Some restaurants are now charging Brits almost £200 a diner for a cancelling their bookings..
Whether it be a cancelled train, family emergency or unforeseen illness - there are plenty of reasons why you might cancel on that long anticipated dinner reservation with your pals at the last minute.
Whilst you might be planning to rearrange, a majority of the top restaurants in the country will still bill you.
This could range from a flat cancellation fee of £20, or as high as £195 per head for the country’s swankiest eateries.
So next time you’re thinking of eating at one of the country’s finer dining establishments, just make sure you’ll definitely be able to make the reservation.
Whilst this isn’t a new phenomena, restaurateurs have said they’ve suffered the sharp end of diners ducking out late - leaving them with empty tables, and emptier tills - or not showing up altogether.
Charging fees for late cancellations and no-shows is a way to recuperate some of this lost money - described by one boss as “dead money”.
The Observer reported that 90 of the top 100 restaurants in the UK charge for no-shows, or late cancellations, and in some cases, these can apply as far as two weeks in advance of the reservation.
Claire Cleave was forced to cancel a table of five at a popular London restaurant, because her train was running late on the weekend of King Charles’ Coronation, the outlet reported.
She only gave five hours' notice that she wouldn’t be able to make the 7pm booking, but was still hit with a £125 bill.
Claire was charged £25 charge per head, and didn’t even notice until she looked at her bank statement a few days later.
She told the Observer: “I did cancel on the same day, but I would never not turn up. I figured I would be giving them some time to fill the space.”
The Ledbury in London, at the more expensive end, charges a no-show fee of £195 per head.
Similarly, the three-Michelin star Core by Clare Smyth charges £150 for a late cancellation.
Meanwhile, at the Black Swan, at Oldstead, you can lose the £50 deposit, required for each diner, if you cancel within two weeks of the reservation - meaning a group of six would lose £300.
Paul Foster, boss of Salt, in Stratford-upon-Avon, charges half the price of their tasting menu - an eye watering £55 - if someone cancels two days before their reservation.
He said they’d struggle to refill the table and described it as “dead money”.
Whilst he had lost customers from the policy in the past, he remained undeterred and insisted it was important for business.
Andy Beynon, from Michelin star restaurant Behind, said it wasn’t just about the lost money - which was significant - but also the hard work, time and resources put in otherwise.
Even some local, smaller-time venues, are embracing the method as a way to not lose out on too much money amidst a challenging economy.
