4 things you should know about no – shows

Published 09.11.2018 - Last update 01.21.2020

  1. No-shows are accepted as a part of life, but the problem with the current restaurant industry is that they can cause restaurants to bleed money. The restaurant industry is years behind other sectors such as airlines and hotels, and we have no-choice but to catch-up, quickly, if we want to protect profit margins.
  2. The Australian restaurant industry has a no-show rate of approximately 4%. In an industry already on the knife’s edge (trying to survive on profit margins of 3-5%), restaurateurs need to maximise revenues and protect against no-shows. It’s one of the biggest issues facing the restaurant industry today.
  3. You can do something about no-shows! TheFork Payments is a product that will help eliminate no-shows by:– Allowing you to ask diners to provide credit card details when making a booking as a guarantee. If a diner doesn’t show up, or fails to let you know that they can’t make it within the designated time period before their booking, you have the right to charge a no-show fee.– Allowing you to ask diners for a pre-payment or deposit when booking. This will be particularly useful for bigger dining days such as Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day etc. Or if you offer set menus.
  4. TheFork Restaurants that have adopted a guarantees or payment system have seen no-show rates drop from 4% to less than 1%. Here’s how it has helped Anna Pavoni of Ormeggio at the Spit:“We are a ‘destination dining’ venue, meaning we depend on bookings almost 100% exclusively – no walk-ins. We plan, prepare, order and staff for these numbers. Being right on the water means we are also incredibly affected by the weather. The major issue of no-shows (or very last minute cancellations) were having a huge adverse affect on our business. They were financially crippling us (imagine ordering the food and staffing the restaurant on weekend penalty rates, and then having up to 50% of your restaurant NOT TURN UP…and this was happening regularly), as well as leading to many disappointed customers who couldn’t book as we were fully booked at the time. TheFork Payments has completely solved this issue for us. Completely.”
Keen to learn more about how you can eliminate no-shows? Simply email support@thefork.com.au and one of our team will be happy to have a chat.
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