Exclusivity is a trait many fine dining restaurants pride themselves on, but imagine a place where your only reservation is a simple postcard you sent off months in advance. No front desk to call or online system to book your table, just a postage stamp and some luck. That's exactly the experience The Lost Kitchen in Freedom, Maine, has to offer prospective diners.
The Lost Kitchen was established in 2014 and only has seating for around 50 people. Although the restaurant is small and located in the woods, making for a uniquely private dining experience, the food is so exceptionally fresh and delicious that reservation requests became overwhelming for the owner and chef, Erin French. For that reason, French switched to this unique postcard lottery system for reservations in 2018.
"It gave everyone the same opportunity and it just took a little bit of effort," French told that year. "We decided if you didn't have the patience to write your name on a note card and pop it in the mail, you were not going to have the patience for a 4-hour dinner, so it was basically helping anyone out who wouldn't enjoy it." How finding The Lost Kitchen works Don't be fooled by the quaint cabin-in-the-woods vibe of the place or the old-fashioned method of filling tables.
Restaurant owner Erin French told that The Lost Kitchen received more than 70,000 postcards in 2023, all from people hoping to get a seat. To get your chance at a table, you have to send in a standard postcard during the restaurant.