

Show HN: HackerTable.com, reservations at elusive restaurants (3-day project) - lerhaupt
http://www.hackertable.com

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pauldisneyiv
Nice. I like the concept of "best" though it's obviously (purposefully?)
vague. What does best mean here?

An idea I like, is allowing eateries to accept reservations for specific
tables. After the visit the diner could review the actual table and rate its
appropriateness for specific occasions (first date, business meal, group of
guys, etc.)as well as a short writeup. There are many places that have
different vibes depending on where the table is, of course this can change on
a nightly basis depending on crowd, day of the week, and other variables.

Adding this extra level of reservation personalization by allowing the user to
choose their own table might encourage repeat visits. Imagine if a couple had
"a table" that they always liked to eat at. It would also allow individuals to
sort not by "Best" but by "Best for Intimate Conversation" or "Best for Great
Bay Views".

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lerhaupt
Just for fun, Joe (hn: joe6pack) and I decided to code up a 3 day side
project. It surfaces the best reservations currently available in the SF Bay
Area. Certainly the ranking algorithm could be improved, but we hope you enjoy
this little bit of amusement.

Please review and let us know if you find it useful.

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jedc
Is that real data? You've got reservations at The French Laundry four days
from now?!?

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joe6pack
Indeed it is - that was the point of the site.

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jedc
That's fantastic. I assumed that they kept a waiting list in order to keep the
restaurant full. This is really interesting.

Does OpenTable have an affiliate program?

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there
exclusive? or are these restaurants constantly hiding?

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ludwig
More like you can never get reservations there. They're constantly eluding
you, if you will.

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v21
_The_ Abe Froman? The Sausage King of Chicago?

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silijon
nice. except now i need to take more consulting work to actually afford to go
to one of these places.

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mnml_
itsabitpointlessdontyouthink?

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joe6pack
At surface value, sure - although if you want a table at one of these places,
it's fairly useful.

The backstory is that we used this mini-project to see how we work together as
a team. We're working longer-term on NivNav.com, but wanted a short, isolated
project where we could feel out our collaboration style. HackerTable.com was
born.

I'd recommend this approach to any early-stage startups that are looking for
co-founders. Obviously don't distract yourself with side-projects if the
timing isn't right, but seek out short, isolated projects where you can get a
sense of how you'll work together.

