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Show HN: The Loft Club – Monthly access to top restaurants in your city

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Re: Show HN: The Loft Club – Monthly access to top restaurants in your city

#11

Post by mchannon »

rajacombinator wrote: post #8
dko wrote: post #2

Hey everyone, this is Derrick, the creator of The Loft Club. We noticed a common pattern when we eat out. A cursory Yelp search, perhaps a cross reference dining guides, and finally making the reservation (via OpenTable/SeatMe/phone), only to find out that there aren't any tables left. We then wish we had done all this couple weeks back, but that's hardly practical. The Loft Club removes all that hassle. Trust us to…

Honest feedback - looks like you're trying to charge me for something that's free. Calling a restaurant to make a reservation is not that big of a hassle.

That's probably true for 95% of the world.

The other 5%, on the other hand, is where most of the money and VC's happen to live.

Re: Show HN: The Loft Club – Monthly access to top restaurants in your city

#12

Post by JacobAldridge »

rajacombinator wrote: post #8
dko wrote: post #2

Hey everyone, this is Derrick, the creator of The Loft Club. We noticed a common pattern when we eat out. A cursory Yelp search, perhaps a cross reference dining guides, and finally making the reservation (via OpenTable/SeatMe/phone), only to find out that there aren't any tables left. We then wish we had done all this couple weeks back, but that's hardly practical. The Loft Club removes all that hassle. Trust us to…

Honest feedback - looks like you're trying to charge me for something that's free. Calling a restaurant to make a reservation is not that big of a hassle.

But consistently planning a date night with my beautiful wife is.

If I'm planning to drop $250-300/mth on a couple of great dinners, then another $10 to add an element of surprise and save me from all the research and bookings is well worth it.

I wonder where Brisbane Australia is on their roll-out schedule... We have multiple nice restaurants now, and thankfully both are now open later than 8.30pm.

Re: Show HN: The Loft Club – Monthly access to top restaurants in your city

#13

Post by stickydink »

RIMR wrote: post #9

I love that you can specify 1 person... TLC is going to have a nice database of very weird people who would use a service like this to make sure they get to go out to a fancy restaurant twice a month, by themselves...

I wouldn't say that everybody who likes to eat at nice restaurants alone, are "very weird people".

Re: Show HN: The Loft Club – Monthly access to top restaurants in your city

#14

Post by gohrt »

mchannon wrote: post #11
rajacombinator wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honest feedback - looks like you're trying to charge me for something that's free. Calling a restaurant to make a reservation is not that big of a hassle.

That's probably true for 95% of the world. The other 5%, on the other hand, is where most of the money and VC's happen to live.

More like 99.5%/0.5% or even more extreme, but, yes.

Re: Show HN: The Loft Club – Monthly access to top restaurants in your city

#15

Post by jacquesc »

RIMR wrote: post #9

I love that you can specify 1 person... TLC is going to have a nice database of very weird people who would use a service like this to make sure they get to go out to a fancy restaurant twice a month, by themselves...

Maybe TLC can put some of those 1person groups together.

Re: Show HN: The Loft Club – Monthly access to top restaurants in your city

#16

Post by dko »

JacobAldridge wrote: post #12
rajacombinator wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Honest feedback - looks like you're trying to charge me for something that's free. Calling a restaurant to make a reservation is not that big of a hassle.

But consistently planning a date night with my beautiful wife is. If I'm planning to drop $250-300/mth on a couple of great dinners, then another $10 to add an element of surprise and save me from all the research and bookings is well worth it. I wonder where Brisbane Australia is on their roll-out schedule... We have multiple nice restaurants now, and thankfully both are now open later than 8.30pm.

Thanks Jacob. It's our dream to be able to roll it out in Brisbane, but given the size of our team and how young the project is, it won't happen quite so soon :)

Much like the concierge services (ie Magic) out there, we want The Loft Club to provide simplify people's habits of dining out. The added element of a pleasant surprise - as you mentioned - is something we want to focus on too as we build out the service.

Happy to chat more in person, DM me @derrickko.

Re: Show HN: The Loft Club – Monthly access to top restaurants in your city

#17

Post by yellowapple »

jacquesc wrote: post #15
RIMR wrote: post #9

I love that you can specify 1 person... TLC is going to have a nice database of very weird people who would use a service like this to make sure they get to go out to a fancy restaurant twice a month, by themselves...

Maybe TLC can put some of those 1person groups together.

Now that would be a compelling reason to use such an app, and might even be good for restaurants, too. After all, if a restaurant could take all those tiny parties of one or two and group them together into a handful of larger tables, they'd then be able to better maximize the number of guests per table (instead of wasting seats that could otherwise be used for parties of 3/4/5+).

It would also be an interesting social experiment. The potential benefits are pretty substantial for those who have recently moved into a particular city; instead of fumbling around aimlessly for a new social circle, one could instead sign up for this sort of service and be randomly introduced to all sorts of folks on a semi-weekly basis.

Re: Show HN: The Loft Club – Monthly access to top restaurants in your city

#18

Post by Hobotron1 »

rajacombinator wrote: post #8
dko wrote: post #2

Hey everyone, this is Derrick, the creator of The Loft Club. We noticed a common pattern when we eat out. A cursory Yelp search, perhaps a cross reference dining guides, and finally making the reservation (via OpenTable/SeatMe/phone), only to find out that there aren't any tables left. We then wish we had done all this couple weeks back, but that's hardly practical. The Loft Club removes all that hassle. Trust us to…

Honest feedback - looks like you're trying to charge me for something that's free. Calling a restaurant to make a reservation is not that big of a hassle.

This might seem weird- but to me, it has the same appeal as television: the selection is already made.

Choosing a restaurant to eat at is such a small barrier, but it feels huge (kinda like picking an episode on NetFlix).

I definitely see the appeal in getting an e-mail saying: "Hobotron, a table for 2 is reserved at Lait de Tétine this Thursday at 7PM." and when you show up your preferred cocktail is already on the table.

Could partner up with Uber/Limo/Whatever to provide rides to/from in the event you wish to indulge to excess.

Re: Show HN: The Loft Club – Monthly access to top restaurants in your city

#19

Post by avemg »

dko wrote: post #2

Hey everyone, this is Derrick, the creator of The Loft Club. We noticed a common pattern when we eat out. A cursory Yelp search, perhaps a cross reference dining guides, and finally making the reservation (via OpenTable/SeatMe/phone), only to find out that there aren't any tables left. We then wish we had done all this couple weeks back, but that's hardly practical. The Loft Club removes all that hassle. Trust us to…

Is there a way for me to tell you which restaurants I've already been to so you don't send me there?

Re: Show HN: The Loft Club – Monthly access to top restaurants in your city

#20

Post by nsxwolf »

stickydink wrote: post #13
RIMR wrote: post #9

I love that you can specify 1 person... TLC is going to have a nice database of very weird people who would use a service like this to make sure they get to go out to a fancy restaurant twice a month, by themselves...

I wouldn't say that everybody who likes to eat at nice restaurants alone, are "very weird people".

As long as you bring a book along.
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