No, you don't need to actually have four people confirmed. That's the whole point. Book the four-top, then fill it.

In a city where a decent meal for two can run you $150 before you've even thought about dessert, this is less of a life hack and more of a survival strategy. A table for four means you can split appetizers more ways, order a wider range of dishes, and — crucially — divide that $80 bottle of wine into four glasses instead of two. The per-person cost drops, the variety goes up, and suddenly you're not agonizing over whether to get the burrata or the tartare. You get both.

But the real magic isn't just fiscal. It's social. Booking for four is an act of optimism in a city that desperately needs more of it. It forces you to text that friend you've been meaning to catch up with, or to finally meet your partner's coworker who "you'd totally get along with." It turns a Tuesday dinner from a routine transaction into an actual event.

San Francisco's restaurant scene is genuinely world-class, but let's be honest — it's also genuinely expensive. Rather than eating out less often (and watching more of your favorite spots close), eat out smarter. A bigger table means a bigger experience at a lower individual cost. That's not being cheap. That's being efficient.

And from a pure logistics standpoint, four-tops are often easier to snag than deuces at popular spots, since restaurants allocate more of their floor plan to larger parties. You might actually get into that place you've been trying to book for weeks.

So next time you open Resy, bump that number up. Your wallet — and your social life — will thank you.