Commentary: Japan's 'no first-time customers' reservation policy may help some restaurants

The Japan ese practice of “no first-time customers” might be a promising business model for some restaurants, says Bloomberg Opinion's Howard Chua-Eoan.

Still, it could be worse. I’m reminded of a cartoon caption - most likely from the same magazine - that portrayed someone on the phone negotiating a reservation with a would-be customer, saying, “Never. How about never?” If you want to go but don’t have a member of the restaurant’s faithful to vouch for or accompany you, you’re out of luck. It’s the kind of exclusivity that’s truly meant to exclude. And while it may not be the most democratic of business models, it may be a beneficial one in terms of sustainability and culinary integrity.For chefs and restaurateurs, getting customers into the seats is one thing; attracting people who actually appreciate what you do is another.

The chef was furious. He tore up the order ticket for the couple’s table and commanded the flustered maitre d’ to tell them"their meal is over". The kitchen erupted in applause. And the mystified couple scampered out, never to darken the portals of a Bouley restaurant ever again. Or so I assume. A restaurant owner I know in Copenhagen says that he’d like nothing better than to have tried-and-true regulars as their customer base. That’s not really acceptable for restaurants indoctrinated in the Western ideal of perpetual growth and the magic escalator of scalability. But it may just work for cooks and purveyors of hospitality who want to retain the quality of their craft by remaining small and off-the-radar.

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