Ending Reservation Overcharging? New Law Hopes to Protect New Yorkers

With the cost of living being the highest in America, the last thing New Yorkers want to hear is "paying extra" for a reservation.Photo by(The author)

The Restaurant Reservation Anti-Piracy Act could forever change dining in New York City

New York City — "Six bucks for some measly pour-over coffee," I once heard a tourist gripe. Welcome to the Big Apple — the most expensive city in America.

And, oh, let's not forget about New York's restaurants. It's no secret reserving a table in popular NYC restaurants is on par with doing calculus.

And so, when news spread that Bots had been snapping up hot reservations around the city — to hike up the price of reservations — restaurant-goers weren't too thrilled. To put it mildly.

Thankfully, this week a bill passed in New York that would make hawking reservations by bots illegal.

According to the report, the Restaurant Reservation Anti-Piracy Act only needs Governor Kathy Hochu's signature.

"$365 to book a table for 2 in New York?" asks the incredible NY Times' headline. "A new law could stop it."

In short, should the governor sign it, New York will be the first state to “combat the trend of predatory software flooding the online restaurant reservation marketplace."