Around this time of year, when so many of you receive a holiday gift certificate, there is one question we hear more than any other: “How do I get into a class?” The question is often followed by, “It seems like you’re always sold out!” While there are often SOME seats available to select classes, getting into the class of your (first) choice does indeed require some planning. So with February’s schedule coming out Thursday, January 11th at Noon, we’d like to take the opportunity to offer some class registration tips. Before we begin, keep in mind that gift certificates never expire, so if you don’t see anything in February that strikes your fancy, no worries–hold out for the next month!

BOOKMARK OUR REGISTRATION PAGE
Easy access, baby.

JOIN OUR E-MAIL LIST
This is the most important step, and you can do so here. COOK sends out a save-the-date email to our subscribers, generally five to seven days prior to releasing the upcoming month’s schedule. We’ll provide you not only with the date but the time of the schedule launch. In general, we recommend putting a reminder on your calendar. The more popular the chef, the quicker the class sells. It’s not uncommon for some chefs’ classes to sell out in 15 minutes or less. However, if you mark your calendar so that you’re at a computer when the time comes, you’re golden. If, however, you forgot to mark your calendar, we send out a second email blast immediately upon publishing the new schedule.

Note: if you have a very stringent spam/junk filter in your email, you may want to add info@audreyclairecook.com to your safe list.

PRE-PURCHASE PREP
A day or two prior to schedule launch day, we post a preview of the upcoming schedule right here on our blog, and our sponsor Foobooz publishes a preview as well. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter, where we’ll share the preview when it’s available. The preview is especially helpful for people who plan on attending with a friend or relative, so share the preview and make your decisions PRIOR to launch date. That way, you know what you want and you’re ready to check out immediately.

If you received a gift certificate to COOK, you’ll need the four or five digit code on the bottom right of the certificate. There are instructions on the certificate as well. When viewing your online cart, you enter the gift certificate number in the “Coupon Code” box and press “Apply.” If you forget this step or can’t find the certificate on class launch day, buy your seats anyway! When you DO find the certificate, call or email us, and we will adjust your purchase accordingly.

WAIT LIST & HIGHTOP SEATS
If the class you were craving is sold out, you may request to be added to our wait list. Call us at 215.735.2665 and we can add your name in the event of a cancellation. Cancellations are not common and they often occur at the last minute, but it never hurts to try! Also, additional hightop table seats are offered to individuals on our wait list prior to being released online.

So what’s hightop table seating all about? Depending on the nature of the class, we release additional seats to select sold-out classes. These additional seats are released later in the month. We don’t send out an additional email blast notifying you of their release, but we DO notify you via Facebook and Twitter. In general we only release up to 4 additional seats, so this is another reason to follow us! These additional hightop seats are at high-top tables only and are available at a discounted rate ($15 off the regular price). THESE SEATS ARE NOT AT THE COUNTER but the menu and experience are the same.

SHOP AT COOK
Gift certificates are also redeemable for merchandise in our retail boutique, featuring one of the most extensive cookbook collections on the East Coast, specialty food items, private label pantry items, unique gifts, kitchen gadgets and more. Boutique hours are Tuesday through Sundays from noon to 5pm unless class is in session.

So…with February’s schedule going live Thursday, January 11th at Noon, mark your calendar NOW. We hope to COOK with you soon!