El Bulli 2006 Reservations

[Corinna Dunne]

Corinna - it's just that sometimes I want the person who has no expectations. Just extreme curiosity.

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Louisa, we’re on the same page. This is exactly what I understood elBulli to be. A place where you don’t have to be a chef, leading food critic or celebrity to get a table, but a restaurant that feeds off the fulfilment of the truly passionate and intensely curious who seek it out. So, in terms of criteria, I expected this to be key and being none of the elite above, it is why I thought that I just might have a chance. But the numbers work against any impassioned appeal cutting through. And yes, when you think about it logically, it has to be a lottery.

Here’s a look at how it probably plays out, using a number of assumptions (all intended to err on the conservative side, except number 5, which is the unknown value being tested):

1. They get requests for 400,000 covers.

2. The average request is for four people dining, so there are 100,000 separate requests to process

3. The average workday is seven hours of productive work.

4. The average month has 20 working days

5. They spend an average of one minute reading each request, evaluating it, checking the schedule, deciding whether to grant that request, and replying to the requestor.

Under the above assumptions:

One person can process 420 requests per day.

This corresponds to 8,400 requests per month.

It will take this person 11.9 months to process the 100,000 separate requests received.

Of course, they could have more than one person processing the requests—two people could get through them in six months, three people in four months, four people in three months, six people in two months, or twelve people in a month.

Conclusions:

1. From what we know it is unlikely that they have more than one or two people processing the requests.

2. It would take two people six months to process the requests, if they spent one minute on each of them.

3. They process the requests in considerably less time than the six months that would be required for two people to do so.

4. Of the assumptions above, it is number 3, the processing time for each request, that is the “unknown value” we are testing, as all the other assumptions are either known or conservatively estimated.

5. Therefore, we conclude that assumption 3 is false, i.e. that they spend considerably LESS than one minute evaluating each request.

Other ways to look at the same numbers:

If they have only one person processing the requests, and he or she gets through them all in, say, one month, then the average time spent considering each is just over five seconds: 20 days x 7 hours/day x 60 minutes/hour x 60 seconds/minute = 504,000 working seconds in the month, or 5.04 seconds to read each request, evaluate its merit, check the schedule, and reply to the requestor. This is obviously not feasible, so we again conclude that most requests are not evaluated in any meaningful sense, but are instead subject to more of a random lottery.

So yes, I am now convinced that it is mostly down to luck, and in fairness, I am sure that they are doing their best. I just need another strategy: cancellation, cancellation, cancellation!

[Jojomek]

But I imagine that they are working much more than 20 days/month and more than 7 hours/day. The sooner they finish, the sooner they go on vacation.

Also, there must be many thousands of requests which they can reject in just a few seconds (a specific day which is already filled, a time which is already booked, or a day they're not open, etc.).

[tony h]

I believe they have a special piece of software which looks for my e-mail & automatically rejects it (plus those of the dozen or so friends who tried for reservations on my behalf)

Ferran - I'll happily sleep with you or your wife for reservation - come to think of it I'll sleep with you and your wife if that's what it takes

[molto e]

Corinna,

Luis Garcia, the man that holds the reservation book, told me that he has a team that goes through the reservations. One must standout in the sea of reservation requests, at least that is what worked for me. I think if you looked at as many requests for reservations as they do that a "vanilla" type request may get lost in the sea.

Molto E

[daemon]

Corinna

among the 100 000 or more requests, only a few of them ( but more than enough to fullfill the schedule) are received by - let say oct 20th-.they only have to check those ones.

all the others coming later, invariably receiving a 'no".

[Corinna Dunne]

Hmmm... so this means that I really didn't make the cut, didn't pass the exam or press the right buttons. That actually makes me feel better than the lottery alternative. My angst will be at such a level by October 2006 that maybe I will manage to convey it effectively... without the slightest sniff of that damn vanilla.

Edited November 9, 2005 by Corinna Dunne (log)

[Bux]

Corinna - it's just that sometimes I want the person who has no expectations. Just extreme curiosity.

Bux - sez you. And that's just it - merits based on what??

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Just like in college, the ability to make the best use of the resource. Of course there would be some subjective decisions to be made in regard to the prerequisites and who met those. Extreme curiosity would be one of the qualifying abilities sought from an applicant, just as knowledge of contemporary cooking would be. Just as the admissions board for a top school looks for diversification, so would the reservation committee. I might even propose auctioning off ten percent of the covers to the highest bidder using the income to provide need worthy scholarships for those who couldn't afford even a fair price. Then again it might actually be fair to compensate the staff for their labor before we give away free meals.

But yes, you are right, establishing the basis for admission would be a nightmare in the real world and not nearly as easy as proposing one on the net.

[dfunghi]

"I might even propose auctioning off ten percent of the covers to the highest bidder"

On that note has anyone seen on ebay or perhaps craigslist people offering to sell their res. at el Bulli? We were turned down last year and about a month later we were contacted by a fellow egulleter offering to share their res, they made it for 4 and 2 canceled. They offered us the other 2 seats. Perhaps this happens more than peopel know. Unfortunetly for me my wife nixed it since we had already made our plans and we would be all the way in the Picos on the day available and would have to backtrack to Roses and then back to Cantabria. My wife loves me but not that much. We only had 18 days or so in Spain. So the point I am trying to make is try posting on craigslist or other sites that you are looking for EB res and maybe some kind foodie will come to your rescue. If not try to call EB everyday for a couple of weeks to see about a lucky cancelation when you will be there or next OCT 15th request a res for 2 people for anyday they have for the season at anytime, explain how you have tried for years to get a chance to sample such amazing food and would be willing to plan your trip arond the EB res. One othe rthing that may or may not help but wont hurt is I know for a fact the Chef Adria is very fond of farmers and locol food purveyors. He spoke last year at he Slow Food event in Torino and gave a very impassioned speech about the importance of his suppliers. Perhaps you know someone or perhaps you are someone which provides restaurants with products or perhaps you are a fisherman or bayman or farmer or forrager. It cant hurt.

