No-shows, cancellations and reminders

Most no-shows are not malice. They are a guest who forgot, or who could not find a way to tell you. Both of those are fixable, and fixing them is worth more than any policy.

Make canceling effortless

Every confirmation email carries a link that lets the guest cancel or change without calling. It sounds like giving away tables. It is the opposite: a table released at 17:00 is a table you sell again, and a guest who cannot cancel simply does not turn up.

Reminders

A reminder goes out before the booking with the details and the same cancel link. Guests who cannot make it usually say so the moment they are reminded — which is exactly the outcome you want.

Marking a no-show

Wait the time you would normally wait, then mark the booking as a no-show on the board. This is not a punishment: it frees the table for walk-ins and it is the only way your no-show rate can mean anything.

Reading the number

• Under 5% is healthy for a restaurant with reminders.
• Above 10% consistently, look at when the reminder goes and how far ahead you let people book.
• A spike on one night is usually weather, a match, or a competitor's opening — not your process.

Large parties

A table of ten that does not arrive costs what four small tables would have paid. This is what the maximum online party size is for: above it the page asks the guest to call, and you take that booking with a conversation, a phone number you have checked, and a call the day before.