Foodies of the future are using AI to skip the lines at New York's hottest spots.
New Yorkers are avoiding months of waiting lists. Shortlistis a newly launched tool that provides same-day availability information by location, seating capacity, and even ambiance type.
Jen Han and Josh Jiang, both 23, from Manhattan, put their heads together last month to launch technology that scrapes Google Maps and Resy data to create customized dining suggestions for diners looking to get in quick.
Users can search for recommendations for restaurants to have a conversation (such as Café Luxembourg, according to the tool), a romantic date night (Pisticci) or even a breakup night (The Smiths).
“You don't want to go to a noisy restaurant for your anniversary dinner or to a quiet bar after a two-hour pre-game party,” Han, who grew up in Austin, Texas, and Shanghai, China, and lives in Midtown, told The Post.
With a shortlist… [you can] Find exactly what you're looking for and take a seat now.”
The third founder, Rachel Fong, 26, supports the team on the product side from her home in California.
The tool also offers a list of independently owned restaurants that are hard to book, including well-known establishments like 4 Charles and Don Angie, and its developers say they hope it will help “share the love” between businesses.
Since its release on Aug. 29, the AI tool has gained thousands of email subscribers and amassed more than 10,000 searches, according to its developers.
For now, the tool only collects booking data for Manhattan and Brooklyn, but the developers are already envisioning expanding it to other cities after users in San Francisco, Boston, Los Angeles, Chicago and Washington, D.C. requested their own versions.
Some brunch diners asked in Williamsburg on Sunday afternoon were less than impressed, pointing out that the tool's data comes from existing sources.
“I already have Google Maps. I already have Resy, OpenTable, I already have all of these,” Marcel Wallace, 28, told The Post. “I can already see if a place has an open reservation.”
“I like the idea, but can it be done? No,” the Williamsburg resident said.
Some in New York's restaurant industry say the new AI tool will be a welcome convenience, given that some walk-in eateries are known for unusually long wait times.
“I think I would use it, there are definitely times when I want to eat something more last-minute,” Aiden, 23, told The Post. “I would really appreciate it if there was something to grab me. [a seat] A place where you don't have to wait an hour or two.
“I would definitely use it,” said Veronica Bay, 29. “I don't like waiting in line. I'm actually a very impatient person. If they tell me there's a line, I won't wait in line.”
“My friends and I go out to dinner every Wednesday and we always use Resy,” added Melody, 18, a student at New York University.
“It's a real pain because everything is always full, so that's actually a pretty good idea.”
