Restaurants hit no show diners with $275 fines

Restaurants are now hitting back at diners who make bookings and don’t show up, eating into their profits.

Some of Melbourne’s most popular restaurants are slapping fines on them of up to $275.

The restaurants have good reason to do it too. Despite text, email and phone confirmations, the diners are still not turning up, preferring to hedge their bets by booking two venues.

The result: extra staff hired, more food ordered and empty tables, all for nothing.

Restaurants like Chin Chin, Supernormal, Baby Pizza, Nobu, Sake, Maha, Cutler & Co and Flower Drum now have fees for no shows. The fees range from $20 to $85.

Award winning restaurant Attica has gone way further. It’s imposed a $275 cancellation fee per person during December unless 48 hours’ notice is given.

Shane Delia, chef and owner of Middle Eastern restaurant Maha said his venue’s cancellation policy ensured staff were not rostered on when tables were empty. It also gave diners on a waiting list the chance to get in.

“It’s not to hold them to ransom, it’s to make them aware you are committing, you have made a booking, you have signed up, you are in,” Delia told the Sunday Herald Sun.

“Our cancellation policy isn’t there as a cancellation policy, it’s more of a deterrent for people who don’t show up. There are cancellation fees when you see a doctor or at your personal trainer if you don’t show up.”

Melbourne chef Andrew McConnell, of Supernormal, Cumulus Inc and Cutler & Co, said the restaurants weren’t looking at making money from cancellation fees.

“The reality is that when a table doesn’t show up for a booking, it financially hurts the business and it also means that another group may have missed out on dining due to lack of availability at the time of trying to book,” he said.

“As a restaurant, all we can ask for is a courtesy call and little bit of notice so that we can make adjustments to rosters or give the guests that are on our waiting list a call and offer them a table.”

11th December 2018