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By Ed Avis
It’s a major drag when someone reserves a table in a good restaurant and fails to show up. On a busy night, a “no-show” can mean that a table that could have been offered to walk-in customers instead sits empty.
One way restaurant owners discourage no-shows is by charging a fee for reservations, or at least requiring a credit card in advance. A survey by el Restaurante magazine in January 2024 revealed that it’s not a common practice among Mexican restaurants – only 19 percent say they charge for reservations or require a credit card – but those who do it say it works.
“One of the features of the system we use that I like is that we can have people pre-pay for reservations,” says Citlali Mendieta, who uses Tock to manage reservations for her restaurant, Antigua Latin Inspired Kitchen in Milwaukee. “We only do it for busy days like Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day and Easter. We charge $5, $10 or $15, and if they don’t show, at least we keep that. That’s worked well to prevent no-shows.”
Mario Ponce, owner of Takito Kitchen, Takito Street and Bar Takito in Chicago, takes a similar approach. He uses OpenTable to manage reservations, and on critical days he requires a credit card with each booking.
“If Mr. Jones decides to no-show, we have the right to charge him a fee for not coming,” Ponce says.
Of course, the real reason for the fee is not to make a few bucks from a no-show – it’s to prevent the no-show in the first place. Ponce says he has not actually charged anyone for not showing up, but he appreciates how the risk of a fee discourages no-shows.
“We like the guarantee of having people give a credit card, but the truth is we don’t charge people,” he says.
Whole Party Must Be There? Sometimes
Another question on the el Restaurante survey asked owners if they require the entire party of a reservation to be present before they are seated. Only 13 percent said they do that all the time, but 38 percent said they require the whole party to be present occasionally, such as on certain busy days or if the group is a certain size.
Danny Sandoval, owner of Sandoval’s Café & Cantina in Portland, Oregon, does not make customers wait for the whole group to show up.
“For us, it’s easier to seat them as soon as they come in,” he says. “We can start picking up drink orders and accommodating guests right away. It’s much easier than waiting for everyone to show up. We'd rather have them seated and getting attended to."
Want to learn more about reservation systems in Mexican restaurants? Watch for the January/February 2024 issue of el Restaurante digital magazine, which will be posted on January 29. To ensure that you get your copy, please subscribe by clicking here.
And if you’d like to hear from a panel of Mexican restaurant owners discussing how they chose their reservation system, register for a free webinar on the topic on March 7 at 10 am Central. The event, hosted by el Restaurante, will feature a panel of Mexican restaurant owners discussing the reservation systems they use. Click here to register.
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