Making a reservation and just not showing up is rude and disrespectful. Many people think running restaurants is easy and the owners are making massive amounts of money - this is probably the biggest restaurant myth out there.
Having worked as a Restaurant General Manager for almost two decades, bookings are one of the essential attributes to a business's revenue, turn-over and popularity status. No-shows are indeed a frustration for any restaurant owner, especially the revenue the booking would have generated, and the loss of time to turn the tables.
How annoying, a table has been booked but the reservation time arrives and there is no sign of the diner, yet another no-show. The hospitality industry suffers terribly with this problem, and it is estimated to cost restaurants and pubs £16 billion a year.
Are you struggling to handle bookings for your restaurant, and failing to generate profit because a huge number of reservations that’ve been booked don’t turn up?
"No-shows" aren't applicable to all types of restaurants. It is generally applicable for fine dining restaurants and restaurants that have a high traffic of diners.
The issue of no-shows has always been a big challenge for the industry.
In the modern world where technology is readily available, booking a reservation and doing a no-show is easier than ever. These are my top tips for reducing customer no-shows.
No-Shows have become a massive headache for operators in our industry, affecting restaurant sales directly. I call this trend from customers ''Restaurant Promiscuity'', in essence - Zero or Very Little Loyalty!
No shows would once make up only 5% of bookings but could now be as high as 15% causing a major negative effect across the industry.
I think starting with a good reservation software system is important. One that is modern and congruent with peoples desire to respond, or in this case lack of desire to cancel their reservation.
