tables at hot spots and then sell them to willing diners, Eater noted. Some people have made thousands of dollarsthat would have otherwise been free, and the bill is seeking to go after those bad actors, rather than official companies that work with restaurants to offer coveted tables.