One Restaurant Group Thinks $3,000 Down And $300 A Month Is Fair For A Premium Membership

A nice dinner out is already a luxury most Americans are increasingly unable to afford, but one Chicago restaurant group is about to make its businesses even more exclusive with an upcoming premium membership program. These kinds of programs are not totally unheard of in the restaurant world, although they tend to lean more towards rewards programs where members pay a small monthly fee to earn gift cards and other benefits. But the membership program being rolled out by Hogsalt, the owner of some of Chicago's best restaurants, is a different beast entirely.

Founded in 2010 with Chicago's Gilt Bar, Hogsalt has gone on to own some of the most successful eateries in the city, including Bavette's Steakhouse and Au Cheval, known for one of the best burgers in Chicago. It already has a membership program similar to those mentioned above, where frequent diners who pay dues could earn points towards food and beverage rewards. However, Hogsalt's rewards page now lists two new premiere membership programs as "coming soon."

These programs will cost a whopping $3,000 down just to join and $300 or $600 extra a month depending on whether you're a Chicago-based reserve member or on a global member plan. What this gets you isn't food or drinks, but access. Premier members will receive exclusive concierge service, early access to reservations, and special dedicated member tables will be set aside at some Hogsalt restaurants. So, some pretty crowded Chicago restaurants are about to become even harder to get into for everyone else.

The new premier membership will apparently be usable at the same locations that Hogsalt's rewards program already covers, including 13 restaurants between both Chicago and New York City. In addition to Bavette's and Au Cheval, that includes the popular Green Street Smoked Meats, Gilt Bar, the elevated pub Armitage Ale House, and the Italian restaurant Ciccio Mio. For global memberships, it will also span to restaurants in Paris, Las Vegas, and Miami. The problem is these were already tough tables to land, and now Hogsalt is charging a massive premium to jump in line.

Some fans of the restaurants over on Reddit lamented the new membership. "Please pay us for the opportunity to pay us," one Redditor mocked. "In no universe is any restaurant good enough to justify paying $300 per month for the right to buy their food," added another Reddit user. "Utterly insane." More than anything, folks who still want to eat at these restaurants are worried they'll never be able to get back in, with yet another Redditor lamenting, "I'll just never eat at Bavette's again."

However, there is one fact that might make it more understandable, if not satisfying, to those who can't afford a membership. Hogsalt restaurants (and other high-end spots) have often been the target of scammers who use bots to snatch up restaurant reservations and then sell them for hundreds on Appointment Trader. Adding this barrier could help cut them out and at least make Hogsalt the beneficiary of its own reservations. But that won't make most diners feel much better.