A leading restaurant is to start charging for no-show bookings after revealing that it had 450 cancellations and non appearances in one month.
Restaurant Mark Greenaway in Edinburgh said it has been forced to take the step in line with some other top restaurants to take card details and if guests fail to turn up without warning they will be charged £30 for lunch and £50 for dinner per person.
The restaurant in North Castle Street can lose tens of thousands of pounds worth of business on lost bookings with only a fraction of their income coming back through walk-ins because of the high end nature of the business.
READ MORE: Ron MacKenna comment: Selfish people must pay the price for no-shows at restaurants
Chef Mr Greenaway, whose restaurant has been named one of the top 20 in the UK, said that "this is simply unsustainable for our small restaurant".
He told The Herald: "If anything we are late in doing this. Other restaurants are already doing exactly the same thing.
"It has just got to the stage where we are thinking we have to put the extra step in as a safeguard.
"If we've got 50 people booked then we are cooking and have the staff in for 50 people.
"It is purely to stop people just not turning up with no notice whatsoever.
"You wouldn’t do it with your friend.
They've laid the table and bought food - what’s the difference? Only it’s times 100."
READ MORE: Ron MacKenna comment: Selfish people must pay the price for no-shows at restaurants
He added: "With tickets for concerts, you pay up front and you will be charged if you don’t turn up.
"Walk-ins account for probably five or ten per cent (back from lost bookings)
"Just because people know they would probably have to book."
He said: "It is getting worse.
"Only last week we phoned a number and the lady asked which restaurant was calling as she had booked two or three, and that was on the day.
"Three or four tables not turning up on a Friday is the difference between making money for the full week and not making money.
"It is not just one night, it is our busiest night.
"We totally understand people getting sick or being unable to come, it is just the no-shows, and there is no reason in this day and age when every body has a smartphone and it’s a two-minute call.
"It’s frustrating to say the least."
He added: "There’s places down south where you are not even allowed to cancel 48 hours in advance.
"We are saying 24 hours in advance if you can’t make it tell us."
READ MORE: Ron MacKenna comment: Selfish people must pay the price for no-shows at restaurants
He posted on Facebook: "Now this is something we have toiled with, believe me and not something we want to do but as an independent restaurant we feel the time has come that we can't simply ignore what is going on in the industry, so we feel we now need to act to put an end to this lunacy of customers booking tables and simply just not turning up.
"We already have a confirmation policy in place and confirm all tables of all sizes every day, however this changes nothing it would seem."
But he said: "As of March 1 we will be taking debit or credit card details for all bookings, and a fee of £30 for lunch or respectfully £50 for dinner will be deducted per person for any tables that don't turn up or no show on the day."
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