There are a lot of reasons that Yelp is frustrating, but one thing it does semi-well is include recommendations on (and, separately, pictures of) which dishes to try first. Especially at ethnic holes-in-the-wall, it can be a barrier to visiting the restaurants at all.
Happy to chat offline - feel free to reach out at Ben@redskyinsights.com
I agree the This American Life stories were pretty good. They were based on a pro-publica story which has background statistics that make the picture more interesting:
My concerns with this coverage is that they oversimplify the problems in their desire to find a solution (especially TAL). I'd also recommend the book 'Our Kids':
Likewise, I read a news story (long time ago, source forgotten) that interviewed several people who had survived jumping from the Golden Gate Bridge. The reporter asked each one what thoughts went through their head after jumping before hitting the water. It wasn't relief or clarity - almost unanimously, it was "What have I done?!?" and immediate regret.
Another powerful quote: "The guy was in his thirties, lived alone, pretty bare apartment. He’d written a note and left it on his bureau. It said, ‘I’m going to walk to the bridge. If one person smiles at me on the way, I will not jump.’"
The 'need' is that there are open seats at restaurants that don't have any open reservations, due to people showing up late or not showing up at all. This inefficiency can be looked at as unavoidable friction, or as opportunity for innovation.
Other industries in the hospitality world have their own ways around this. Most hotels have 24-hour cancellation policies and airlines have dynamic pricing. This is a new one for the (fine) dining industry, and one that will likely spawn different models for different types of restaurants.
Some higher-end restaurants do take a deposit when you make a reservation but it's not common. I find it interesting that there's so much variation among different types of services (hotels, rental cards, hotels, restaurants, theater) with respect to cancelation or no show policies. It doesn't obviously always track to the cost.
Great move to address the historically paltry and inconsistent profit margins of restaurants. Looking forward to seeing what this does for the industry - I'm hoping it helps push forward other big-kitchen / small-dining-room places like Achatz's restaurants.
The issue is that, from the charity's standpoint, your most likely donors are those who have already donated. It would be nice if you could volunteer a higher donation in exchange for a promise not to be mailed / emailed for a year or two (or ever). I donate to a public radio station on a monthly basis, and some months I feel like they're putting that entire donation into efforts to market to me.
It's very clearly not providing an opinion guised as a question. It suggests that it could go up or down, and concludes that it is something to watch out for, because these are two variables very likely to be connected.
Happy to chat offline - feel free to reach out at Ben@redskyinsights.com