Grant Achatz's Next Restaurant Tickets Selling For Up To $3000

Grant Achatz's Next Restaurant just opened and already tickets have popped up on Craigslist and eBay, selling from $500 to $3000. Co-owner Nick Kokonas told Eater Chicago that he was "surprised how quickly" tickets showed up.

We're not. For those lucky enough to score reservations, certainly some of them must have had the intention to re-sell their tickets all along, especially with the potentially high profit margins. The crop of Craigslist tickets range in perceived value, as some include wine pairings, while the $3000 ticket advertises the much-coveted chef's table. Original ticket prices are as low (relatively speaking) as $85 per person. (This whole secondary market for Next tickets makes us wonder: does food taste better when you know you'll never be able to have it again?)

The jury is out on whether this ticketing system will be a successful reservation concept, even for such a high-demand, rotating-concept restaurant (read more about the concept here, here, here and here). With tickets selling for such high prices, the process currently seems to favor those who are willing and able to spend top dollar to secure a seat. Kokonas tells the AV Club that they are not encouraging scalping and Next requires the confirmation of both parties of any ticket transfers. "I wish I could stop it but we cannot legally do so any more than the Cubs," he says.

Clearly hearing it from those who sense their chances of enjoying the 3-month Escoffier run at Next dwindling, Achatz echoed this same messaging over Twitter on Friday:

So, just think of Next as sort of a perpetual World Series! Games every night, new teams every three months.

Comments

[CalogeroMira]

03:02 PM on 04/15/2011

Grant Achatz and... Next Restaurant tickets? Really?

[shuffleoff]

12:32 AM on 04/13/2011

Urgh...what is not to understand here? It's like buying tickets to the Olympics if that's your thing...or the Super Bowl..or World Series tickets, whatever. Some people are passionate about food and are willing to spend money on what interests them. It is no different than any other big event, and in the food world, this is it.

[Paul Conrad]

12:01 PM on 04/11/2011

How great can a restaurant really be if real people never get to go to it?

[nypapajoe]

08:35 AM on 04/11/2011

Another yuppi fad that will pass like gas! This is what happens when you have no real purpose in life!

[shuffleoff]

12:43 AM on 04/13/2011

Yea, like buying expensive tickets to football games.

[gala1]

02:33 AM on 04/11/2011

Gives a whole new meaning to amuse bouche, doesn't it?

[gemini2]

02:16 AM on 04/11/2011

A hot dog sounds really good about now.

[AZLibDem]

12:07 AM on 04/11/2011

Anyone willing to pay $3000 for one meal deserves to have the 75% tax bracket come back.

[patg00]

02:21 PM on 04/11/2011

F&F'd. Apparently the economy is really great!

[hairydodger]

02:44 PM on 04/11/2011

F&F'd. I don't mind that they can afford a meal at any price. It's OK to be rich. I don't like that their tax bracket is lower than the guy that is picking up my trash today.

[Sue Bryant]

02:37 PM on 04/10/2011

If they don't want people re-selling their 'tickets' why don't they just get a reservation system like a normal restaurant and not have tickets at all?

They get more press this way of course....so we know why.

[cookerman45]

07:23 AM on 04/10/2011

what type of carbon footprint does this place leave?? disgusting.

[lakefront liberal]

11:56 PM on 04/09/2011

The concept was interesting, but by allowing and seemingly promoting this secondary market, Achatz is further alienating people who, from other reports I've read, he was trying to court. I thought Next was suppose to cater to a clientele that wasn't able to afford the mortage payment that a meal at Alinea costs. Wasn't Next also suppose to have a bar that didn't require a months ahead reservation? I guess this is the case of unintended consequences. He's definitely made Next the IT place ... if you have lots and lots of money!

[EveryCliche]

12:06 AM on 04/10/2011

I've actually been following this on their FB page and they said they have only had 10 ticket transfers and 2 or 3 of them were between family members. The thing is people need to have a little patience, there are plenty of tickets on the site. If they miss the first menu (which I probably will) then they can get tickets for the next menu. There won't be a market for this if people don't purchase them. Also, they aren't supporting this. They don't have a problem with people transferring or selling tickets at face-value, what they have a problem with is scalping and they are not supporting that but there's not a lot they can do. Also, Next doesn't have a bar in it, The Aviary will be next door and is opening later this month.

[sharooni]

08:04 PM on 04/09/2011

This is truly disgusting .... and no, that is not a reference to the chef's table and an endless parade of tiny, too-clever-for-their-own-good little amuse-bouche num-nums. I hear Nero tuning up his fiddle ...

[Totto]

10:15 PM on 04/09/2011

Cheaper for a flight to Paris and Taillevent.

[oldgraymare]

11:05 AM on 04/09/2011

Ohhhhh-Kayyyy....how about this for a treat? Instead of buying a ticket to that restaurant, take that $500 or $3,000 (or whatever)...and give HALF of that to your local food bank or soup kitchen. Spend an hour at said location - and then take the rest of the money and go buy yourself a really good dinner at a restaurant that doesn't have such an inflated sense of importance. You'll end up satiated not only in body, but in spirit.

[ben616]

12:43 PM on 04/09/2011

Why do poor people always think people with money should give it away rather than purchasing something they want? Can someone who already gives a lot of money to charity choose to spend other money they have on what they want?

[markscoular]

01:57 PM on 04/09/2011

has nothing to do with someone being poor...just having empathy, a characterisitic our country is built on.

doing whatever you want is only a creed people like the Koch brother prescribe to and of course the investment bankers.

[allardkent]

09:53 PM on 04/09/2011

Thank you for being a voice for those with so few forums to defend themselves, the faceless rich.

[The JillyBean]

02:55 PM on 04/09/2011

Because life is about the experiences, and those who can afford to do this type of thing are probably already donating to a variety of causes for tax write offs. More than likely they're already donating to the food bank, or have gone to their local "Dine Out" nights which are fund raisers for food banks. Not to mention that many restaurants donate food to foodbanks. So flogging some idiot who wants to dine out at some fancy restaurant opening is kind of idiotic.

And consider this - giving money to a food bank only feeds a few for a day. Going to a restaurant supports the incomes of the bus boys, waiters, cooking staff, as well as the vendors. Which means money going into the tax system that supports our infrastructure.

So take your pick feed a man a fish a day or the option that teaches a man how to fish for himself.

[Marcia75]

10:01 AM on 04/09/2011

Hahaha. That dinner better provide some premium Colombian yayo and some gorgeous girls along with it, then a massage by the swedish bikini team. Give me a break.

[cyoohoos]

07:27 AM on 04/09/2011

No mention of the food. No mention of what you get for $3000 or even $85 for that matter. What is that a cover charge like a night club or do you actually get to eat for $3000?

Oh yeah, what kind of food do they serve? What's so great about this restaurant?

All things that could (should) have been addressed by this article.

I'm selling tickets in eBay to my Next Apartment. They are going for 10,000 apiece. Wow aren't you interested?

[Colin Sterling]

12:21 PM on 04/09/2011

We've posted a great deal previously on the food and the concept, the links to which are listed under the "Related News" above. We've now added those links directly into the story for beter clarity.

[MagicalPossibilities]

02:43 AM on 04/09/2011

Sorry, I just can't imagine any restaurant would be that good...
I hate scalpers.