Michelin-Starred Senza Joins the Tickets Movement

A fifth Chicago restaurant is ditching traditional reservations and latching onto the ticketing system pioneered by Alinea and Next partner Nick Kokonas. Senza, the East Lakeview tasting menu restaurant that picked up a Michelin star last year under chef Noah Sandoval, is switching over tickets and cutting ties with OpenTable effective today.

Senza management declined to speak about the change yet, but the move was announced via an email to subscribers. A new website for ticket sales is now live and dinner tickets run from $100-150 based on date and time; wine and other beverages cost extra and can be paid for when dining.

Kokonas launched the system when Next opened in 2011 and eventually brought tickets to sister spots Alinea and The Aviary. Elizabeth adopted the system when it opened in 2012 but now also accepts traditional reservations. Since then, restaurants around the country, including in L.A., Austin, San Francisco and Philadelphia, and even casual restaurants, have adopted ticketing systems.

Kokonas announced earlier this year that his system would be commercially available to other restaurants—and possibly different types of businesses too—and many see tickets as the future of booking tables at restaurants.