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Tina Vaughn and her husband, chef Chip Smith, have taken a distinctive approach to running their French American restaurant, Eulalie, located in Tribeca. Unlike many modern establishments, Vaughn has opted for a traditional reservation system. She incorporated a landline phone, arranged her stationery meticulously, and positioned her reservation book next to an old Rolodex filled with handwritten cards. Each reservation is recorded with personal details, such as drink preferences, making each guest feel valued and recognized.
To clarify, Eulalie was established in 2023, and not decades earlier.
Vaughn represents a rarity in the restaurant industry today by rejecting digital reservation tools like Resy and OpenTable. Instead, she embraces a more personal touch, reminiscent of a time when phone calls and conversation dominated the dining reservation experience. “A decade ago, refusing online reservations put them in a distinct minority,” noted Pete Wells in his review of Eulalie for the New York Times. “Today it makes them seem like members of an isolated religious sect.”
Both Vaughn and Smith have consistently chosen to forgo digital reservation systems throughout their careers, including their previous restaurant, Simone, and other establishments they operated in North Carolina. Drawing from their extensive backgrounds in esteemed restaurants like Palladin and the Inn at Little Washington, they have chosen tradition over technology. “It’s what we have always done,” Vaughn stated. “If people are annoyed, they have many other places to go to.”
At Eulalie, the experience begins with Vaughn’s charming voicemail greeting, where she exudes warmth and friendliness. “This is Tina, of Tina and Chip, loving the fact that you are coming down to enjoy dinner with us,” she says, inviting diners to dress nicely, evoking a sense of occasion. “Leave me a message and I will call you back.” And indeed, she will follow up with a personal touch.
While some may find making a phone call for a reservation outdated, Vaughn has discovered that her customers appreciate the personal connection.
“People are almost starving for that human connection,” Vaughn remarked. In an era dominated by automation and tech-driven solutions, there are pros and cons to both approaches. For instance, OpenTable can range from $149 to $499 monthly for restaurants, in addition to a variable per-reservation fee, which poses a significant financial consideration for many establishments.
Despite these costs, reservation technology offers conveniences that traditional methods cannot match. OpenTable CEO Debby Soo highlighted how the platform enhances restaurant operations, aiding in capacity management and fostering customer loyalty.
Although Eulalie stands out for its complete commitment to traditional methods, other establishments like Polo Bar are adopting a more hybrid approach—utilizing technology for bookings while maintaining a handwritten log. Similarly, Cafe Carmellini transfers their reservations to a beautifully crafted leather book, commissioned from well-known bookmaker Henry Alpert. “We said, ‘Henry, make it look like Dumbledore would use it,’” revealed chef and partner Andrew Carmellini.
The elegance of such a handcrafted book enhances the dining experience at Cafe Carmellini, located in the Fifth Avenue Hotel in Nomad. “This is our most elegant restaurant,” Carmellini explained. “Even though it’s a massive extra step, aesthetically, not having someone on a screen sets the tone.”
Chase Sinzer, co-chef and owner of Claud in the East Village, also favors the handwritten approach, transferring reservations into a sophisticated book from London. He expressed that this effort adds warmth to the process. “Anything you can do to add one more percent of warmth versus the computer-fication of the process is helpful,” he noted.
Keith McNally, who owns Balthazar, which serves an impressive 1500 customers on busy nights, also maintains a physical reservation book. Despite the time investment, McNally finds it worthwhile.
“A well organized book works just as competently as a computer screen,” he stated. “But so what if it doesn’t? Isn’t it worth losing a little efficiency to make things more personable? It’s a bloody restaurant, after all!”
Source
ny.eater.com