Free $20 Towards Dinner in NYC, Los Angeles, Boston, San Francisco, and Chicago

I recently came across a pretty cool app called Reserve where you can make a restaurant reservation at high end spots with an automatically billed payment (similar to Uber). I typically stay clear of the high end restaurants in NYC since you often need to make a reservation months in advance. There is no way I can plan that far in advance, although I know some can! This site, however, claims that they will be able to get you into those hard to reserve restaurants and make your dinning experience more seamless. I can definitely see huge value for the business travelers out there, especially those in a role that requires a little wining and dining every so often.

There is a $5 fee to make a reservation through Reserve and it is added to your final bill. However, currently, they are giving new members a $20 credit which can be used towards the reservation fee and the meal itself. You can sign up using code GJMIPF. Once you download the app, go to “Account” and “Add Promo Code”.

Also, as I quickly mentioned above, when the final bill comes you are billed directly to your credit card saved with the app. In your account details you are able to set the tip amount as well. For those Uber lovers out there, this should sound very familiar.

Now here are a few things to know.

• There may not always be a reservation available at your desired spot, but you will be directed toward other options that might be similar. If a reservation opens up at your originally desired spot, the concierge system will try to secure your original spot.
• Right now you can’t split the bill. So if you are out with others this could get tricky. It sounds like it’s a feature that should be coming soon.
• You do have the ability to cancel a reservation. According to the FAQ, as long as you cancel 2 hours prior to the reservation you are not on the hook for anything. That said, if you cancel within the 2 hours of the reservation you can be charged $10 per head on the reservation and if you no show, it’s $25 per person.
• You can “add a bid” to your request. In some cases if a restaurant is in high demand you might have an option to bid up the price you are willing to pay, say 10% over the bill. This is meant to show the restaurant that you are really interested (maybe because of an anniversary or client event). I guess they might move you to the top of the list should a cancellation happen.
• It’s currently available in New York, Boston, LA, San Francisco, and Chicago

I’ve yet to try this out as most of the restaurants are outside of my immediate neighborhood, but Mr. Deals has had success with this service for client dinners.

The app is really simple (much like Uber), so I have high hopes for the company. If you’ve used this service before, feel free to comment with your experience. Also, feel free to comment with your referral code as well.