Restaurants seek solution for no-shows, as customers who don't cancel continue to create huge problems

Joe McNamee says customers really should inform about an unwanted booking in plenty of time, while restaurateurs are already finding ways of penalising punters who don't

No-shows continue to present problems for restaurants, especially after the year the sector has endured

While 'no-shows' have long been an issue for the hospitality industry, many restaurateurs say they have become even more of a problem in this Covid-ravaged year.

“No-shows continue to be a huge issue in our industry,” says Restaurants Association of Ireland CEO Adrian Cummins, “since reopening on December 4, consumers have been making multiple bookings in numerous establishments and either didn’t turn up at all or if they phoned to cancel, did it very late in the day.”