Star chef Joris Bijdendijk: ‘No-shows are destroying our business’
Making a reservation at a restaurant and then not showing up: rude. Especially after corona, now that restaurants are trying to survive with fewer guests in their establishments, a no-show is truly unacceptable. Strangely enough, it has been happening more often in recent weeks than before. Chef and restaurateur Joris Bijdendijk has had enough. ‘People with that kind of mentality are destroying our beautiful business.’
Every day, he has around three no-shows at restaurant Rijks; at Wils, twelve people dropped out in a single day. That really hurts, because before corona, Wils could accommodate 100 people; now a maximum of 45 guests can be seated, depending on the table layout. ‘I actually wanted to give a few examples, but I won’t: I want to keep things a little positive,’ says Bijdendijk, speaking from a packed car on his way to southern France. ‘But it really happens every day—people who don’t show up or cancel at the very last minute.’
Running on empty
Making a reservation and not showing up was always a bad thing, but after corona, even more so, because many restaurants are financially running on empty. Just do the math: a restaurant that normally had room for sixty people may now, after corona, be able to accommodate only half that number, or fewer guests. If a table of six then fails to show up, that means 20 percent less revenue—and that revenue was already half of what it should have been. ‘In a situation like that, no-shows can genuinely mean bankruptcy, and people don’t realize that. That crazy mentality is destroying our beautiful business.’
Deposit? ‘We’re considering it’
Strangely, no-shows have been more common since July than before corona. ‘You would think people would be more cautious about making reservations, but no.’ What can you do about it as a restaurant? Call all the people with reservations, suggests one of his followers on Twitter. They already do that at Wils. ‘People don’t answer, or you hear some excuse. This week: we’re not coming because at your place we’re not allowed to sit at one table with different households; we’re going somewhere where that is allowed. What am I supposed to say?’ More and more restaurants are considering asking for a deposit, including Bijdendijk. ‘We’re seriously considering it, let me put it that way.’
Poster campaign
In London, where the same problem is occurring, a campaign called ‘No more no shows’ was recently launched. Large posters remind Londoners of their antisocial behaviour. An idea for the Netherlands too? Bijdendijk: ‘If it works, I’m in favour.’
Read also:
- 8 things you really want to know before starting a restaurant
- Paying a fortune for the last available table in a restaurant: the future?
- Hit by corona: more and more hospitality businesses are going bankrupt
