NO SHOWS Continued To Blight Hospitality

We've written about this topic before and whilst it is not just a local problem here in south Wales, as we read and share reports from all over the country, it continues to be a 'real' issue for the hospitality industry. 

We aren't talking about genuine emergencies whereby a reasonable restaurateur will refund a deposit given sufficient proof of absence, but more so regarding those people who deliberately book two or three restaurant venues for a Friday or Saturday night only to decide on which venue to visit at the very last minute. And yes, I know of a 'group' of 28 people whom en mass decided to change venue at last minute, leaving a restaurant high and dry. 

But today it's 27th July 2020, and English restaurants have been open just under two weeks...and despite a nationwide 'No More No Shows' campaign, these are some twitter posts which we are reading today...

• "In the space of 2 hours we have had 3 tables #noshows totalling 15 people. We have turned tables away this evening as we were fully booked & paid for extra staff."
• "We have had 231 ‘no shows’ since we opened 1 week ago."
• "Seriously #Bristol. What the fuck? 50% #NoShows tonight. Even with deposits! You can't keep doing this to businesses if you want us to survive. We turned away lots of bookings as we were fully booked. At the reduced capacity we're limited too this behaviour will destroy us."
• "I messaged 5 people who were booked on an event asking for them to confirm definitely coming. Nothing yet they’ve read them."
• "In Aberdeen, Siberia Bar & Hotel experienced 1,010 cancellations/no-shows within the space of three days."

Without customer support these restaurants and eateries will vanish from existence, and that promise of going out to support them and championing local, will be nothing but empty words, a silence that will replace the hustle and bustle of dining rooms across the country.

So what's the answer? The sooner restaurants take non-refundable deposits for no shows the better - taking card details can reduce the no shows but it won't eliminate them.

In all seriousness, if the general public fail to come out to dine and support the eateries some of your most favourite establishments WILL GO BUST! 

Use Them Or Lose Them But Please Don't Abuse Them!