VDay minus five: Counting down tips for Valentine’s Day

Valentine’s Day is on Saturday, which means today and tomorrow are really the last two days you can plan a stress-free holiday. By stress-free I mean not having to order priority shipping or bribe a maitre’d for a restaurant table or pick through the leftovers at the florist.

I can’t help you with the shipping or the flowers. But getting a reservation at a tony restaurant under tough circumstances is right up my alley. Which brings me to today’s tip: six-tops are never booked on Valentine’s Day.

A six-top is a table that can seat six. Some restaurants actually employ two smaller tables to make a six-top, and rest assured those will be split up on Valentine’s Day. But for restaurants that actually have big tables, they’re never booked on Valentine’s Day.

Restaurants hate giving up these tables to couples because it’s four seats that they’re losing revenue on. So the way to get these coveted six-tops is to get two other couples together and go as a party on Valentine’s Day. The restaurant will love you for it and you’ll be surprised at the locations that are still taking six-top reservations.  

Also, if you plan to go the first route and bribe the maitre’d, know the ground rules.