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Guests who don’t show up despite having made a reservation are a growing nuisance in the catering industry. But a possible solution seems to be in sight.
The fact that you have to give your phone number when you reserve a table in a restaurant is now common practice. However, more and more voices from the catering industry are now demanding that guests also have to enter their credit card number in the future. They want to stand up to the “no shows” – i.e. those who don’t show up despite a reservation. Because they would become an ever greater problem, it sounds from the industry.
The worst thing is that you can’t make it possible for other people who want to come.
“The problem is simply that we then have empty seats,” says Arber Dragaqina, manager of the Churrasco restaurant. “The worst thing is that you can’t make it possible for other people who want to come.” That you had to cancel and explain that the restaurant was unfortunately fully booked.
The so-called “no shows”, i.e. reservations that have not been redeemed, have increased sharply, fivefold, to around 0.6 percent of all reservations. The Lunchgate booking platform collected the numbers from around 350 restaurants in German-speaking Switzerland.
Legend:
0.6 percent of all reservations are now “no shows”.
SRF
“The solution we propose is that guests have to deposit their credit card when making a reservation,” says Lunchgate Managing Director Yves Latour. So that the restaurant can charge the credit card if you don’t show up.
Pay money if someone doesn’t show up despite a reservation? The guests here, in the Churrasco restaurant, find that good in the first place. This is fair to the staff and ensures a certain degree of planning security. In addition, you also have to deposit the card when making a hotel reservation.
The empty tables are also annoying for Gastro Zürich despite a reservation. “The ‘No Shows’ are really a problem for restaurateurs,” says Urs Pfäffli, President of Gastro Zurich. “That’s why we recommend that you ask for a contribution towards expenses if the reservations are not kept.” The amount of this contribution to expenses should be appropriate and chosen in accordance with the operating concept.
According to the survey, the restaurateurs do not agree whether they should charge the credit cards in the case of “No Show”. But everyone wants guests who really take their reservations seriously.