[Bux]

I think it's one thing for someone who has a reservation to choose his dining companions at the last minute, or to show up with whoever he wishes. It's quite another to sell a reservation. I would also be very leary of taking anyone's word that they actually have a reservation. "I have a table for two under the name of John Doe on May 27, 2006 and you can have it for $500," is not an offer I'd buy, lest it not be true or lest elBulli not honor it. My guess is that elBulli would not honor such a reservation if it learned what happened and I would not be surprised if it did learn that someone were to make such an offer in public. I doubt that such an offer on eBay wouldn't make the papers or show up as a the topic of discussion here.

[hapacooking]

I have seen people selling their reservations to the French Laundry on both eBay and Craigslist.

[dfunghi]

Bux, I fully agree with you about EB's reaction to such a practice should they hear of it or the unscrupilous nature of someone selling a res on ebay. I was just posing the question as to whether it was happening.

I felt quite honered to be offered the 2 available seats for EB last year and certainly recognized the extrodordinary nature and generosity of the offer. I hope you don't misunderstand me to be saying this is a practice I endorse or would promote.It is one thing for fellow food lovers to help each other it is another, purely dispicable practice to "scalp" dinner res. at EB. As to French Laundry in Napa it is a whole different scene. The two are not comparable IMHO.

[Bux]

And I hope I was not misunderstood. Offering a reservation to someone you know, even if that someone is only someone you know from the way he's posted about food on the internet, and offering it for free because you think that person deserves the reservation, is in no way related to attempting to sell a reservation to the highest bidder.

[dfunghi]

I'd say we are of like minds on this one.

I did talk to someone today at he Farmers Market in Hollywood who swore they could get into EB whenever they wanted to since they had a special "in" through a newsletter they read. When I stopped laughing I asked them if they meant D. Rosengarten( sp) and they said yes. I said they may have misunderstood David's advice on how to obtain a res at EB. Hollywood people are so funny sometimes. They get so used to never hearing "NO" here that they think the whole world is like that. I also had a chef ( not the owner chef but chef cuisine) from a restaurant here in Santa Monica ( the closest thing we have to a real French restaurant) that shall remain namelss ask me why I would want to eat at EB and to just eat at the place he works it was just as good or better. Oh how I miss New York and New Yorkers where their ego's are not swollen to the point of obnoxiousness. Of course NY is not the same city I left in late 80's.

Anyway just thought I would share that story.

[hapacooking]

Just got my reservation for March 2006!!!

After 3 years of being turned down, I am in!!

Good luck to everyone else.

[Jojomek]

Congrats!

March, eh? Are they opening earlier than usual next year, or is this the norm?

[Jamsie]

Just got my reservation for March 2006!!!

After 3 years of being turned down, I am in!!

Good luck to everyone else.

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Great news!!!

*prays to inbox*

[Greedy Fat Git]

Hello, first post here.

Am I being foolish? I'm delaying booking the family holiday, so may miss out on a villa, because I emailed Senor Garcia on the 13th October asking for any date at all for either 2 or 4 covers. And I'm scared that booking a holiday in early June might conflict with getting a table.

Does anyone know what months are most likely to be allocated to people who are happy to take any date? Would it annoy Garcia's team if I retrospectively ruled out a fortnight? And how late does one find out from EB if one is very open about timings?

It's only the second year I've tried, so I'm not that hopeful anyway.

[Greedy Fat Git]

I wonder if Luis Garcia is lurking on this board? Just got my reservation for May! Much jubilation chez Fat Git. It's for 9:00, so presumably we'll be eating until aabout 3:00 AM . . .

[Jamsie]

WOO YAY HOUPLA

Just got mine for May too

*Does headspin*

[Chef Metcalf]

Oh, congrats to all of you!

I'm still waiting, still hoping.

Frances

[mukki]

We've got one, too, for May! First time applying; we're very excited.

[Chef Metcalf]

Got it!

In May also.

Maybe he is reading egullet and has put us all in on the same day?

I'm thrilled!

And a week after my birthday so we'll call it my birthday present!

[pedro]

Congratulations to you all! I wasn't that lucky this time. For those going there for the first time, I'd be surprised if they don't have lots of fun at elBulli. It's a nice ride to have.

May I ask you when did you send the request to LG? I'm going to write a thesis on his reservation assignation algorithms and some data would be helpful.

[Bux]

Congratulations to you all! I wasn't that lucky this time.  . . . .

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I told you you should of used my name. If not mine, you should have tried using Ferran Adria's.

If nothing else, this goes a long way to proving that either they're going out of their way to give everyone a chance or that they don't play favorites and assign tables in order or randomly, but with equal opportunity. If there is a system, maybe Pedro will figure it out. Ultimately however, every uncovered system just leads to another new system.

[Corinna Dunne]

Pedro. I can't believe that you didn't get a reservation. At least us losers are keeping some exalted company. And congrats to all eGers who got a table. Have a wonderful time and don't forget to post and cyber feed the rest of us.