How we score
Every booking score answers one question: how hard is it to get a table here? Here is what goes into it, and what it can’t tell you.
What the score measures
The booking score runs from 0 to 100. The higher it is, the harder a table is to get. It reflects how few openings we find, how far ahead the next one is, and how often prime dinner times are already taken.
- 90–100
- The hardest tables we track. The next opening is usually weeks away.
- 80–89
- Booked up for at least the next two weeks when we look.
- 50–79
- A few scattered openings, rarely at prime dinner time.
- Under 50
- Usually bookable within a few days.
How we get it
We watch reservation calendars on Resy, OpenTable and Tock, again and again. We note when a restaurant releases new tables, how far ahead it is already full, and whether an opening is still there when we look again. We score a table for two everywhere, so every restaurant is measured the same way.
What it isn’t
- Not a rating. The score says nothing about the food, the service or the room. A 95 means the table is hard to get, not that dinner will be better.
- Not a guarantee. A cancellation can open up the hardest table in town, and an easy one can fill on a busy night.
How often it updates
Scores move as we check. The hardest restaurants are checked several times a day, and most others at least once a week. When you see a “last checked” date, that is the most recent time we looked.
Why a restaurant might not appear
- It doesn’t take reservations on Resy, OpenTable or Tock.
- It isn’t hard enough to book yet. Our rankings are for the tough tables, so easier places won’t show up there.
- It only books larger groups, so a table for two doesn’t apply.
- The listing is a ticketed event or experience rather than a dinner reservation.
- It’s closed for the season, or we haven’t been able to check it yet.
How cities are grouped
We group nearby restaurants into metro areas, so a city includes its neighborhoods and close-by towns. An area appears once it has enough hard-to-book restaurants to rank.
Something look off?
Send us the restaurant’s name and booking link at concierge@tablesweep.com and we’ll take a look.