fbpx

Latest news

Restaurateurs propose measures to stop people cancelling bookings

posted on

Should diners be required to give their credit card details when they book at a restaurant?

The answer from restaurateurs is a firm yes.

The debate has fired up on Facebook after Auckland chef Kyle Street posted about a recent evening which saw two separate groups cancel and another just not show up, accounting for 30 percent of their capacity.

Food writer Lauraine Jacobs told Andrew Dickens that when a restaurant knows that a large group is coming, they have prepped for this by getting fresh food, and they have to turn people away.

“I think it is incredibly unfair. When you ring a restaurant and say can you give me a table, you are making a contract.”

She says that hospitality industry wants to be about warmth and not put people off, but the rules have changed after the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Jacobs says that they should take a deposit that is equal to profit when people make bookings. 

The booking practice would stop people trying to book multiple restaurants and then deciding on the day. 

CLICK HERE to listen to the interview – Newstalk ZB

Back to News