Get French Laundry Reservations

The French Laundry is a restaurant in Yountville, California, which is in the heart of Napa Valley, a region famous for its vineyards, wine and fine food. Thomas Keller owns the restaurant, and it has been considered one of the best in the world by experts and the press for many years. Dinner is served 7 nights per week, and lunch is available Friday, Saturday and Sunday. There are 2 prix fixe menus, which are meals served with several courses for a set price. There are also special tasting menus available. Get French Laundry reservations up to 2 months before you would like to dine there, by calling the restaurant or reserving online.

Steps

  1. Plan ahead for your visit to the French Laundry. Reservations at this restaurant can be hard to come by, with many people wanting to eat there, and a seating capacity of 60. Dinner hours are from 5:30 p.m. to 9:15 p.m. and lunch hours are from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. Because 9 courses are featured, the entire meal will usually take between 3 and 4 hours.
  2. Call the French Laundry reservation office. You can request a reservation up to 2 months in advance. The reservation office is open every day from 10:00 a.m. until 5:30 p.m. Call 707-944-2380 and request a table.
    • Place your name on the waiting list if you are unable to get a reservation. The French Laundry maintains a waiting list in case of cancellations. You can only get on the list by phone.
  3. Make an online reservation using Open Table. The French Laundry uses a third-party website, Opentable.com, to collect reservations.
    • Reserve 2 months to the exact date that you want the reservation. For example, if you want to dine there on April 1, make your reservation on February 1. Guests who have been successful in getting reservations suggest reserving online exactly at midnight, Pacific Standard Time.
  4. Be flexible with your dining time. While you may want to make a reservation for 7:30, be willing to eat at 5:30 or at 9:15 if those are the only open spots. Otherwise, you risk waiting even longer for a reservation.
  5. Guarantee your reservation with a credit card. You will need to provide an American Express, MasterCard or Visa with your reservation. Meals begin at $270 per person, so be sure to cancel ahead of time to avoid the $100 per person cancellation fee.
  6. Blog about your reservation need. Conduct an Internet search for French Laundry reservations, and you will find people blogging about their difficulty in getting a reservation at the French Laundry. At one blog, gastronomyblog.com, readers post messages when they have reservations to offer, or reservations that are needed. Check out the messages, or post one of your own, and you may find yourself with a table without having to call the reservation office or trying to book on Open Table.

Tips

  • Online bloggers have recommended requesting a table for 4 at 7:15 p.m. when you book online, for best results. Even with that time, you will be offered a 5:30 p.m. or a 9:15 p.m. seating if your timing is right. Be sure you can fill your table of 4 if you try this, however.
  • Consider booking a private dining experience. Reservations for private parties of at least eight people can be made up to a year in advance.
  • One thing to note if you're trying online booking is that they don't release tables for three. So, either book a table for two or for four. You usually will have success getting a table for three only by calling them direct. They open at 10am, but the phone is usually busy from 9:30am on. You may be re-dialling for hours until you get through, but when you finally do get through, you will get a table for three at 9:15pm or whatever time is available.

Warnings

  • It is impossible to dine at the French Laundry without reservations. Do not show up at the restaurant and expect a table if you do not have a table reserved.

Sources and Citations

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