http://www.nytimes.com/2014/12/01/dining/nick-kokonas-tock-ticketing-system-adopted-by-per-se.html 2014-12-02 00:57:05 Nick Kokonas’s Tock Ticketing System Adopted by Per Se A Chicago-born prepayment system for reservations will get a big test in New York City. === Will New Yorkers pay up front for restaurant meals? That’s the question posed by the announcement that The system, For restaurants taking part in Tock, once the system is widely available (its announcement of Per Se’s participation is part of a cautious rollout) it will be flexible, allowing choices like selling only part of a dining room, charging only a nominal fee in advance, and deciding whether to include tips. Thomas Keller At the Lower East Side restaurant WD-50, the chef and owner, Wylie Dufresne, used Tock to manage reservations for its final months before it closed last week; the restaurant sold $250,000 in tickets in two hours after the system went live, Mr. Kokonas said. “Tock is perfect for that” said Daniel Patterson, the Bay Area chef and owner of Coi. “When there is a limited supply, Tock works really well.” Next year, Mr. Patterson plans to convert Coi, the flagship of his restaurant group, to Tock. In his new restaurant, Aster, only four seats, dedicated to a tasting menu, will be fully ticketed. “For a menu like that, when we are investing in spiny lobster” and other expensive ingredients, ensuring that the seats will be filled actually keeps prices down, he said. According to data published by Mr. Kokonas New Yorkers have long treasured their right to make multiple restaurant reservations and decide at the last minute which one to keep. The polite ones call to cancel; the careless ones don’t, which had no consequences in the days of the smudged-pencil reservation book. With OpenTable, no-shows get a slap on the wrist and can eventually be barred from using the system. With Tock, a no-show — even one who happens to be genuinely ill, or snarled in Lincoln Tunnel traffic — risks losing the entire cost of the meal, which can easily run into thousands of dollars. So, will New Yorkers accept that risk? “To go to Per Se or the French Laundry, of course I’ll pay” in advance, said Lauren Silverman, a publicist in the fashion industry who says she eats out five or six nights a week. “I know I’m going to spend that money anyway.” “But,” she added, “for some new restaurant in Williamsburg, or any place that isn’t definitely amazing, no way.”