How do restaurants stop table no-shows?
Send a reminder with a confirm or cancel link before every booking, take a deposit or card details for groups and busy nights, and show your policy when people book. Booking systems such as OpenTable and ResDiary can do much of this, so check what yours offers first.
By Sammy Morgan, who runs M1 Studio in Chichester. Updated .
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- Industry
- Restaurants, cafes and pubs
- Problem
- No-shows
- The fix
- Online Booking & Deposits, £1,800
- Do it yourself?
- Yes, the first steps below
Why it happens to restaurants, cafes and pubs.
- People book several places
- Some diners book more than one restaurant for the same night and decide later. The ones they don’t choose rarely cancel.
- Groups are the biggest risk
- A table of ten that doesn’t arrive on a Saturday leaves a hole you can’t fill, and you may have prepped for it.
- Phone bookings skip the system
- Bookings taken on the phone during service often go in the book with no card details and no reminder.
- Christmas and events
- Party season and set-menu events tie up tables and stock weeks ahead, so a no-show costs more.
What to do, in order.
Check your booking system
Look for reminder, deposit and card-hold settings in OpenTable, ResDiary or whatever you use. Turn on reminders for every booking.
Set rules for groups
A deposit per head for larger tables and set menus, with a clear cancellation window.
Put phone bookings in properly
Enter them in the system with a mobile number, so they get the reminder too.
State your policy
How long you hold a table and when deposits are kept. Show it at booking and in the reminder.
Add booking with deposits if you have none
Online Booking & Deposits sets it up on your website, with reminders and your rules shown at booking.
Where M1 can do it for you.
Fixed prices, or a fixed quote before any work starts. No VAT is charged. Any running costs are listed before you agree.
- Online Booking & Deposits £1,800
It adds table booking with deposits for groups and busy nights, reminders, and your policy shown when guests book.
Bookings taken online, with a deposit paid up front.
- Missed-Call Rescue £800
It texts back booking calls you miss during service, with a link to book online.
Missed calls get a text back, automatically.
Want to check the rest of your business first? Take the free Scorecard: 12 questions, about 3 minutes.
Before you decide.
Something else? Ask Sammy on WhatsApp.
Should a restaurant take deposits on every booking?
Many only take them for groups, set menus and peak nights. Start where no-shows cost you most.
What are the running costs?
The booking tool’s monthly fee and the card fees on deposits are paid directly by you, and listed before you agree. If you already use OpenTable or ResDiary, the tool may already be paid for.
Keep reading.
Know what to fix. Then decide.
Sammy writes down what’s holding your business back and what to fix first. The Foundation Blueprint is yours within 5 working days of your answers.
From £200No VAT, one payment through Stripe
Not ready yet? Take the free Scorecard, 3 minutes.