Dorsia Chicago: How the $200 Members App Actually Works

Dorsia Chicago is a members-only reservation marketplace run by Elomi Corporation d/b/a Dorsia: partner rooms hold back a dedicated table allocation (or last-minute leftovers) off public Resy, OpenTable, and Tock, and members lock those slots by prepaying a restaurant-set minimum spend that applies 100% to the bill. Chicago went live July 15, 2026. Basic membership is about $200 per year. Booking happens in the iOS app Dorsia Members Club, and the restaurant roster lives at dorsia.com/restaurants/chicago. Here is what Basic buys, how Instant Book and Custom Request work, when Dorsia beats the public bookers, and which rooms are on the roster now, from high-demand Arla to newly listed Kumiko.

What is Dorsia Chicago?

Dorsia Chicago is the Chicago city directory inside a national members app. Legal entity: Elomi Corporation (Miami Beach), payments via Stripe. Members book prepaid Instant Booking slots in the app, or send a Custom Request when the exact date, time or party size is not listed. Apply path: dorsia.app.link/home into the App Store listing for Dorsia Members Club.

Crain’s Chicago Business put the Chicago launch at July 15, 2026 with a founding roster of 17 restaurants and a typical ~30-day advance window. Premium (~$5,000/year) and Premium Plus (~$25,000/year) add Fun Coupons and earlier inventory windows; Basic is the tier most diners will weigh against their Resy or Tock habit, so that is the focus here.

How does the Dorsia Chicago $200 Basic membership work?

Basic is about $200 per year on the official FAQ (noted there as increasing soon). You see posted Instant Book inventory and pay the posted minimum spends. You do not get Fun Coupons on Basic. Fun Coupons are in-app points (~$1 = 100), attached to Premium / Premium Plus, with no rollover and no resale.

Practical flow inside the app: pick city, date, party size; open a Chicago partner; if Instant Book times are up, prepaid min spend locks the slot immediately. If the slot you want is missing, Custom Request proposes a per-person minimum; the restaurant accepts or declines; the card is pre-authorized and released if denied. Same-day customs often answer within a couple of hours; future dates usually the next day. Typical Basic window is ~30 days out, with some last-minute returns from cancels. There is no published weekly “drop” clock the way Tock or SevenRooms morning releases often have.

Cancel and modify only in the app. Emailing Dorsia or calling the restaurant to change a live hold forfeits the min spend. Default Terms policy: cancel 8+ hours ahead → 100% back as Dorsia dining credit; inside 8 hours → 50% forfeit; no-show → 100% forfeit. Some venues publish stricter Need-to-Know windows in-app. The named member must be present; reservations are non-transferable under the Code of Conduct. Each venue’s minimum shows on its Instant Book tile and moves with demand.

Which restaurants are on Dorsia Chicago right now?

As of a Sep 3, 2026 fetch of the public directory, the live Chicago roster is 15 venues:

• Alinea
• Alla Vita
• ARLA
• Asador Bastian
• Boka
• Crying Tiger
• Galit
• Girl & The Goat
• Kitty’s Cosmopolitan Club
• Kumiko (newly added)
• Maple & Ash Chicago
• Momotaro
• Pizz’Amici
• The Aviary
• Tre Dita

The roster moves: Next Restaurant, The Office, and Zarella Pizzeria & Taverna have left since August 26. See the current list at dorsia.com/restaurants/chicago before you plan a week around a name.

Which Dorsia Chicago rooms are worth it?

Start with SevenRooms, Resy, OpenTable or Tock, and keep Dorsia as a second path to held-back tables.

High-demand names currently on the Sep 3 Dorsia Chicago directory:

Arla is the hardest ticket: plan around its public SevenRooms window first, and check Dorsia when Instant Book shows a held table. Kumiko, Julia Momosé’s bar at 630 W. Lake in the West Loop, is the roster’s headline new addition; SevenRooms is still the main way in, with Dorsia as a bonus when a table appears in the app. Lettuce Entertain You’s Crying Tiger and its lower-level lounge Kitty’s Cosmopolitan Club round out the hot list along with Galit, where public Resy still matters.

