India, June 26 -- In the West (and especially in America) a restaurant reservation can be the social equivalent of a gold brick. To be able to get a table at a top restaurant is a mark of status. People will wait weeks or months for a reservation. Some restaurants will operate a dual reservation system: Preferred customers (the rich or the famous) will be given a secret number to call when they need a booking. Ordinary punters will use the general number and will only be offered tables at awkward times on weekdays, when business is slower.

For instance, when the New York restaurant, Daniel, had three Michelin stars, no tables for after 6.30pm were available on the normal reservation line. (Daniel has since been knocked down to one star a...