“Camp Rubirosa” in East Hampton, presented by Resy. (Photo by Brittany Sturrett.)

A few months ago, I dropped by Bridges to gaze at the glass bricks while enjoying some white asparagus with bottarga. It was a scene that night. There were several notable chefs and restaurateurs, a few food writers, the founder of a consulting agency that has worked with brands like Apollo Bagels, Le Veau d’Or’s publicist, some industry groupies, and, at the pass, James Lowe, the London chef they were all there for. The man behind the now-closed fine dining spot Lyles was in town for a few nights only, for the second round of “Bridges: A Dinner Series.”

As with many other pop-ups these days, the dinner was “presented by Resy,” words found on digital flyers, shared via social media and email, that otherwise look non-corporate, often idiosyncratic, maybe artsy. In February, there was Mister Jiu’s “10 Years in Chinatown,” a three-dinner series at the San Francisco restaurant. This summer, there’s “Theodora Beach Club” on Governors Island as well as “Camp Rubirosa” in East Hampton. Resy has also funded Rubirosa’s seasonal fling in Aspen, “Mt. Rubirosa.” It’s funded four years of Eleven Madison Park’s “The Alumni Series,” presented by Resy, as well as its sister spot Clemente Bar’s “The Visionary Series,” powered by Resy. The list goes on—Resy, Resy, everywhere. Once only ad-hoc and DIY, pop-ups have, through this corporate funding, become more formalized events. 

Resy’s first foray into events was in March, 2017, two years before the company was bought by American Express for a rumored $200 million. That was the “Backyard Chef Series,” with the Franks (Castronovo, Falcinelli) at Frankies Spuntino; other early events included “The Women of Food,” at Dominique Crenn’s Petit Crenn in San Francisco. Now, these events—including pop-ups, series, residencies, and “collaborations”—are a perk for cardholders, who can get early access to reservations for dinners they can use their American Express cards to pay for. (When providing funding, Resy asks for some kind of card-member perk, whether that’s early-access, an allotment of reservations, gifts, or a “special experience.”) The hottest tickets are, usually, snapped up in minutes, mirages for the rest of us. There’s a reason why, as Jamie Feldmar wrote in The Angel earlier this year, “I can’t open my inbox or Instagram without being bombarded with flyers” for pop-ups. As she notes, the push is coming from corporate sponsors like Resy. But how much money is Resy handing out?

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