How to fight the no-show in his establishment?

Updated on December 6, 2022

Hundreds of reservations every day and only a fraction of them actually lead to an occupied table: the no-show does not spare any establishment. This practice consists of making a reservation at a restaurant and not showing up without cancelling the reservation. In addition to losing money, it is wasteful for the restaurant owners. If you are in this situation, there are several solutions available to you to limit the damage of no-shows without completely stopping to offer reservations.

1. Limit reservations

Some establishments choose to offer reservations only on certain days or at certain times, thus giving preference to customers without reservations. Others offer reservations only for a certain number of covers or for large tables: a reservation for a large group is often more reliable than others.

To limit the no-show, you can also accept reservations only for a part of your tables in order to limit the number of customers who might not come.

2. Offer online reservations

Many establishments today offer online reservations. This system does not allow to fight directly against the no-show but it allows to avoid it as much as possible.

To make a reservation via the Internet, the customer must provide certain information that will allow the establishment to contact him if necessary. When a reservation is made by phone, it is possible to make a mistake in the name or in the phone number.

On the Internet, it is also sometimes necessary to provide credit card information. The law allows restaurants to require a bank imprint and to charge a pre-determined amount if the customer does not show up for the reservation.

3. Recall the reservation

Thanks to the online reservation you can also remind the customer of the reservation in an automatic way. You can set up an automatic system that sends an SMS a few hours before the reservation to remind the customer that he has reserved a table and that he can cancel it in case of unforeseen circumstances.

A large part of the causes of no-shows are forgotten reservations or cancellations. It is advisable to insert a cancellation link in these sms or emails to facilitate the cancellation.

4. Run anti no-show campaigns

Many restaurant owners have decided to make customers aware of the consequences of no-shows for their establishment. These campaigns take different forms: awareness of the food waste that results from no-shows, but also the denunciation of customers who never bothered to cancel their reservation and still never came.

Customers must also be reminded that this phenomenon has a significant cost for restaurants and can even lead to their closure if the losses are too great, or to the cancellation of reservations.

5. No longer guaranteeing tables in case of delays

When a customer makes a reservation, you have the right to inform him/her that if he/she does not show up on time, his/her table may be assigned to other customers. Some online booking platforms even make waiting lists for tables that would be cancelled at the last minute and could be assigned to other customers in case of delays. This is a pretty useful way to limit food and financial losses for your establishment.

6. Ask for a re-confirmation

Our final tip to avoid the scourge of the no-show is to always ask for confirmation from the customer that they will be coming for their reservation. Asking for re-confirmation from the customer is especially helpful when it's a large group reservation and will prevent you from unnecessarily scheduling extra quantities that are actually not needed. It will also remind the customer that they have made a reservation.