Committee advances bill to bar resale of restaurant reservations without a restaurant greement

The Louisiana House Committee on Commerce advanced House Bill 90, which would prohibit third-party platforms from listing, selling or advertising restaurant reservations for Louisiana restaurants unless the platform has a direct written agreement with the restaurant.

Representative Abare, the bill—s author, told the committee the measure targets "a growing form of digital deception known as reservation piracy." He said bots and automated services can grab high-demand reservation slots and resell them to consumers through third-party sites, sometimes charging hundreds or thousands of dollars for tables the restaurant never authorized. "This bill will prohibit third party reservation platforms from listing, selling, or advertising reservations to Louisiana restaurants unless they have a direct written agreement with the restaurant," Abare said.

The bill would make unauthorized reservation resales a civil violation carrying penalties of up to $1,000 and would give the Louisiana attorney general authority to administer penalties. Representative Abare said revenue from fines would be dedicated to the attorney general—s consumer protection and education fund.

Stan Harris, president of the Louisiana Restaurant Association, urged support and said the association had raised similar concerns previously with third-party delivery platforms. "This is similar to something that we brought a couple of years ago dealing with deception on third party delivery," Harris said, adding that the proposed requirement for a written agreement would clarify which platforms may represent restaurants.

Committee members pressed authors and industry representatives on enforcement and scope. Representative Domingue compared the practice to ticket-bot schemes and asked how restaurants or the attorney general would identify bad actors when the transactions are conducted by automated tools. Representative Jordan and Representative Reiser urged stronger restitution language so consumers who paid large fees could recover money, and questioned whether the proposed $1,000 civil penalty would sufficiently deter actors that could profit more than the fine.

Representatives and industry supporters said restaurants often learn of the practice either from customer complaints or by spotting anomalies when seats appear full online but the dining room is empty. Supporters said those complaints, once reported, could give the attorney general a lead for enforcement. "By having this tool right now, we don't have a tool to combat this at all," Stan Harris said.

After questions and discussion, a member moved to report House Bill 90 favorably from committee; there was no recorded objection and the committee moved the bill favorable.

The bill remains subject to drafting and amendment on the floor; lawmakers on the committee flagged enforcement mechanics and the scope of penalties as items to clarify during further consideration.