Table8 Jumps in the Last-Minute Reservations Game

Here's an app that is attempting to even the playing field when it comes to hard to get reservations. Co-founded by Silicon Valley veterans Santosh Jayaram and Pete Goettner, Eater SF reports that Table8 "was born from their frustration at not being able to score tables at new spots they wanted to try." The app launched this week with the aim to help diners acquire last minute tables at popular high-end restaurants for a fee. Table8 currently works with 15 restaurants in San Francisco — including Slanted Door and Fleur De Lys — and Jayaram says they have "12 more in the pipeline."

Users of the app will be able to secure seats during peak dining hours (Wednesday-Saturday, 7-8:45pm) up to five days a head of time, or on the same day. Jayaram tells Eater, "We want to bring spontaneity back. Most of these places you have to plan ahead for, but life doesn't always allow you to do that." He also adds that the app hopes to benefit "business travelers who want to take expense accounts to these restaurants" but they are shut out because they can't make reservations ahead of time.

According to Jayaram, for the foreseeable future, a two-person reservation is $20 per table, and a four-person reservation is $25 to keep it accessible for "normal people who often cannot get into these restaurants." While the largest table currently available with is for 4, Table8 is working on options for six-person reservation in the future. Unlike with OpenTable, restaurants hold tables specifically for the app and receive a portion of the reservation fee. Due to the last minute nature of the transaction, customers who cancel do not receive their money back.

Although it is currently only available in San Francisco, Table8 hopes to expand to cities like New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, and even London in the near future. When asked if they plan to partner with more casual restaurants in the future, Jayaram responded with they only plan on listing restaurants that are "always sold out and customers cannot find reservations through regular channels, to keep it exclusive."

· Table8 [Official Site]
· New Startup Selling Prime Reservations at Aziza, Slanted Door, Boulevard, More [Eater SF]
· All Reservations Coverage on Eater [-E-]