Anthony Bourdain Did, In Fact, Make Reservations When Dining Out

Considering he hosted a show titled "No Reservations" for nine seasons, it seems to be a solid question to wonder if late chef Anthony Bourdain took the phrase literally and didn't make reservations for the restaurants where he ate. After all, he was certainly famous enough to walk into any restaurant of his choosing and be given a table. But, that was not how Bourdain worked.

In a Reddit Ask Me Anything, Bourdain confirmed that he did, in fact, make restaurant reservations when dining out — and that he enjoyed doing so. When asked if he feels ridiculous if an occasion arises where he must make a reservation to dine somewhere, Bourdain responded that he has no shame in making reservations. Further, he prefers to stay organized and know ahead of time where he'll be eating. He continued, "I'm not one of those people who calls a restaurant at the last minute and says, 'Do you know who I am?' I plan ahead. I do make reservations. And I always show up for them." And just like he always made sure to show up for the reservations he made, the chef also had no patience for anyone who tried to take advantage of restaurants in any way.

In his Reddit AMA answer, Bourdain made it clear that, when it comes to making reservations at restaurants, he believes in treating the restaurants with respect. Bourdain wrote, "You know, making multiple reservations in multiple restaurants on the same night at the same time and blowing off the other ones? That's right up there with being rude to your server, as far as restaurant crimes." He then added that he knows of some restaurants that keep a file on customers who pull such a stunt — a practice that he stood behind.

During his career, Bourdain was always open about the fact that he found it deeply important to have good etiquette when dining as a guest — especially if you wanted to go into the field of travel food writing where you're constantly in contact with service workers, including ones of different cultures. In an interview with Diane Jacob, Bourdain said, "It's really important to be a good guest. Be willing to put yourself in a situation and let things happen. Absolute fearlessness is essential. Don't be squeamish or hesitant. I have eaten a lot of food that was very difficult, but I'm often the honored guest."

But when it comes down to it, his advice for being a travel food writer can also be applied to anyone just sitting down to eat at a restaurant. Bourdain said he always ate like he "did at [his] grandmother's house."