StreetEasy, the New York real-estate listings company, launched a 20-year anniversary promotion called Reserve Your Future that offered reservations for 2046 at 12 local businesses. All slots sold out within an hour Wednesday when customers typed their names and emails into a simple form. The campaign spans five restaurants, two theater companies, a yoga studio, and an espresso shop.

The stunt exposes a harsh reality: fewer than one in four restaurants or accommodations survive past 16 years, per Census Bureau data. Lease dynamics often kill businesses when landlords demand steep renewals. Russ & Daughters Cafe founders sought a 100-year lease and settled for 12 years, re-upping recently. Carlo Mirarchi of Roberta's has already buried two other restaurants.

StreetEasy picked businesses with proven staying power. Amanda Shur, a spokeswoman, said they looked for establishments that withstood the city's changes. Yet the 2046 reservations hinge on businesses still operating. OpenTable, the only major reservation platform around 20 years, can record such bookings, but owner St. John Frizell said he would write the reservations on paper as a backup.