Looks like restaurant reservation no-shows have struck again and this time "the knives are out." You don't have to lose any more money like the restaurants below - just transition to selling tickets in-advance with restaurant reservation software!
Knives Are Out for No-Show Diners
Ever since Next restaurant solved the reservation no-show problem by selling tickets, restaurateurs across the country have been making the switch...save for a few. The latest incidents of reservation no-shows are causing restaurant owners to react in ways that are most definitely not in the long-term interests of their businesses.
When Sumathi Reddy wrote 'Knives Are Out for No-Show Diners' for the Wall Street Journal, many were shocked to read of how restaurant staff (and owner) coped with the costly issue of no-shows.
The morning after two groups of diners didn't show up at the restaurant Noma last month, chef and co-owner René Redzepi took to Twitter and sent a picture of staff members showing their middle fingers.
Oh dear.
Reddy goes on to list other questionable behavior that, while understandable, will never recoup the lost revenue from tables sitting empty - for hours - as a result of the guest's promise to appear being broken. Moreover, Reddy quotes several different restaurateurs as saying they are at their wit's end and will begin to require credit card numbers when the telephone reservations are placed.
Razor thin margins combined with the hyper-competitive restaurant market have left chefs and owners clambering for just about any solution that will stem the tide of no-shows.
In fact it may be that market hyper competitiveness could be part of the problem. People may very well intend to honor their spoken commitment for reservations, but then at the last minute be diverted to a different restaurant.
The no-show situation in Boston isn't much better. Chef Paul Sussman, of Back Deck in the Downtown Crossing district, says no-shows are increasing.
Some people not only blow off reservations without calling, but don’t even pretend to feel bad when the restaurant calls them. We had one guy who said he’d made three or four reservations [at different restaurants] so he could decide later that night what he was in the mood for...they just assume we’ll fill the table. You have to make sure that table is available if they do walk in the door, because if you gave it away, and they had to wait 15 minutes, you know they’d be furious.
Sussman's damned-if-do-damned-if-you-don't assessment of no-shows reflects what many others in the restaurant industry feel. That is, they feel that way until they discover selling tickets in instead of accepting telephone reservations.
ThunderTix Restaurant Reservation Software
Implementing a pre-paid ticket system during your peak times could save you thousands of dollars by staving off no-shows. But make sure it can accept and process the full amount of what a table is worth during “prime time” dinner service.
ThunderTix restaurant reservation software lets you leave no-shows behind and sell tickets in advance just like Next restaurant in Chicago. And we make nightly deposits of your sales dollars directly into your bank account, giving you the liquidity to buy only what you need for the menu – no waste.
Chef and TV celebrity Ludo Lefebvre’s new restaurant Trois Mec gets $2,160.00 in up-front liquidity (twenty-four $90 tickets sold in-advance). Trois Mec co-owner says “the decision to operate on a ticket system allows the chefs to plan accordingly each night.”
When you say “table d’hôte” we know what you mean. In addition to being the most restaurant friendly ticketing software available, know that ThunderTix has years of experience in enabling venues to sell tickets online. You will inherit all that expertise when you decide to make the move from telephone reservation to selling tickets, either all-at-once or gradually.
So, put those knives away and contact us at your convenience. Be sure to take a look at our other features and sign up for a free trial today! We can help you solve the no-show problem by selling tickets!