Cancellation fee for no-show: restaurateurs demand immediate changes!

Cancellation fee for no-show: restaurateurs demand immediate changes!

Döbling, Österreich - The reservation behavior in the catering trade is becoming more and more a bone of contest for restaurant operators in Austria. Again and again they have to promote understanding of their work and the associated financial challenges. One reason for this is the increasing number of guests who simply do not appear despite a reservation made. This not only has an impact on the profitability of the companies, but also ensures conversation among the hosts. So reports Today of a serious case from the practice: Christian Pircher from the "Leopoldau Alm" had to accept a loss of 4,500 euros, since a 170-piece company has not been published. He is not alone in this, because a study by a marketing agent shows that about 12% of the Austrians surveyed do not appear in the restaurant despite reservation.

The phenomenon of the so-called "no-show" increasingly causes resentment in the industry. Gastronomers feel abandoned by guests, who often even reserve several local reservations several times, especially younger guests with 9% reservations made in parallel. In the upscale gastronomic companies such as in the Juan Amador restaurant in Döbling, cancellation fees of up to 350 euros per person are already collected, unless 48 hours in advance are canceled. The menu price in this fine restaurant is 395 euros. This practice shows that financial compensation for lost sales no longer just one exception, but a common rule in the Fine Dining sector.

The demand for uniform cancellation fees

In order to narrow down the problems of not showing, the gastronomy considers a uniform regulation for cancellation fees across Austria as necessary. Gastro chairman Thomas Peschta is an advocate of the introduction of such fees, since they would not only help to compensate for sales losses, but also could encourage guests to take reservations seriously. online table reservation emphasizes that NO show fees are already popular in the industry and that fluctuations from 10 to 20 percent are sought Enormous economic problems can cause gastronomers.

The reasons for the absence of the guests are diverse. One of the most common causes includes uncertainty when planning appointments or simply a lack of awareness of the importance of reservations in the catering trade. In order to counteract this, many Restaurants rely on transparent communication about the applicable conditions and fees.

legal framework and challenges

The legal aspects around NO shows are also increasingly relevant in this context. According to Genkin lawyers , a reservation can be considered a preliminary contract that binds the guest to the hospitality contract. Although there is no legal obligation to comply with a reservation, restaurant operators have the option of making claims for damages if demonstrably does not have any damage caused by the non -appearance. The difficulty is often to quantify this damage, especially in larger companies.

Gastronomy faces the challenge of managing the balancing act between the needs of your own businesses and the flexibility of the guests. A courageous introduction of cancellation fees could help not only increase planning security, but also to minimize the waste of resources. Ultimately, the operators would like their guests to continue with respect in the future.