Restaurant deposits: half of guests don’t understand why they are required
Booking a table at a restaurant and then not showing up. That really isn’t acceptable. It’s one of the reasons why more and more restaurants are requiring a deposit. Understandable? Not to at least half of guests. That’s according to research by hospitality trade magazine Misset Horeca.
Some restaurant-goers use a tactic. They book at several restaurants at once, but only decide last minute where they feel like going. Whatever they decide, their place at the restaurant is kept available in any case. You could call it clever, but it’s actually just pretty inconsiderate. Because you are indeed keeping a table at multiple restaurants occupied, which may never be filled that evening.
The result: the restaurant loses revenue. And if you don’t even inform the restaurant about your cancellation, you’re being downright rude.
Deposit as a security measure
Restaurant deposits put a stop to that. You pay an amount in advance, a kind of security deposit, and that reserves your table. Don’t show up? Then you lose that money. Restaurants are trying to protect themselves this way. Research by Misset Horeca shows that quite a few restaurant guests don’t understand this system. Of the 1,000 respondents, 440 guests said they didn’t understand why they had to pay a deposit.
Communication = key
Whether it makes sense or not, we’ll have to get used to it. Because deposits at restaurants are expected to remain in place for the time being. The solution? Restaurants need to communicate clearly about the deposit. That’s what Emine Youssef of checkout and payment platform Lightspeed tells Misset Horeca. If restaurants explain why they are asking for a deposit and what conditions apply, people are much more understanding. Guests shouldn’t feel that their money is simply disappearing. Think of it as part of the bill that has already been paid.
How inconsiderate are we?
Back to that rude no-show behaviour. Does it happen often? The Misset Horeca study indicates that 17% of guests use the multiple-bookings-and-decide-later tactic. 9% of respondents said they don’t let the restaurant know when they are no longer going to show up. Fortunately, 77% of guests do get in touch when the reservation is no longer going ahead. In fact, 72% are considerate enough to report it when they arrive earlier or later than the reserved time.
Phew, a large proportion of us still have some decency. Or perhaps these are socially desirable answers—that’s possible too… And for the rest: do better, please. Restaurants have had (and still have) a hard enough time.
Also read:
- These Amsterdam restaurants accept walk-ins
- Will you soon have to reserve a table for your handbag too?
- Chef bans vegans from restaurant: go eat your rubbish somewhere else
Source: Misset Horeca
