How to reduce no-shows in your restaurant

Two simple actions can help restaurants reduce no-shows by up to almost half, research by Elavon shows.

We asked more than 1,000 adults in the UK what, if anything, would encourage them to honour a booking for a meal. 

Almost 3 in 5 (58%) respondents said they would always honour a reservation or cancel in advance. 

But either asking for a deposit or reminding customers they have a booking would encourage many of them to show up. 

Of the 42% who admitted to not always honouring a booking, 44% said a 10% deposit would encourage them to turn up and 29% said a deposit per person would discourage no-shows.

“We’ve seen a rise in no-shows for bookings lots of different types of businesses but the restaurant trade, still recovering from Covid, has been particularly badly hit,” said David Wheatcroft.

“What this shows is that with a little thought, you can reduce the number of people who fail to turn up to a pre-booked table. 

“A decent epoint of sale system (ePOS) will connect your booking system with your billing system. That way it can send out reminders, either by text or email, to diners or arrange for deposits to be deducted from the final bill. All that without creating any extra work for you or your team.” 

For those who don’t have the technology to take deposits, or are worried that asking for a deposit will discourage diners, simply reminding customers that they have a booking is an easy win. 

“This act of reminding a customer they have a reservation can serve as a double benefit to you,” says David.

“Not only are you potentially reducing the likelihood of a no-show but you’ve also got an opportunity to build a relationship with a customer. 

“You could link it with a loyalty scheme or follow up after they’ve visited to get feedback and offer repeat sales.

“If you need help with setting that up, and keeping your diner’s data secure and within the law, talk to us.” 

Elavon is a leading payments partner for restaurants and cafés in the UK. Our in-house experts can help you find a speedy, secure payments system that also helps you manage your business – everything from stock levels and staff timetabling, to splitting bills and making stubborn no-show numbers a little more palatable.

Whatever you decide is best for your restaurant, we can help you combine it with your payments system. Any questions? Just get in touch. 

Source: Yonder conducted an online sample of 1,103 UK adults 18+ between 8 – 14 March 2023. Data is weighted to be representative of the population of the UK. Targets for quotas and weights are taken from the PAMCO survey, a random probability survey conducted annually with 35,000 adults. Yonder is a founding member of the British Polling Council and abides by its rules.  

Which of the following would encourage you to turn up to a restaurant booking? Tabled rebased to exclude those who said they would always honour a booking.