Would-be Next patrons wait in online purgatory

Last Wednesday, the night Grant Achatz's Next opened on Fulton Market, a man who lives in the neighborhood came in as the last table was being served. He casually asked for dinner, said Nick Kokonas, Achatz's business partner, who found himself explaining the restaurant's policy to the man: With a few exceptions, you need to buy a ticket, purchased through the restaurant's website, to get a reservation. To be offered a ticket, you need to be on Next's email list. They began taking emails last spring.

By Christopher Borrelli Tribune reporter

April 12, 2011