Everyday, restaurant ticketing software solves the problem of costly reservation no-shows. But making the switch from phone calls to selling tickets is still being debated in certain circles. Healthy debate is always encouraged as it provides actionable information to restaurant owners.
The popular food website The Orgasmic Chef recently published Restaurant Reservations and No Shows in which Maureen Shaw makes the case for restaurants selling tickets as a solution to no-shows. Shaw establishes early on that her dining experience requires some form of guarantee for a table as to not be made to wait. "I always prefer to book a table at a restaurant to avoid a long wait in a noisy bar...Maybe it’s my age or maybe it’s that when I go out, I want to enjoy the experience."
Shaw then lists some eye-popping prices of reservation cancellation fees that restaurants in her area are charging:
Tetsuya’s $210 (credit card charged)
Momofuku Seiobo $175 (credit card charged)
Quay $175 (credit card charged)
Sepia $150 (credit card charged)
The Tea Room $150 (deposit lost)
Rockpool on George $100 (credit card charged on bookings of 5 or more)
As detailed in a previous post, Next restaurant owner Nick Kokonas says that even with hefty cancellation fees in place, a good percentage of diners still don't show up. Some no-shows go to the extreme of calling their credit company to refute or block the fee from being charged - so much for requiring a credit card during the telephone call.
Shaw goes on to ask to her loyal readers if the idea of buying a ticket, instead of making a spoken promise to appear on the telephone, appeals to them, sparking a debate. Of the more than 100 comments made in response to the Orgasmic Chef's question ("Would you buy a non-refundable ticket to eat out and consider that it’s like any other pre-purchased event ticket?") the majority would buy a ticket for a multi-course, prix fixe menu experience, but not for a more casual meal (aka "Fast Casuals").
The very same question was also asked by talk show host Tim Cox when he interviewed food writer Natascha Mirosch (audio above).
Mirosch says it is likely that restaurant ticketing software will be the ultimate solution to no-shows, sooner rather than later. Her opinion is based on the horror stories told to her by restaurant owners who lose hundreds of dollars for each no-show. If you work in the restaurant industry, or you are a restaurant owner, listening to the entire audio interview above is highly recommended.
The economic realities of owning a restaurant requires that the $175-$400 loss per no-show must be recovered. But rather than wait until the losses are piling up, why not simply eliminate the problem permanently? Selling tickets in advance solves the reservation no-show problem if you are offering a set menu or if your restaurant is routinely at/over capacity.
Even if you are not using a prix fixe menu, implementing a pre-paid ticket system during your peak times could save you thousands of dollars by staving off no-shows. And should you implement online ticketing for reservations, make sure it can accept and process the full amount of what a table is worth during “prime time” dinner service.
ThunderTix restaurant ticketing software lets you leave no-shows behind and sell tickets in advance just like Next restaurant in Chicago. And we make nightly deposits of your sales dollars directly into your bank account, giving you the liquidity to buy only what you need for the menu – no waste.
When you say “table d’hôte” we know what you mean. In addition to being the most restaurant friendly ticketing software available, know that ThunderTix has years of experience in enabling venues to sell tickets online. You will inherit all that expertise when you decide to make the move from telephone reservation to selling tickets, either all-at-once or gradually.
Be sure to take a look at our other features and sign up for a free trial today!