Alinea remains on both Dorsia and public Tock (Gallery / Salon / Kitchen Table tickets are a separate allocation). Seeing Alinea on the Dorsia roster does not mean Tock is empty or irrelevant. Same rule for every dual-platform room: two inventories, two rulesets, two cancel policies.

When should you use Dorsia Chicago instead of Resy, OpenTable, or Tock?

Use Dorsia Chicago when:

1. The public booker is empty for your date and the room is on the live Dorsia roster. 2. You are willing to prepay a restaurant-set min spend and accept wallet credit (not always cash) on cancel. 3. The named member can actually attend. 4. You will manage the reservation inside the app, not by calling the house.

Stay on Resy / OpenTable / Tock / SevenRooms when:

1. Public inventory exists at a face-value table without a prepaid min spend. 2. You need flexible cancel-to-card refunds the restaurant’s own policy already allows. 3. The room is not on the current Dorsia Chicago directory (or just churned off it). 4. You are hunting bar walk-ins, Afterhours, or other non-Dorsia products the marketplace does not sell.

Basic is a ~$200 annual option on a small supply of held-back tables. For high-demand chase rooms (Arla, Kumiko, Alinea) lead with the public booker and treat Dorsia as a backup when Instant Book is real.

How do Instant Book and Custom Request differ on Dorsia Chicago?

Instant Book = posted time + posted minimum spend + immediate prepaid charge to lock. What you see is what you can take now.

Custom Request = you propose date/time/party and a per-person minimum; the restaurant accepts or declines; card pre-auth only converts if confirmed. Useful when Instant Book is blank for your night; the spend you propose is a real commitment.

Neither path is a web browse on www.dorsia.com. If someone forwards you a book.dorsia.com link, that is an invitation token for a specific booking flow, not city-wide inventory search.

FAQ

What is Dorsia Chicago? A members-only reservation marketplace for Chicago partner restaurants. Partners allocate tables off public platforms; members prepay min spends in the app.

How much is Dorsia Chicago Basic? About $200 per year per the official FAQ (flagged as increasing soon). Premium ~$5,000 and Premium Plus ~$25,000 add Fun Coupons and earlier access windows.

How do I book Dorsia Chicago? In the Dorsia Members Club app after membership. Instant Book prepaid slots, or Custom Request if the slot is missing. www.dorsia.com is marketing; book.dorsia.com is invite-link only.

Which restaurants are on Dorsia Chicago in September 2026? As of Sep 3, 2026: Alinea, Alla Vita, ARLA, Asador Bastian, Boka, Crying Tiger, Galit, Girl & The Goat, Kitty’s Cosmopolitan Club, Kumiko, Maple & Ash Chicago, Momotaro, Pizz’Amici, The Aviary, Tre Dita. Next, The Office, and Zarella dropped since Aug 26.

Is Kumiko on Dorsia Chicago? Yes: newly listed on the Sep 3 directory (absent Aug 26). Public SevenRooms remains the primary access path unless Instant Book is open in-app.

Can I cancel a Dorsia Chicago reservation by calling the restaurant? No. Cancel/modify in the app only. Calling the restaurant or emailing Dorsia forfeits the min spend. Default: 8+ hours → dining credit; inside 8h → 50% forfeit; no-show → 100%.

Does Dorsia Chicago replace Tock for Alinea? No. Alinea Tock tickets and Dorsia Alinea holds are separate allocations. Use whichever inventory is actually open for your party.

Is Dorsia Chicago worth $200? Worth it if you will use held inventory at roster rooms where public bookers fail you enough times to amortize the year. For the hottest rooms, knowing when SevenRooms, Resy and Tock release tables still matters most.

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