Dave's Grill Has A Pretty 'Mythic Reservation Policy'
Tuesday, August 24, 2010, by Ian Ratner

If you've ever tried dining at Dave's Grill in Montauk—the one place in the Hamptons "people never seem to complain about"—then you know it has a pretty unique reservation system. To shed some light on the process, which is kind of like a Sudoku," the WSJ sat down with the eatery's hostess, Julie Marcley. Marcley, who is armed with some pens, White Out, and paper, begins taking "same-day-only" resrevations at 4:15. During the courtship, Marcley first takes "three to four tables for every 15 minutes"—and then assigns guests to tables. And although the system seems weird, it produces "very few no-shows," which means flaky customers will be blacklisted. Can't have that, now can we?
· The Scoop on a Hot Table [WSJ]