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If you\u2019ve struggled to book a table lately, and the only times available you seem to find are 5 and 11 pm, it\u2019s not your imagination. High-end restaurants across the country are getting harder to access, and a web of dealmaking is a big reason why, according to the Wall Street Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n Reservation apps are racing to lock in tables exclusively for their top users. Credit card companies are paying restaurants to hold seats as a cardholder reward. Membership clubs like Dorsia charge steep fees for tiered access. DoorDash entered the fight last year, buying reservation platform SevenRooms for $1.2 billion.<\/p>\n The result is a perfect storm of holds on tables that are locking a lot of people out of prime spots. Some don\u2019t see this as a bad thing, as long as it gets people in seats. \u201cMy personal view is that money invested in restaurants is a good thing. Full stop,\u201d said Pablo Rivero, the CEO of the app Resy, which is owned by American Express.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n If you\u2019ve struggled to book a table lately, and the only times available you seem to find are 5 and 11 pm, it\u2019s not your imagination. High-end restaurants across the country are getting harder to access, and a web of dealmaking is a big reason why, according to the Wall Street Journal<\/a>.<\/p>\n Reservation apps are racing to lock in tables exclusively for their top users. Credit card companies are paying restaurants to hold seats as a cardholder reward. Membership clubs like Dorsia charge steep fees for tiered access. DoorDash entered the fight last year, buying reservation platform SevenRooms for $1.2 billion.<\/p>\n The result is a perfect storm of holds on tables that are locking a lot of people out of prime spots. Some don\u2019t see this as a bad thing, as long as it gets people in seats. \u201cMy personal view is that money invested in restaurants is a good thing. Full stop,\u201d said Pablo Rivero, the CEO of the app Resy, which is owned by American Express.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n