MESA originally uploaded by Jeffrey Beall
This WCCO article brings to light the growing trend in the restaurant industry in which those who do not make it to the restaurant they reserved a table are charged a service fee. The article states that while this is probably not yet happening in Minnesota, perhaps it may begin.
From the article:
It’s standard practice for a hotel to require a credit card number when you book a room. Now, some restaurants are asking the same from customers who are reserving a table.
The reasoning is the same. If the customer cancels at the last minute, the restaurant is left with an open table. The restaurant will then charge a customer a penalty fee for a late cancellation.
Some restaurants in New York are reportedly charging up to $75 per person to hold a table.
During a trip to Vegas last spring a coworker made reservations at MESA for four people. She was told that she would be charged $50/person who did not arrive. In fact they placed a hold on her credit card for the $200 to help ensure the diners would show for the reservation. While that is Vegas, and a well known strip restaurant owned by a celebrity chef, and this is Minnesota, one may wonder how soon it’ll be before restaurants here may be following the same trend just to collect some extra revenue.
What do you think about restaurants charging people for skipping out on reservations or placing holds on their credit cards to ensure they show? Do you think there are any local restaurants which could command such a fee? Do you think this is simply money in the restaurants pocket or do you believe that restaurants who can actually command such a thing (such as those on the Las Vegas Strip) take a financial hit when someone doesn’t arrive for their reservation? Whatever you have to say about this one go ahead and comment on as I’d love to hear you thoughts.
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March 20th, 2012 at 7:28 am
If you make a reservation, they hold the table for you, and turn away business while the table stays open, then they should be entitled to the damages. If they are clear about thier policy up front, when the reservation is made, then I also do not have a problem with it. If enough people are unwilling to put up with it, free market dynamics will force a policy change. There are plenty of other restaurants to go to that either don’t require or don’t accept reservations.
March 20th, 2012 at 8:10 am
I agree with Sui across the board. I think the fee per table or head should be small; say $5-10.
BUT!….
This opens up a new can of worms. Once you take my money for the reservation, no matter how small, you have an _implied_ contract to absolutely have that table for me. While I know that airlines, hotels, car rental agencies, etc. take your money and can still bump you, the exchange of monies for a restaurant reservation has upped the anté a bit.
March 20th, 2012 at 8:13 am
What is an acceptable wait time for a table if you have already paid for it?
March 20th, 2012 at 8:17 am
I know for a fact that La Belle Vie is already doing this on Valentine’s day. I am pretty sure they are not alone.
I agree with the premise. You make a commitment to the restaurant and the restaurant makes a commitment to you. Let’s say you make a 6:30 reservation. That means that the table is likely going to be unused right up until 6:30 that night (La Belle Vie is at least a 2 hour meal and for me usually more like 3). You don’t show, the place is out a $300 meal charge. I think they are entitled to keep some of my money.
As well, I don’t think a high end place like that gets many walk ins on V-Day, so it is unlikely they can fill the table at that late notice.
Bottom line. If your restaurant is popular enough to be able to require this provision, than I am cool with them doing it. Most restaurants do not have this luxury though.
March 20th, 2012 at 8:18 am
If I have paid for a table, I don’t want to be waiting once I get there. If I have a reservation and haven’t paid to hold the table that is another story.
March 20th, 2012 at 8:52 am
I just noticed that for some reason it was making people click through to read the post. I don’t know why that happened. My bad. Let me know in the comments if it breaks again.
March 20th, 2012 at 11:14 am
If a place can pull this off, then fine, but I’m not sure how many restaurants actually could. I also suspect people’s attitudes about this sort of thing will be different here than in someplace like Vegas or NYC. I know it would make me think twice about making a reservation at someplace that did this.
March 20th, 2012 at 11:24 am
Regarding making a reservation and then not getting seated on time.
I am not sure I remember this ever happening to me, other than maybe 5 minutes or the time our party of 8 arrived 20 minutes early and they simply were not ready.
I have walked into Ristorante Luci a few times and have been told that I could eat there, but that I needed to clear out by a certain time so that they could seat a reservation. I thought that was a pretty efficient way to do business and it was not at all a problem. Service was a little quicker to our table than normal and we skipped dessert.
March 20th, 2012 at 11:44 am
We often use the Open Table app to make reservations. Who’s going to take the card number and “hold” the $$? OT or the establishment? I wouldn’t mind a “guaranteed” table at some places but those establishments are few and far between. Put me down for a strong ‘maybe.’ :-)
March 20th, 2012 at 5:26 pm
I view this like hotel reservations. I have no problem if they want to charge me for bailing out without telling them. However, I would hope there’s a limit to that so you can cancel up to an hour ahead of time, for example.
March 20th, 2012 at 8:23 pm
I don’t think I would usually eat at a place that required a deposit for a reservation.
March 20th, 2012 at 9:20 pm
Well if it’s a fancy enough and well known place where you would even NEED a reservation in the first place to get a table I think it’s BS to pay for a table deposit and get charged if you don’t make it. Why? Because if the restaurant is that popular I’d say there would be another group of people there who could take the MIA diner’s table. Perhaps a 10 minute grace period then your table is unreserved.
Unless it’s an emergency I can’t imagine why someone would fail to show for their reservation and not call to say they won’t make it. But that’s just me…