Yes! You Really Can DM us for Tables 📱🍽️

A new use case for our in-app DM feature: us making restaurant recommendations and reservations for all of YOU. Here's how...

RESERVATIONS | The Real Dilemma

We’re using new school tech and old school hospitality to hook you up with tables.

The restaurant reservation game is a mess – we all know that. But a big part of the pain these days starts well before we try to score that prime two-top at the impenetrable spot. Just discovering places, compiling our favorites, and then weighing and winnowing down our options, is an exhausting and brutally inefficient process. We consult articles, maps, lists, subreddits, blah, blah. And then, in the event when we present these options to, say, a group text? Forget it. Yes, first world problems to be sure, but the paradox of choice is real. If only there were another, easier way…

Concierge in your pocket with that DM magic 🪄

One of my favorite Blackbird app features is the DM. Yes, you can DM most of our restaurants directly, asking them for a table or making other requests, just as our developers intended. But you can also DM us, as in Blackbird, as in the real life human beings working right here in our Soho office, and ask for restaurant recommendations, reservations, or both. From suggesting a spot to securing you a table, we’ll handle the whole thing.

Having put in a few of these requests myself, I can vouch that the experience is nothing short of magic – it’s like having your own genie ready to grant all your restaurant wishes. Need a casual first date spot or a place to take your parents? How about the ideal business lunch or a big table for a boozy dinner with your oldest and loudest friends? Whatever the case, whatever the cuisine, whatever the neighborhood, we got you.

BLACKBIRD | The Interview

Hailo, deep in the DMs and making magic happen (not pictured: carrier pigeon)

In fact, it’s our community manager Hailey Colborn (aka

Hailo

on Substack and across socials) who’s got you. Having fielded hundreds of requests at this point from our users, I grabbed a few minutes with Hailey to see what life is like in the Blackbird DMs and to find out what kind of magic she’s been making happen. –James Jung

James Jung (JJ)
Ok, so what have people been feeling lately? Is there a typical request?

Hailey Colborn (Hailo)
Lately, we've been getting a lot of requests for big parties, double dates, fun stuff like that. I think it could be attributed to the start of summer. People are ready to be outside with other people.

JJ
Is outdoor seating often an ask?

Hailo
Yeah it's common! And if people don't specify, I'll typically ask our contact at the restaurant which they think will be a better experience for the day and time of our user's reservation.

JJ
I know a magician never reveals their secrets, but walk me through the process...once you're pinged with a request—and btw do they usually have a specific spot in mind or are they leaving that up to you?—what happens next?

Hailo
Each case is a little different. Sometimes someone just wants a great restaurant, or sometimes it's something more specific – date night, family in town, etc. I'll ask for any limitations (neighborhood, cuisine), then come up with some options and poll the Blackbird office for any additions (we have extremely well-dined people in house and they are often our best resource for recs!). Then, I'll give the user a few choices picked just for them, and then we make the reservation depending on which option they're vibing with.

JJ
Amazing. Now onto that process. How analogue is it? I'm assuming if it's a Blackbird spot you're DMing them directly in app? And, to piggyback off that, what's the ratio: Blackbird spot to non Blackbird spot in terms of user requests?

Hailo
I'll always suggest at least one Blackbird spot because we have great ones! And in terms of how the res is made, I feel like that's a magician’s secret that we do want to keep. Our users don't need to know how, they just need Blackbird and that's the beauty of it.

JJ
Fair enough. Do people ever DM you with rather tough to secure requests at hot spots?

Hailo
I think we get particular guests sometimes because Blackbird users are super well-dined. They have taste and they like great spots. Sometimes they want to go somewhere they've never been and they've been almost everywhere. But this is a fun challenge and it shows that our app is resonating with a great audience. One time we offered a table at 4 Charles and the user politely declined!

JJ
On average, how long does the whole process take, from initial request to securing the table?

Hailo
Depends on a few factors, since we're dealing with real people on all ends – the requestor, me, the restaurant. But when everyone is online and DMing quickly, it can happen in an hour or less!

JJ
Boom! That's magic. What's one request you've recently fielded that made you really happy? And was it suggesting and then securing the spot for the person?

Hailo
Someone recently got engaged and reached out about a dinner reservation to celebrate. It feels nice to be trusted to coordinate such a special moment for someone. And it was both! Providing a few, very specific options, and then securing the res as well.

JJ
Can you divulge? Not the lucky couple's names but the spot.

Hailo
🤫
Starts with Crown and ends with Shy...

JJ
Haha. How do people react? Or, maybe the better question is, how do they broach things? Do they think this is for real—us securing tables—or are they suspect at first?

Hailo
I think a lot of people think it's AI at first. They'll message like they're trying to prompt ChatGPT or something. But it’s not AI, it’s just me.

JJ
Love it. How do you convince them otherwise?

Hailo
I will sign off with my initials, or throw in a little personality.

JJ
I'm sure they're pleasantly surprised – a real life human! Quite the rarity these days...

Hailo
People are the best part of everything. Especially tech. And in my opinion, dining too.

JJ
How much of your day do you spend deep in the DMs?

Hailo
My entire working day is spent monitoring the DMs. For better or worse, I'm good at pivoting. I've been DMing since I was seven and I figured out how to make a Skype account.

JJ
Final question: you're a writer, a scholar, a social media savant (amongst other things), did you ever dream about making restaurant magic come true over the DMs?

Hailo
Haha, I just really enjoy people. And I love when you can tell something is really special to someone. The reservations we coordinate often mean a lot to people and that feels really good. And word to the wind, the DMs are open for more then just reservations. I also just enjoy chatting with people. Talk to me nice!