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Committee backs bill requiring reservation platforms to have written agreements with restaurants
Summary
House Bill 90, aimed at stopping third-party services that harvest and resell restaurant reservations without the owner’s consent, was reported favorably after testimony from restaurant groups and industry representatives.
The Senate Committee on Commerce reported House Bill 90 favorably Wednesday, approving a measure that would prohibit third-party reservation platforms from listing, selling or advertising reservations for Louisiana restaurants unless they have a direct written agreement with the restaurant.
Representative Hebert, who presented the bill, said platforms using AI-driven bots can "grab reservations" and then resell them to customers at marked-up prices without the restaurant’s knowledge or compensation. "A business owner should have the right to determine whether you can represent their brand or not," Hebert said.
Stan Harris of the Louisiana Restaurant Association described the effect on high-demand restaurants: bots create many mobile confirmations, then transfer the bookings and resell seats for fees. The bill creates a civil penalty of up to $1,000 per day enforceable through the attorney general’s office and allows the attorney general to seek reimbursement of the reservation fee for consumers, the sponsor said.
Committee members asked about enforceability against foreign-based operators; Harris said platforms operating from outside U.S. jurisdiction present enforcement challenges but noted two states — New York and Illinois — have enacted similar measures. He also said some third-party firms had already begun seeking written agreements with restaurants after the bill’s publication.
Several senators expressed support. With no amendments filed and no recorded objections, the committee moved the bill favorably to the Senate floor.
If enacted, the law would allow restaurants to block third-party resellers that market reservations without authorization and provide a remedy through state enforcement channels.
