Documentation

How Quenelle Works

Everything you need to get the most out of your personal dining assistant.

Overview

What is Quenelle?

Quenelle is a personal dining assistant that helps you discover and secure restaurant reservations without constantly checking booking apps. Just text whenever you want a restaurant. Quenelle finds what’s available, tells you what’s worth going to, and if something’s booked, watches it until a table opens up.

The short version: Quenelle turns reservation hunting into a proactive, text-based concierge experience.

Getting Started

Sign up in seconds

Getting started with Quenelle is simple: no app to download, no forms to fill out. Here’s how it works:

Text Quenelle

Send a text to Quenelle’s number (something like “Hey Quenelle”), and Quenelle will reply with a link to sign up using your Gmail account.

Tell us your preferences

After signing up, Quenelle will walk you through a short onboarding chat right in messages to learn what you like: cuisines, neighborhoods, dining habits, and more.

You’re in

Once onboarding is complete, you’ll get a link confirming your account is active. Start texting Quenelle whenever you want a reservation.

Free trial: New members get 7 days free to try Quenelle with no commitment required.

Quenelle works entirely over iMessage and SMS. There’s no app to download and no dashboard to manage. Your dining assistant lives in your messages.

Core Feature

Texting Quenelle

Send a message the same way you’d text a friend. Quenelle understands natural language, with no commands or syntax to learn.

Example requests

"Find me an exceptional reservation in the West Village tonight for 2"

"Book us somewhere with a great tasting menu for our anniversary next Friday"

"I want to try Carbone this week. Any availability?"

"Something casual in Soho, outdoor seating, Saturday lunch for 4"

What happens next

Quenelle checks major reservation platforms in parallel and surfaces what’s worth going to: not just what’s technically available, but what matches your ask. You’ll get a text back with options and direct booking links.

You confirm and book directly on the platform. You stay in control of your reservation at all times.

Core Feature

Availability Search

Every text you send to Quenelle triggers a live availability search: not a cache, not a curated shortlist, but a real-time sweep across all major reservation platforms at once. Most diners search platform by platform. Quenelle does it all in a single message.

The real problem isn’t availability. It’s the search. The best tables exist. Finding them means checking every top restaurant, every night, across multiple apps. Quenelle eliminates that entirely.

One request, cross-platform coverage

Resy, OpenTable, SevenRooms, Tock: Quenelle queries them all simultaneously and surfaces what’s actually available for your party size and date. You won’t miss a table just because it happens to be on a different platform.

What the search considers

Restaurant: Search by name, neighborhood, cuisine, or vibe; Quenelle interprets natural language and maps your request to real venues.

Date and time: Specify a date, a range, or let Quenelle suggest the best nights for a given restaurant.

Party size: Availability varies by party size. Quenelle checks for your exact count, not just any open slot.

Platform: Results pull from all supported platforms in parallel so you see the full picture, not just one app’s inventory.

If nothing comes back, Quenelle can automatically set a watch and alert you the moment something opens up. No need to keep checking.

Core Feature

24/7 Availability Monitoring

For hard-to-book spots, Quenelle doesn’t just check once; it watches continuously and alerts you the moment a table opens. This is Quenelle’s core advantage.

Quenelle detects cancellations faster than Resy Notify and Priority Notify. When competition for a table is high, speed is everything.

How it works

Tell Quenelle what you want

Name a specific restaurant, a neighborhood, or a style of dining. Include your party size and preferred dates.

Quenelle sets a watch

Our system monitors the restaurant around the clock across all supported platforms.

Instant text when a table opens

The moment availability appears, you’ll get a text with a direct link to book.

You book directly

Tap the link, confirm your reservation on the platform. Done.

SevenRooms waitlist access

For restaurants that run on SevenRooms (including venues like The Corner Store and The Eighty Six), Quenelle can get you directly onto the waitlist without having to hunt for the link or navigate the venue’s site separately.

New Feature

Auto-Book on Resy

Auto-Book lets Quenelle automatically secure a reservation on Resy the moment a table matching your request becomes available, with no link to tap and no window to miss. Auto-Book requires an active Quenelle membership.

How to set up Auto-Book

Ask Quenelle to set up Auto-Book

Text something like “Hey Quenelle, set up Auto-Book for me.” Resy will immediately send an authentication code directly to your phone.

Send the code to Quenelle

Forward that authentication code to Quenelle in the same message thread.

Confirm your Resy email

Quenelle will ask for the email address associated with your Resy account. Send it and you’re connected.

Making an Auto-Book request

Once set up, just text your request and include Auto-Book. For example: “Monitor and set up Auto-Book for Semma this Saturday for 2 between 5:00 and 10:00 PM.” Quenelle will watch for availability and book automatically the moment a match opens.

Rules & limits

One request at a time: Auto-Book supports one active request at a time. Once your reservation is confirmed, you can queue another.

