Jose Garces' Volvér ends its ticketing policy

After six months, Volvér - the big-ticket Jose Garces experience at the Kimmel Center - has eliminated its ticketing policy as it offers lower-priced options.

In sum: You don't have to pay - in advance - north of $325 a head for a full dinner and drink pairing anymore, and you may book your dinner reservation on OpenTable.

"Our goal is to make every element of the Volvér experience a positive one, and we feel a traditional reservations system helps us better achieve that goal," Garces said.

Through his representative, the Iron Chef - whose 16-restaurant collection includes Amada and Distrito - said guests had told management that "it was a cumbersome and confusing process."

Translation: The 34-seat restaurant is not doing strong numbers. Passersby have observed empty or nearly empty dining rooms some evenings.

Though restaurateurs may relish the prospect of selling nonrefundable tickets - a process that makes no-shows a nonissue and all but ensures a steady revenue stream - few restaurants have adopted the practice.

Volvér has reduced its pricing, now offering a six-course tasting menu for $75, or a 12-course tasting menu for $150, plus 8 percent tax, a 20 percent tip, and beverage. The beverage pairing is priced at $95 to start, plus tax and tip. (Vetri's tasting menu, which regains its title as the most expensive in town, is $155.)

Under the previous policy, Volvér's 12 courses were $175, with the possibility of higher prices on special menus.

Starting Friday, both the restaurant and Bar Volvér will be open from 5 to 10 p.m. Wednesday to Saturday, and 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday. Reservations - with a valid credit card - are preferred for the dining room and there's a 5 p.m. cutoff for same-day reservations, though the restaurant will accept walk-ins if space is available.

There is no cancellation fee if a reservation is canceled or transferred 48 hours or more in advance. Guests canceling less than 48 hours in advance will be subject to a $50 per person cancellation fee.

"No-shows," or guests who do not cancel ahead of time, will be charged a $75-per-person fee, and proceeds will be donated to the Garces Foundation, the restaurant said on its website.

In the new system, odd-numbered parties can be seated. Volvér's previous system had called for even numbers.

Bar Volvér does not require reservations. The bar has instituted a program of guest bartenders on Wednesday evenings with specialty cocktails.