In an announcement straight out of a Stefon skit on Saturday Night Live, a handful of people will get a reservation at COQODAQ in New York City, “one of the country’s buzziest restaurants,” but instead of actually being inside the restaurant, they’ll dine in the back seat of the Cadillac Escalade IQ. The brand is calling it “The Cadillac of Reservations,” which I think is pretty funny, and I also don’t think it’s nearly as ridiculous of an idea as you might.
There will only be ten of these reservations in total, five on Friday January 31 and five on Saturday February 1, and all for parties of two. You’ll have to try to get the reservations on Resy, with Cadillac saying they’ll be “available on a first-come, first-serve basis,” so you’ll need quick fingers. Cadillac doesn’t say exactly how it’ll work, or what sort of time limit there will be on your dinners, but I’m guessing when you arrive at the restaurant there will be an Escalade IQ parked out front for you to get into.
Cadillac says it’ll be “a full-service luxury dining experience,” though from the photos the meals are presented in (admittedly very nice-looking) boxes, so it’s not like the wait staff is bringing you the restaurant’s fine china. Here’s what Cadillac says about COQODAQ:
Patrons will get to indulge in the most iconic dishes from these restaurants, such as the Better Fried Chicken and caviar at COQODAQ.
COQODAQ, from Simon Kim’s Gracious Hospitality Management and Executive Chef Seung Kyu Kim, blends Korean and American flavors to deliver high-quality, sustainably sourced and gluten-free fried chicken. Known for its “Golden Nugget,” it’s been quickly named one of the toughest reservations to get in NYC.
This might sound ridiculous, but I totally get it. There are a lot of cars with extraordinarily good back seats that are perfect for eating a meal in, and I know that from personal experience. Bentley Flying Spur, BMW i7, Rolls-Royce Phantom, Range Rover SV — I’ve eaten in them all. For Christmas in 2023 my favorite Chinese restaurant was only doing takeout orders; luckily I had a Mercedes-Maybach GLS with the executive rear cabin setup, so I parked it in the lot and ate my meal on the fold-out tray tables while getting a massage in my reclined seat and listening to music on the bangin’ stereo. It was so much better than eating hunched-over at my dinner table.
It can be so difficult to get dine-in reservations in NYC, whether it’s a fancy restaurant or your favorite hole-in-the-wall spot, but sometimes you don’t want to lug takeout back to your place or pay for delivery. And trying to find a place to park? Forget about it. If you’ve got a car with a super luxurious back seat, imagine if your favorite restaurants had some designated spots where you could sit in your car and eat!
The Escalade IQ has easily Cadillac’s nicest back seat in decades, Celestiq aside. Even in “base” $129,990 Luxury trim it’s an improvement over the gas ‘Lade, but upgrade to the $149,990 Luxury 2 trim and get the $9,465 Executive package and you get 14-way second-row seats with massage, a fixed center console that has tray tables and storage, and a rear-seat entertainment system. You also power doors, five-zone climate control and a 36-speaker AKG Studio Reference sound system. Plus, because the Escalade IQ is fully electric, you don’t need to feel bad about “idling” while parked.
Reservations for the Friday the 31st will open at 10 a.m. on January 27, while spots for the following night go live also at 10 a.m. on January 28. Cadillac says it’s looking to expand this program to other restaurants around the country later this year.
