The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Your restaurant needs you – so don’t book and not show up!
Businesses across Tayside and Fife pin hopes on local support to help them recover from crisis
Amid the tidal wave of issues Covid-19 has brought to the hospitality industry, there is one lurking in the shadows which may be worse than having to rearrange restaurants to meet government guidelines or work with PPE and masks on – customer no-shows.
Chefs and restaurant owners have warned customers failing to honour bookings can be fatal to some businesses.
The issue hit the headlines shortly before lockdown when St Andrews chef Dean Banks charged a party of Americans £650 for their no-show.
Others backed his stance and have said it is more important than ever that customers treat restaurants fairly.
Billy Boyter, head chef and owner of The Cellar in Anstruther, reopened his restaurant at the weekend, welcoming guests back for the first time in four months.
Billy introduced a cancellation policy a year and a half ago to safeguard his business.
He said: “It was great having people back in. That feeling of getting back to some sort of normality and getting the team back. A lot of the customers we had in at the weekend were regulars, so it was nice to see everyone.
“There was no ‘no-shows’ over the opening weekend but a year and a half ago we introduced taking card details for bookings and put a cancellation policy in place. We charge menu price if no one shows for their table in the evening.
“I think we all need to realise a lot of restaurants are operating with reduced covers and they really, really rely on that revenue.
“At the moment, we can only do 16 tables, before we could do 22. If we lose a table, any size table, that’s a massive impact on revenue for that day.
“If you can’t come, make sure you call the restaurant.
“Most restaurants at the weekend are fully booked and have waiting lists but it is a shame when people don’t think about the impact it can have.
“All of our bookings are online now and we get all of the details that way, but there’s a lot of strain on restaurants with all the measures they are having to follow to operate properly, so there’s a lot more pressure.”
With the push from some looking to the government to roll out a no-show scheme which would see all restaurants taking deposits, Billy says an initiative like this may just be the answer.
He added: “When we changed to taking deposits, we were worried it would put off guests or we would lose custom, but at the end of the day, you have to protect your business.
“I think having something like that in place, if it was across the board, that you had to leave your card details to reserve a table and have a booking charge, I think it would be a good thing as it would become the norm and would protect businesses across the board.”
Katherine Smeddle, co-owner of The Peat Inn Restaurant with Rooms, near St Andrews, reopened on July 15.
While the team have been lucky in not experiencing no-show diners, this has been a problem in the past.
She said: “Opening has gone really well and there’s been a massive surge in people wanting to get out and it has been great.
“We don’t take deposits for tables under eight, though currently we are not taking any.
“From my point of view, it is this fear of being put into lockdown again and having to refund deposits – which is just heartbreaking as you’ve got no money coming in, all of your suppliers and
It is unfair on our industry, especially at a time when businesses have been closed and had no income for such a long time. KATHERINE SMEDDLE OF THE PEAT INN
wages to pay at the end, and you’re just watching your bank balance go down as more people ask for their deposit back due to government guidelines.
“I’d rather take the hit of a couple of no-shows than ever go through that again.
“We usually only take deposits for rooms and larger tables, and that was really put in as a measure to stop no-shows from happening. We will get back to that, but we’ll wait until the world is a little more secure first.
“We began taking deposits this year for graduation week as last year we had no-shows, which is difficult for the business and also a shame for people that had tried to book and couldn’t get in.
“In Fife, a lot of the businesses will get together to ensure we’re all on the same page with deposits and things like that.
“We were also on furlough wages and we furloughed our whole team. If you are a director of a company you can continue to do the paperwork, answer emails and things, but if you are making any money for the company, you cannot furlough yourself. So I thought, ‘oh, we can’t take any deposits then’.
“Our feeling is that you cannot book a theatre ticket or plane/train/bus ticket and expect not to pay if you don’t turn up. It is unfair on our industry, especially at a time when businesses have been closed and had no income for such a long time.
“I think that era of not wanting to pay much or wanting the VAT cut to benefit them when businesses are potentially close to going under is ending, hopefully people will start being kinder.
“If you’ve booked at a restaurant you’ve got to show up because it’s not just the business owners at stake, it’s the staff, too.”
Graham McGinty, former head chef at Crieff Hydro Hotel, is currently on furlough.
He said: “With limited covers due to social distancing, people not turning up can be at least an eighth of their day’s earnings.
“For small, family-run restaurants with overhead costs like staff, utility bills, cost of produce and tax, the cost of one table of six let’s say being a no-show can have a huge impact, especially when you could have filled that table.
“I think all restaurants should be taking deposits per person and that should at least cover the cost of the no-show, but obviously there is no profit made.”