Photo: Bangor Daily News
On Friday, it was announcedon Instagramthat French’s intimate Maine restaurant, the Lost Kitchen, is accepting reservation submissions through postcards. Guests must make a donation through the restaurant’s website to receive information on where to mail reservation requests for the exclusive restaurant.
After making a donation, potential guests will receive the correct mailing address and a special code to include on their postcard. But just mailing a postcard does not guarantee a spot at the restaurant. French uses a luck-of-the-draw system to decide who gets a spot.
In addition to a regular reservation, your postcard is also entered for a chance to win dinner for two and a two-night stay in one ofthe Lost Kitchen’s cabinsthis season.
If you’re chosen for any reservation, someone at the Lost Kitchen will call you to arrange a date and time that works for your group (so lookout for a call from Freedom, Maine!). But don’t lose hope if you don’t get a call right away because French selects new postcards later if a party cancels.
In 2017, the tiny spot, which only fills 48 seats available per night, four nights a week, became so overwhelmed with reservations that French decided to ask people to send a postcard to be entered into a table lottery. She now receives more than 20,000 cards a year, making it one of the hardest-to-book restaurants in the country.
“I feel we’re getting to know these people as we see their cards," says French. “They put themselves into each one.”.
French opened up about her struggles in her 2021 memoir,Finding Freedom,and onThe Lost Kitchen,a series on Chip andJoanna Gaines’s Magnolia Network (streaming on discovery+). She hopes her story helps others find their way through similarly difficult situations. “We all have imperfect moments,” shetold PEOPLE in 2021. “It’s nice to be reminded in those moments that you’re not alone.”
source: people.com
