How restaurant reservation releases work
Five release models seen in New York and Tokyo calendars, with dated examples and what each means for when to be ready.
- Five models observed
- Examples dated, 90 days
- The short answer
- A restaurant opens tables on a schedule: daily at a fixed hour, monthly in a batch, weekly, in rounds, or at no fixed time.
- Which is most common
- In our New York calendars, daily at a fixed hour; in Tokyo, a mix, with many restaurants opening tables at no fixed time.
- What horizon means
- How many days ahead the booking calendar is open. A daily release keeps it steady; a batch makes it jump.
- Why alerts miss tables
- A table can be taken before you tap, or fall outside the date, time or party size you set.
The five models
Every restaurant that takes bookings online decides when its tables become visible. We watch the public calendars of more than 250 restaurants in New York and Tokyo around the clock, and their schedules fall into five groups.
- Rolling daily. One new date appears each day at a fixed hour, so the calendar slides forward.
- Monthly batch. A whole month, or two, opens at once on a set day.
- Weekly. A set weekday brings a new block of dates.
- Rounds. Seats are released in announced rounds, as on OMAKASE in Tokyo.
- No fixed time. Tables appear at no repeatable hour.
Examples from our calendars
All times are observed, in the restaurant's local time, over the 90 days to November 11, 2026. Each restaurant guide states the published rule where one exists. Tables also opened on days other than the release day. These are probably cancellations, but our data cannot tell them apart.
Observed release patterns, last 90 days to November 11, 2026. Times are local to the restaurant.
| Model | Restaurant | What we observed |
|---|---|---|
| Rolling daily | Carbone (Resy, New York) | New dates about 30 days ahead, around 9:40 AM. A table opened on all 90 days. |
| Monthly batch | Atomix (Tock, New York) | A month opens on the 1st, around 3:00 PM. A table opened on 17 of 90 days. |
| Monthly round | Sushi Ryujiro (OMAKASE, Tokyo) | Rounds on the 1st, around 1:55 PM; the listing named December 1 at 14:00 JST. A table opened on 89 of 90 days, including days other than the round day. |
| Weekly | Toshi (OMAKASE, Tokyo) | Thursdays, around 2:20 PM, seen on six occasions, with dates only about four days ahead. |
| No fixed time | The Corner Store (DoorDash, New York) | No repeatable hour. A table opened on 76 of 90 days, about half for the same day. |
| No fixed time | Sawada (OMAKASE, Tokyo) | No repeatable hour. A table opened on 56 of 90 days. |
What the horizon means
The horizon is how many days ahead the booking calendar is open. A rolling release keeps it steady: each day one date appears at the far end while the nearest date closes.
A batch release makes the horizon jump. Right after the drop it reaches furthest, then it shrinks each day until the next batch.
A short horizon matters too: a restaurant that opens dates only days ahead gives you little time to plan.
Published rules and observed times
Resy's own guide to New York's toughest reservations gives a rule for each restaurant, and they differ: Somssi drops 14 days out at 10 a.m., Monkey Bar 21 days out at 9 a.m., several restaurants at midnight, and Ambassadors Clubhouse releases a whole month about two weeks before the first. There is no single rule.
We label ours observed: it is when a date first appeared on the public calendar. Each restaurant guide states the published rule where one exists.
Why alerts miss tables
Resy describes Notify as a virtual wait list that alerts you if a table opens, and says an alert is not a guarantee of a reservation: you must claim the table yourself.
- Speed: at hard rooms a table is gone in minutes. A typical Carbone table in our window lasted about eight minutes and a typical Atomix table under a minute.
- Scope: an alert covers the date, time window and party size you set. A table outside them is not yours.
- Platform: a platform's own tool sees only its own restaurants, so Notify cannot watch a Tock or OpenTable restaurant.
- Hour: tables also opened on days other than the release day, so a check at the release hour sees only part of the picture.
None of this makes an alert useless. It means the useful one is fast, and covers every date, time and party size you would accept.
How it works
Set it once.
We refresh so you don’t have to.
-
Add a restaurant
Pick your restaurant and set your preferences.
-
We track it nonstop
We re-check every few seconds — cancellations, no-shows, and fresh drops.
