Turning reservation anxiety into competitive advantage.
Challenge
Starting from zero members, Access needed to revolutionize high-demand reservations in the world’s most competitive dining scene and win over the most jaded audience on earth—tasteful New Yorkers who’ve seen it all—in under five months.
Strategic Assessment
Hero Pain Point
Reservation uncertainty anxiety
Where Resy and OpenTable offer the chance to book, and Dorsia sells exclusivity, Access solved the fundamental problem: the anxiety and uncertainty of securing tables at sought-after restaurants. The biggest barrier to confident dining plans? Knowing your table would actually be there.
Competitive Weakness
Selling chance, not certainty
Competitors rely on waitlist roulette and glitchy app experiences that leave diners uncertain, while Access delivers guaranteed bookings through always-held tables.
POSITIONING STRATEGY
Own Certainty
Hospitality should start at booking. In an industry where uncertainty reigns, Access offers something priceless: confidence that your table will just be there.
VISUAL POSITIONING STRATEGY
Own the Secret Society Aesthetic
The custom geometric mark inspired by secret societies replaced a generic fork-and-knife icon, creating a brand that signals rather than shouts. Stark, elevated design with chiseled Kessler type positioned certainty as the new luxury.
OUTCOME + IMPACT
170%
over target for membership applications in first 3 weeks
$500k
in follow-on investment including Goldman Sachs capital
