An unfortunate trend has hit the Philadelphia restaurant scene as people trying to book hard-to-get reservations are seeing them being sold online for a profit. Those cashing in on those coveted tables are called reservation scalpers. One Philadelphia resident, Annabell Machado told NBC10 th at she has been trying for more than a year to get a reservation at Philly’s popular Cambodian restaurant, Mawn. “I would never pay a third party to get a reservation because even if the restaurant is amazing, they’re not benefiting,” Machado said. “It’s evil. Like, I live right down the street and I have not been able to just get dinner here.” Recently though, Mawn was one of the spots targeted by a restaurant scalper who allegedly made multiple reservations and then tried to sell them on social media. As Philadelphia’s food scene gains national attention with three restaurants earning Michelin Stars and multiple James Beard Awards, it was only a matter of time before reservation scalpers followed. Now, Philadelphia City Council is taking steps to protect the industry and the consumer by passing a law banning third party websites from selling reservations without the restaurant’s consent. ...read more read less