NY Black Market for Hot Restaurant Bookings Shut Down by Law (1)

New Yorkers looking to score a hard-to-get reservation at Carbone, Tatiana or any other hot restaurant through the unauthorized secondary market are now out of luck.

Governor Kathy Hochul on Thursday signed into law the Restaurant Reservation Anti-Piracy Act, which requires third-party services to gain permission from restaurants to offer reservations.

The law aims to curb bots, which are used by scalpers to scoop up spots for sale to diners willing to pay as much as $1,000 for entry into establishments — not including the cost of the meal. The practice has been blamed for exacerbating a frenzy in ...