Those empty tables that were booked but never filled? They hurt your restaurant in more ways than one. No-shows throw off your service plans, leave staff idle and waste food you prepped for guests who never arrived.
With more diners booking at the last minute or cancelling on the day, these unpredictable losses can add up if you don't have a plan to handle them. Let's look at six simple ways to tackle those frustrating no-shows.
1. Send confirmations and reminders
The restaurant industry typically operates with low profit margins, so every reservation counts to prevent lost revenue. Another challenge is predicting inventory – you risk throwing away food you've prepared at the end of service.
- Send an immediate booking confirmation with all essential details (date, time, party size)
- Schedule a reminder 1-2 days before the reservation
- Add a clear cancellation option that's easy to use
- Consider a final reminder 3-4 hours before the booking for same-day reservations
When diners book a table at your restaurant through Quandoo, they get automated confirmation and reminders about their booking, saving you time and ensuring guests have all the information they need before they arrive.
2. Make cancellations easy
Create a hassle-free cancellation process that encourages guests to notify you when their plans change. When cancelling is easier than not showing up, more guests will take the time to let you know.
Considering that 50% of cancellations happen on the same day, making this process simple is crucial. Offer online cancellation options so guests don't have to make a phone call or speak to anyone directly.
3. Use an online reservation system
Use a reservation system to manage your bookings efficiently. A good system provides real-time visibility of your table availability, instantly updating when bookings are made, modified, or cancelled.
This real-time functionality means you'll never double-book tables or miss opportunities to fill empty slots. When a cancellation comes in, the system immediately frees up that table in your inventory, making it available for new bookings within seconds.
The automation also reduces manual errors and frees up your staff to focus on providing excellent service rather than managing booking logistics.
Quandoo for Restaurants offers a user-friendly reservation system that updates your availability in real-time, helping you maximise table utilisation and minimise the impact of cancellations and no-shows.
4. Consider adding a booking guarantee
Requesting credit card information or charging a deposit during booking creates accountability and can potentially reduce no-shows. When guests know their card is on file, they're more likely to honour their reservation or cancel properly rather than simply not appear.
However, our research indicates that diners are 28% more likely to book when there is no cancellation fee. This presents a clear challenge: how to reduce no-shows without deterring potential guests.
Consider a balanced approach. Use guarantees selectively for your busiest periods or larger groups, while keeping booking barrier-free during quieter times.
5. Communicate your reservation policy
Make sure your no-show and cancellation policies are clear and visible from the start, at the time of booking. This includes the cancellation window, no-show fees, late arrival policy, group booking policy, etc.
Be specific about what happens if guests arrive late or don't show up at all. For example, "Tables are held for 15 minutes past the reservation time, after which they may be released to other guests."
Clear communication is important for managing your guests’ expectations. When they understand your policies before booking, they're more likely to respect them or cancel properly if their plans change.
6. Consider overbooking (strategically)
Overbooking is controversial, but when done right, it's a smart way to protect your business from no-shows. The trick lies in careful calculation, not guesswork.
By analysing your historical no-show data, you can identify patterns and overbook accordingly to maximise table utilisation.
For instance, if your data shows a consistent 10-15% no-show rate on Thursday evenings, you might consider booking 10% more tables than you have. This approach helps ensure your restaurant operates at optimal capacity even when some guests inevitably fail to appear.
This strategy works best when combined with other no-show reduction methods and a solid plan for managing situations when all guests do arrive.
Wrapping up
No-shows will always be part of the restaurant business, but you can control their impact.
Choose the strategies that align with your restaurant, see what clicks with your guests and adjust as you go. Before you know it, you'll be converting those potential no-shows into reliable bookings and keeping your tables full.
Wondering how to deal with other common reservation challenges? Read: How to Overcome 6 Common Restaurant Reservation Challenges
