La Contessa

During COVID-19, Restaurants Lose More When You No-Show Your Reservation | Eater Austin

"Jennifer Le, general manager of downtown Mexican restaurant La Condesa, told me cancellations have increased about 60 percent during the pandemic and that she’s seen a trend of diners making multiple reservations (at La Condesa and other nearby spots) and deciding where to eat at the last minute; while they can often fill those tables on weekend nights thanks to downtown foot traffic, weekday gaps are harder to fill. La Condesa is open for indoor and patio dining, its downstairs event space the Flour Room is closed due to lack of ventilation while the upstairs indoor-outdoor space Malverde remains open, and the restaurant has adopted measures to minimize cancellations: cutting off reservations at a certain point to save space for walk-ins, only holding reservations for 20 minutes before releasing the table (with two calls during that hold period), and keeping a waiting list; Le also noted that event guests have been very understanding of mask protocols." - Erin Russell