Cancellation policy window: If a matching table opens within a restaurant’s cancellation policy window (typically 24–48 hours before the reservation time), Quenelle will send you a confirmation prompt before booking.

You are responsible for cancellation fees: Once you confirm a booking that falls within the cancellation window, you accept full responsibility for any cancellation fees charged by the restaurant through your Resy account. Quenelle does not cover or reimburse these fees.

Prepaid reservations: Some restaurants require a prepaid deposit or charge per-person at the time of booking. By enabling Auto-Book for a restaurant with this policy, you authorize the charge and accept full responsibility for the cost. Quenelle does not cover or reimburse reservation deposits.

Important: Auto-Book connects to your Resy account on your behalf. By enabling this feature, you acknowledge that automated activity may conflict with Resy’s Terms of Service, and you assume full responsibility for any consequences to your Resy account. See our Terms and Conditions for full details.

Core Feature

Waitlist Requests

For restaurants that run on SevenRooms or Tock, Quenelle can add you directly to the waitlist with one message. Most people never bother, which is exactly why it works.

Waitlists convert more often than their reputation suggests, particularly the day before or the morning of. When a table opens, the restaurant contacts you directly by email. No app to check, no platform to monitor. You’re just already in line.

Example requests

“Add me to the waitlist at The Corner Store, Thursday through Sunday next week, party of 2.”

“Put me on the La Boca SevenRooms waitlist for this Saturday, 2 people.”

“Get me on the ODO waitlist for any evening next month.”

How it works

SevenRooms & Tock: Waitlist support currently covers restaurants on SevenRooms and Tock. Not sure which platform a restaurant uses? Just ask and Quenelle will check.

Direct restaurant contact: Once you’re on the list, the restaurant reaches out to you directly via email if a table becomes available. Confirm quickly, as these windows close fast.

Stack your odds: Multiple waitlists can run alongside your active availability watches. The more lists you’re on, the better your chances of landing something excellent.

Integrations

Supported Platforms

A single text to Quenelle checks across all major reservation systems at once.

Resy

Auto-Book

Full availability search, monitoring, and Auto-Book support.

OpenTable

Availability Search

Real-time availability lookup and direct booking links.

SevenRooms

Waitlist

Availability search plus direct waitlist access for participating venues.

Tock

Waitlist

Real-time availability lookup and direct booking links.

Personalization

Preferences & Learning

Quenelle gets smarter the more you use it. After a few interactions, it starts building a picture of your dining preferences (cuisine, neighborhood, ambiance, price point) and uses that context to surface better recommendations without you having to spell everything out.

Think of it like Spotify for restaurants. The signal builds quietly in the background, and the experience gradually becomes more tailored to you.

What Quenelle learns

Favorite restaurants: Spots you ask about repeatedly move to the top of monitoring and suggestion lists.

Cuisine and vibe preferences: Patterns in your requests (Italian, tasting menu, outdoor, etc.) inform future recommendations.

Party size and timing: Your typical booking window and group size are factored into availability searches.

Neighborhood preferences: Frequently requested neighborhoods are weighted when you give an open-ended ask.

Pricing

Simple, flat pricing

Quenelle is a subscription service at $25/month. No tiers, no per-booking fees, no surprises. Every feature, including monitoring, cross-platform search, and Auto-Book, is included.

7-day free trial: New members get a full week free before being charged. Cancel any time. No long-term commitment required.

FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Does Quenelle guarantee I'll get a reservation?

No. Quenelle monitors and searches for availability, but we can’t create tables that don’t exist. What we do guarantee is that you’ll be among the first to know when one opens up.

Do I need to download an app?

No. Quenelle works entirely over iMessage and SMS. Your assistant lives in your existing messages, with nothing to install.

Which cities does Quenelle cover?

Quenelle currently focuses on New York City, with the top restaurants and neighborhoods well covered. Expansion to additional cities is on the roadmap.

Can I use Auto-Book if I don't have a Resy account?

Auto-Book requires an existing Resy account. You’ll need to sign up for Resy directly and then connect it to Quenelle using your Resy email address.

What happens if Auto-Book fires during the cancellation window?

Quenelle will text you and ask you to confirm before completing the booking. Confirming means you accept responsibility for any cancellation fees that may apply through your Resy account.

How much faster is Quenelle than Resy Notify?

Meaningfully faster in most cases. Our monitoring system checks availability at a higher frequency than native platform alerts, which matters most for high-demand restaurants where a cancellation window can close in minutes.

Can I have multiple watch requests active at once?

Yes, you can have multiple availability watches running simultaneously. Auto-Book is limited to one active request at a time.

How do I cancel my subscription?

Text Quenelle “cancel my subscription” or reach out through the website. You’ll retain access through the end of your billing period.