"I'm disgusted by customers who cancel without warning"

"I'm ashamed of the way some people behave. You can't imagine the personal investment that restaurant owners put into their establishment for the pleasure of serving you. Stress, fatigue, sacrifices and so on. The least you can do is to let us know when you can't honour your reservation. I'm disgusted and feel very angry."

Fanny's frustration was shared in a Facebook post. "One table for five and two tables for three" remained empty, she explains. Customers did not call upfront to warn of their cancellation. They were no-shows. 
Fanny and Simon of Brasserie l'Authentique are no exception to this phenomenon. Often fully booked at lunchtime, the majority of their business is based on reservations, by telephone or e-mail.

"This lunchtime," says Fanny, "a gentleman did not show up. After 12.15pm, I called him, but there was no response. So I gave the table to someone else. And every day it's the same story," she explains.

This represents an average of two empty tables per day, or "40 to 60 lost customers per month", confirms Simon.

"They behave like rude kids"

For almost 10 years, their 'bistronomic' restaurant, inspired by the Lyon bouchon, has built up a fine reputation. This has enabled it to bounce back quickly and regain its customers after the pandemic.

But something has changed, notes Simon: "The Covid crisis had a real impact. I have the impression, and I'm not the only one, that customers are more self-interested. Some have become more individualistic, less respectful, they behave like rude kids."

"It doesn't matter, they'll find another customer", many rude customers must say to themselves to ease their conscience, Simon thinks.

Reservations are important to restauranteurs: "We restaurant owners are statisticians: We keep track of stocks, anticipate orders. Often, I place orders for products the night before - this much fish, these vegetables, so many portions of meat..."

Une réservation non honorée est souvent une perte sèche pour le restaurateur. / © Brasserie l'Authentique

No-shows mean some restaurants are forced to throw out goods, especially if working with fresh products: "Some work mainly with frozen products - I'm not judging, there are some very good frozen products - and have fewer conservation constraints than us, who had planned to cook these fresh products and who find ourselves with perishable goods on our hands". Another consequence of no-shows is the staff: "At the moment, we are understaffed, so we hire a temporary worker, and that is expensive. When customers cancel bookings, it can happen that we have hired the temp for nothing."

5 solutions to discouraging no-shows?

Fanny and Simon share some possible solutions to combat the losses of no-shows:

1. Leave a credit card - Similar to many hotels, customers leave their credit card details so that in the case of a no-show, a small amount is debited. "In principle, why not, but all restaurant owners must do it, otherwise customers will flee to restaurants that don't have this system in place," notes Fanny.

2. Reminders per email - Receive an automated notification so that customers don't forget their reservation.

3. Blacklist serial no-showers - "We already have a list of customers who repeatedly did not show up. They are no longer welcome here," says Simon.

4. Create a waiting list - Create a waiting list, i.e. take the numbers of clients who have not been able to get a table, in order to call them up if a table becomes available. "It's also a technique, I know people who do it in Luxembourg, but it takes a lot of time" confirms Fanny.

5. Strategically overbooking - Offering more tables than there really are, but also a dangerous strategy: "If all customers show up, a restaurant owner can always keep them waiting in a good mood by offering a cocktail at the bar."

A last-minute cancellation can always happen for various reasons. But at least call the restaurant as soon as you know, the owners ask.