A ryōtei (料亭) is a type of traditional Japanese restaurant. Traditionally, ryōtei only accept new customers by referral and feature entertainment by geisha, but in modern times this is not always the case. Ryōtei are typically a place where high-level business or political meetings can take place discreetly. In Kanazawa, ryōtei compete to sell the most extravagant take-home osechi meals during the new year, a practice that is centuries old.