The Darby Is On Gilt City. What Does That Mean For Business?

Usually when venues end up on discount sites it could mean they are suffering financially. While that doesn’t seem like the case for The Darby, one still has to wonder why they are on Gilt City.

The deal that popped into our inbox was as follows: a reservation for 4 people at 9pm on a Thursday, Friday or Saturday night this month. It included four cocktails for the group and two appetizers to share. This package was sold at a 41% discount for $65. [Deal Details]

When we went to check out the deal, surprise, surprise it was sold out and there is a waitlist that is probably 100 people long. So what does this tell you?

1. That summer is hard for anyone with high-end clientele because no one is in the city on the weekends and 2. that they are generating buzz among the masses. The average person still cannot get a reservation at The Darby, so by letting in a few people they will start a word-of-mouth campaign that only raise their profile when more people try to make a reservation only to be rejected.

While this seems like a good plan to us, some people turn their nose up at any establishment that goes on a discount site, even if it is a higher end one l. What are your thoughts?