French Laundry

Travel, Wine Tourism, and Restaurants Forum
21

It’s been a couple of years but I have gotten called back for wait list openings on 3 occasions. We accepted one and had a lovely and memorable meal.

So, a “second” on the waitlist recommendation. Good luck!

22

In case anyone wants to splurge party of 6 is available on Mothers day @$650 per person at 2pm.

Do they still book out 2 months in advance ? I only see available dates until end of May. What time in the morning do they release new times ?

thx

23

They release all reservations for a month on the 1st of the month prior. So since it is April they released all reservations for May on April 1st. Release time is 10AM Pacific Time.

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24

There’s a Facebook group: French Laundry Reservations | Facebook

You should also check with your hotel concierge - a few have access to “off Tock” reservations. Some “luxury” wineries/brands also have people that can get you in.

25

This is going back over 20 years, but my wife and I were similarly shut out of getting a reservation at TFL for a similar 3 night stay in the area. We literally drove there each night and sat in the courtyard with the hopes that there would be a no show. The first two nights weren’t successful and around 8:30pm we went and found another place to eat. The third night, there was a woman who was waiting for her dining companion who for whatever reason didn’t make it. So she bailed on the dinner too and we got lucky. I’m guessing that in today’s world where you pay in advance or leave a credit card to hold the reservation that the no show thing isn’t nearly as prevalent. I hope it works out for you.

26

For the life of me I can’t remember the hotel or resort (possibly in Yountville), but I thought if you stayed there you had a good chance of getting a FL table. At least as of 3-4 years ago. Does this sound familiar to anyone?

27

Bardessono?

28

May have been The Vintage Inn. But assuming you already have room booked they need advance notice to try for a table.

When I dined there, you could still book by phone. Now that it’s all thru Tok, not sure how much the overall process has changed.

29

Auberge booked me, but that was long time ago.

30

The Farm House Inn might be a good option. Not at the same level of TFL, but very good. Not as painful when paying the bill either. Farmhouse Restaurant | Fine Dining Restaurant Sonoma County

31

im wondering if you ran into spots where two people were both working together to get a reservation, but got one, and then they picked the time they liked better and cancelled the other?

32

@Matt no clue. Could’ve been people holding and releasing. Could’ve been staggered releases over a period of time. I just noticed the pattern. When I did a practice run two months ago I was floored they were sold out in less than 30 seconds. When I tried one month ago I noticed reservations kept popping up here and there over time. Thus way I handled it this month and it worked. Snagged one 20 minutes after the hour.

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33

got a message from the waitist 5:45pm on 5/27 is available if you can get there…

34

I’ve gotten 3 waitlists offers so far this month. Our reservation is this Friday so we’ll be sticking to that.

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35

Im reviving this thread from last year. Are there any tricks besides constant refresh as soon as the reservation opens or the FB Reservations group that I just requested to join?

Im looking to dine for dinner at the French Laundry on 3/7 or 3/8 for 2. The reaervations for those dates open on 2/1/24. Any additional advice or tricks of the trade would be greatly appreciated.

36

I’ve noticed a lot more reservations openly available in the last few months.

I was there last Monday and have to say it was unfortunately pretty disappointing. They have been eclipsed in terms of food and service by many of the area Michelin level places in my opinion.

The wine prices are atrocious but that’s to be expected. No cocktail service to pivot to.

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37

I’ve heard from others that it is best to use the iPhone app instead of the website when trying to get reservations. I’ve not had success doing that (but haven’t been back to Napa to try since my previous post), but have heard it from several people now.

As a follow up to my earlier post from last year… while we were in Napa I checked the Tock app religiously every day while we were there, probably once every hour or two, for last minute cancellations. Sure enough, on the second day we were there a reservation popped up which I instantly booked. I think same day reservations are a strong possibility, so make sure you bring a nice outfit just incase you wind up lucking out. It was the best dining experience of my life, and blew SingleThread (which I wound up booking before the trip as a consolation prize) out of the water.

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38

Is there any type of 3rd party that is able to secure reservations (for a fee) or is the only way to secure a reservationis through Tock?

39

I don’t believe there are unfortunately, or at least I wasn’t able to find any such service. If you’re staying at a high end hotel in the area they may be able to assist with a reservation.

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40

Auberge du Soleil got us a reservation there, but I think that was pre-Tock (I can’t remember when they started using Tock). Worth asking, at least.

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