-
You get the alert
Push, SMS, or email the instant a table opens. One tap to book.
30-day money-back guarantee · Cancel anytime
Live
Watch the trackers work — right now.
A live look at our actual checks. Every slot below is real.
30-day money-back guarantee
Reviews
The table they thought was impossible.
-
Lifesaver service for booking difficult reservations
“Been looking for something like this for years, so glad I finally found it. It actually works — I just set up my alerts and wait for them to ping me. Already more than paid for itself with the couple of reservations I’ve managed to get this month alone.”
Ally UK · Booked restaurants in Tokyo -
Table Alert is great!!
“I got a reservation at Somni — 3 Michelin stars, booked up until forever — within a week of setting my alert. And Jacob is super responsive and friendly. What a gift to diners!”
Jordan C.
US · Booked Somni, West Hollywood
-
Table Alert is a total game changer
“Table Alert is a total game changer. I love the interface and integration with so many different reservations platforms. It makes planning travel significantly easier.”
Jerry
US · Booked restaurants in Tokyo
-
Excellent app
“Works very well! I was able to snag very difficult reservations. Issues are fixed and addressed immediately!”
Ryan US · Booked n/naka, Los Angeles -
Excellent and highly useful app!
“Excellent and highly useful app! Have been on it only for a few days and have already secured a booking to a world-famous restaurant.”
Rick US · Booked Disfrutar, Barcelona -
Booked 2 restaurants in Korea on short notice
“Was able to book 2 restaurants in Korea on short notice during my trip. Also got myself a Disfrutar booking for September. Thanks to the creator of the app!”
Alexander G.
UK · Booked Kwonsooksoo, Seoul
30-day money-back guarantee · Cancel anytime
Pricing
Costs less than a single drink.
Alerts within 30 seconds. 30-day money-back guarantee.
Pro
No limits. Every restaurant, everywhere.
Billed as $189/year
Standard
More restaurants. More control.
Billed as $84/year
Essential
For the restaurants you can't stop thinking about.
Billed as $48/year
No alert within 30 days? Full refund, no questions asked.
FAQ
How restaurant reservation releases work: questions people ask
It depends on the restaurant. Many release one new date a day at a fixed hour, often around 9 or 10 AM local time or just after midnight; others open a month on a set day, or at no fixed time. Our restaurant guides give each, observed.
A rolling release adds one new date each day at a fixed hour, so the calendar slides forward. Carbone, on Resy, showed dates about 30 days ahead around 9:40 AM New York time in our 90-day window to November 11, 2026.
A whole month, or two, opens at once on a set day. Atomix, on Tock, opens on the 1st; we saw it around 3:00 PM New York time, and its typical table lasted about 45 seconds.
The number of days ahead the booking calendar is open. A rolling release keeps it steady, and a batch release makes it jump and then shrink until the next batch.
Tables also opened on days other than the release day. These are probably cancellations, but our data cannot tell them apart. Many hard restaurants had a table open on nearly every one of the last 90 days. An all-day alert covers more of them than a drop-hour routine.
No. Table Alert alerts you, with a link, when a table opens, and you book it yourself. We never book, hold or resell tables.
No alert within your first 30 days? Cancel and send us an email. We'll refund you in full — no questions asked.
Yes. Cancel from your account settings at any time. You'll keep access until your subscription expires.
62,198+ restaurants across Resy, Omakase, Tock, SevenRooms, OpenTable, TableCheck, and more — including the hardest tables in Tokyo, New York, Paris, and beyond. Search here to see if we cover yours.
Sources and how this page is made
Written by Jacob, founder of Table Alert. Facts checked against the sources below on November 12, 2026 and re-checked every night, last on . The monitoring numbers are Table Alert's own, refreshed every night. Out of date? Tell us.
- Resy: the toughest reservations in New York (drop rule for each restaurant)
- Resy: how to snag hard-to-get tables with Notify
- OMAKASE: Sushi Ryujiro's reservation listing (next round)
- Table Alert monitoring of public booking calendars (proprietary)
More booking guides
Stop refreshing. Start dining.
Pick your restaurant. We’ll watch it every second. The next open table has your name on it.
30-day money-back guarantee Cancel anytime