New Yorkers are close to having their first taste of chef Joël Robuchon, whose restaurants in Paris, Tokyo, and Las Vegas are considered among the best in the world. L’Atelier de Joël Robuchon in the Four Seasons Hotel, will officially open September 5. But in the meantime, starting today, the restaurant is in “soft opening” — that means regular New Yorkers have an early chance to enjoy what will likely be one of the city’s most popular high-end restaurants.

Doing a soft opening is a common way of giving restaurant staff some time to get things into working order before the onslaught. Seating will be kept at partial capacity and diners will mostly be by invitation only, hotel guests, and friends of the house. But lucky diners who walk in at the right moment could snag a seat at the counter. Even after the official opening, the restaurant will have a surprisingly egalitarian reservation policy: Reservations will be accepted for the first seatings only, 11:30 a.m. for lunch and 6 p.m. for dinner, and after that it’s first-come-first-served. The same system is in place at its Parisian sister, and it has the French, uncharacteristically, often waiting in a queue on Rue de Montalembert.