Alo is a restaurant known for being one of the hardest places in town to get a reservation. However, what people may not know is that getting rid of your table is just as hard.
Even before winning a Michelin star, it was highly regarded with accolades such as 90th place on the 2019 list of the 50 Best Restaurants in the World and second place on the list of Canada’s 100 Best Restaurants last year.
Alo’s reservation system runs on a third-party app called Tock, which is known for hosting more expensive spots and often charging higher deposits to secure reservations than your average restaurant.
The app officially describes its service as “discover and book unique culinary experiences”.
The app also lets you transfer a reservation, a handy service for gifting someone an experience or selling a reservation you no longer need — much like Ticketmaster.
So the tricky part of canceling a reservation isn’t the process of transferring it, it’s finding someone willing to buy it from you.
The Alo listing on the Tock website.
Currently, reservations at Alo are released two months in advance at 10am on the first Tuesday of every other month
People often adjust their calendars to the release dates of the most popular Friday and weekend slots – which are known to fill up quickly.
A non-refundable deposit of $50 to $150 is required for each reservation at Alo, depending on whether you choose a 6-course tasting menu in the bar room or the full multi-course menu in the dining room.
Currently, the earliest remaining seating for a table for two in the Dining Room is 9:30 PM on May 23, 2023
On Tock, when you go through the booking process you will be advised that the official cancellation policy is strict and all deposits are final.
This policy often results in guests not being able to recover their large deposits in the event of unexpected personal circumstances.
Several guests I spoke to gave their reasons for needing to change their reservations as sudden illnesses or emergency travel abroad.
People tell me that they are desperately trying to get the deposit back by first trying to ask their immediate circle of friends on social media, Kijiji, and when they get desperate, they have used third-party sites like Appointment Trader that charge high charge fees.
A few people in town have asked strangers on Reddit if anyone would be willing to take their place.
Two posts on Reddit from the past few weeks where people are trying to sell their reservations.
Ryan, who used Reddit to successfully sell his reservation, explained that he was reluctant to sell on Kijiji because of possible scams and eventually found someone on Reddit who saw their post.
Although the transfer process is smooth on the Tock app, Ryan commented, “All in all, it’s extreme, but I get it. They have a Michelin star and a reputation for being must-see places in town, so those things are justified. but now I’m just glad it’s all over.”
Another vendor, Leila, explained that she uses Kijiji after asking her friends. It took about two days to find an interested buyer.
“I understand why they have a strict policy as they’re always fully booked, but I wish they would make selling easier by maybe setting up a waiting list on their site for people to sell to,” suggested Leila.
When blogTO reached out to Alo for comment, general manager Shyanne Vautour admitted to being aware of the struggles.
“Our official policy regarding reservations is that we must cancel or reschedule 48 hours in advance. With 48 hours notice we offer our assistance to reschedule the reservation or provide a full refund of the deposit.”
Vautour also explained over the phone that the restaurant has an active waiting list for people interested in dining there.
“In the event of a cancellation at short notice, we will do our best to rebook the table via our waiting list or the DINR app. If we are unable to fill that table, unfortunately we cannot refund the deposit,” explained Vautour.