A Toronto restaurant that sold out of their New Year's Eve meals after an overwhelming response is keeping it classy and offering the hundreds-long waitlist first choice for their upcoming Valentine's meal.

FK Restaurant owner Shawn Cooper is sending out an email to let her customers know that she saved the waitlist of over 250 people from New Year's when the menu sold out after she had barely even posted it.

"It was not a great feeling having to decline people who really wanted to order from us and so I saved the wait list and am giving them a sneak peek and first option. We are a scratch kitchen and always want to deliver an elevated experience even for curbside," Cooper told blogTO.

"Because of the attention to detail in the cuisine, we only can accommodate so many. We thought this was the fair thing to do. We have so many regulars over the years that it can be tough for newcomers to get in to these specialty nights as they book so far in advance with the regulars. This levels the playing field a bit I hope."

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They're keeping the menu relatively similar for Valentine's so people who missed out will have a chance to experience it.

"The level of interest was off the charts, more so this year than any other. We've always been super busy for specialty nights, but this was craziness. Very grateful," says Cooper.

"I am running curbside by email, so was able to obtain email addresses for a New Year's wait list. After 11 years we have such a regular built-in clientele, and they book in advance, so it's challenging for a first timer to be able to try us. It's not a great feeling saying no to people. This way the people declined for New Year's get first shot at Valentine's."

The Valentine's menu includes homemade bread with dips and antipasto; a choice of chestnut ravioli, seafood salad or tuna tartare for an app; choice of Lobster Thermidor, black cod or Beef Wellington for a main; and a choice of raspberry white chocolate mousse or dark chocolate ganache for dessert. It's $85 per person, $105 with a bottle of bubbly.

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"The response was enthusiastic with many bookings right away. And also notes thanking us for taking the time and thinking of them, they appreciated the gesture," says Cooper.

"We may run it all weekend if demand dictates. That would be nice for our guests and for us and gives us a chance to accommodate everyone. We also always remind our potential guests about our Thursday to Saturday curbside, because that menu is pretty awesome as well."

Indeed, Valentine's and New Year's are far from the only days lobster is on the menu at FK. Prix fixe menus and a la carte options regularly include items like grilled lobster with tarragon lobster bisque, crab cakes, shrimp cocktail, beef tartare and champagne risotto. 

So if you weren't lucky enough to get on that waitlist, don't fret: FK is serving up something fabulous every night they're open. Time is pretty meaningless in lockdown anyway, so it definitely doesn't need to be a special occasion to give them a try.