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A table reservation that is not noticed means a high loss of sales for every catering establishment. Many restaurants have now become stricter and charge a fee.
The fact that guests make a reservation for a dinner and then don’t show up seems to be happening again – but what can companies do about it? It can definitely happen that you cannot make a reservation for personal reasons.
In such cases, however, the landlords in particular are harmed. The catering industry, which has already been badly hit by the Corona crisis, cannot simply compensate for such spontaneous failures.
The problem: In many cases, a reserved table can no longer be passed on at such short notice and then simply remains empty. Considered over the whole year, this can be quite a chunk that escapes a company.
You should pay attention to the following if you cannot make your reservation:
In any case, cancel if you can no longer / do not want to take a reservation. Not only is this polite, but you also help the company to sell the table on.
Especially if you have reserved a table for a large group, you cause the restaurant staff a preparation effort that should not be underestimated, which is not paid if you do not show up. It is all the more important that you contact the staff briefly, even if this is spontaneous.
It is understandable that companies want their credit card details on file in order to protect themselves – more and more companies are now using this method.
From a legal point of view, the landlady is allowed to ask for your credit card details. It is important, however, that the guests are informed in advance.
You also make a valuable contribution when it comes to food waste if you cancel reservations as early as possible. Especially restaurants that rely on fresh products plan their purchases very carefully and also make their stocks dependent on the number of reservations. If you do not appear spontaneously, the restaurant may be left with food, which ultimately ends up in the trash.
The fact that restaurants and bars request their customers’ credit card details when making a reservation can of course also be angry – because many are extremely careful when handling personal data. However, in addition to the appeal to customers to take responsibility for themselves, this is the only way to date to be compensated with at least a flat rate cancellation fee in such cases.
This procedure has been known for a long time in the health sector: in order to compensate for expensive consultations with specialists, many health practices simply charge the appointment in full if the patient does not cancel the consultation up to 24 hours before the appointment begins.
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