Email The issue of ‘no-shows’ in the run-up to Christmas is leaving a bitter taste in the mouth of a top restaurant owner, who says the industry scourge has reached boom-time levels again. Sallyanne Clarke, of Michelin-starred restaurant L’Ecrivain, says the venue has been hammered by thoughtless customers booking for a meal and then not showing up.
She said that what often happens is a group of diners will book several venues for the same date and then decide on the night which restaurant to go to.
Ms Clarke said that while it’s not a new phenomenon, there has been a surge in the unwanted practice as a result of the economic boost, which left them with two empty tables on December 13, one of the busiest weekends of the year.
The Baggot Street venue, which she runs with chef husband Derry, takes a booking deposit at the time of the reservation, but when she tries to charge the cards, the owners temporarily block them or cancel them completely.
«If those people (on December 13) had told us even that morning that they weren’t going to show up, then we could have tried to sell those tables, but to have those tables free on one of the biggest nights of the year was terrible,» she said.
Given that it’s a ‘destination restaurant’, they get virtually no walk-up business to their venue, which can seat 80 in its main dining room.
But she said that while business may be booming in certain sectors, the scourge of ‘no-shows’ poses a serious threat to their restaurant, which marked its 30th anniversary last July.
«The knock-on effect is soul-destroying for us.
It’s not just that you’ve bought and prepped all the food in anticipation of a certain amount of diners,» she said.«You’ve also got the staff there too, and they still need to be paid, even if you’ve had cancellations.
«This is threatening businesses everywhere and I know there are loads of other restaurants having the same problem.»
She said that on any given week, they’re getting between 25-30 people not showing up for their reservation and it’s taking its toll on the business and on morale.
«I think that 99pc of people are decent, but it’s just that 1pc who don’t bother calling or turning up.
«I just wish people treated restaurants with more respect,» she said.
«The thing that really bothers me is if you book an airline ticket or a hotel room and you don’t show up, you don’t get your money refunded.
«But people do not treat restaurants in the same way.»
She said the competition for restaurants in Dublin has also become fierce, given there are 5,000 more restaurant seats now than two years ago.
The Restaurants Association of Ireland has previously highlighted the issue of ‘no-shows’ within the sector.
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