What’s lottery booking and how does it work?
We are currently experiencing high demand for our bookings. In the past, a large number of people would simultaneously log onto our website as soon as the booking calendar became available. Within seconds, all the seats would be booked, leading to numerous email inquiries and frequent complaints about our website's inaccessibility and bookings being unavailable so quickly. We realized that the traditional reservation system was not sustainable and we had to do something. After much contemplation, we introduced a lottery system starting in January of this year. The idea is simple: we open our calendar for three weeks, allowing our guests to select their preferred party size and date. We then collect all the entries and choose the winners for the following month.
Why lottery?
While we do receive occasional requests to revert to our original booking method, we believe that the lottery system brings numerous advantages. Notably, we've observed a broader demographic of visitors coming to CHAE. Previously, the majority of our guests consisted of a younger demographic who were typically more tech-savvy and more adept at navigating online platforms. Since implementing the lottery system, we've welcomed a wider range of age groups and individuals seeking authentic dining experiences at CHAE. We consider this diversification beneficial as it allows us to introduce Korean cuisine to a broader audience. Also, there's no more rush to secure a booking and no more anxiously waiting for the calendar to open every month. To add an extra layer of fun and transparency to our booking process, we share our lottery live on Instagram every first Monday of the month at 7 PM. At the end of the day, our aim is to make the booking experience fair and, above all, enjoyable for all our guests.
Will you go back to the regular reservation on 'first-come, first served' basis?
We are closely monitoring the number of ballots we receive each month, which currently averages around 3000. If we notice a significant decline in this number and decide that the lottery system is no longer necessary, we will return to our regular first-come, first-served reservation process.
Finally,
Nine months into this alternative booking system, we are immensely grateful for the level of interest we've received in what we do and in Korean cuisine as a whole. We remain committed to pursuing our passion and delivering what we do best: creating a unique and exceptional dining experience.
For more information, please click RESERVATION and see details.
Any thoughts or comments? Please leave a comment below.
I have also had many unsuccessful attempts. Would you consider reserving one table a month for local residents? I think it would be nice to engage with your local community. It's such an asset to have you here in cockatoo, it would be nice to be able to enjoy the experience.
I appreciate your efforts in trying to accommodate everyone which will b impossible as you are doing so well, however, after many attempts, I still haven’t had the pleasure of enjoying your hospitality while from social media, I do see there are ppl bn to your place more than once. would you consider a customer can only put themselves in the ballot 3 months after they get a seat? Thus allowing others who hv never bn a higher chance of getting a table?
I love the way that you have thought this through and believe that you are now doing your reservations system very fairly however seems a lot of time/work for you. As I am typing this I am thinking that the great King SeJong would be so proud of you.
kind regards Loretta