Canceling restaurant reservations at the last minute — some of us are probably guilty as charged, but have you ever stopped to think how your spontaneous change of plans could affect the eatery’s business?
Well, here’s Artichoke chef Bjorn Shen to paint a picture of what it looks like for you. And it ain’t pretty.
On a Mar. 24 post that subsequently went viral on Facebook, Shen got honest with the public about the ridiculous situation that is last-minute no-shows. At 6:45pm, he snapped a shot of his rather empty-looking 100-seater space, explaining that it was supposed to be packed to the brim based on reservations. However, he had just fielded a whopping 32 last minute cancelations.
One-third of the night’s revenue gone, just like that, with not much hope of welcoming walk-ins, as the Middle Road restaurant had spent the past week telling customers it was fully booked.
Shen went on to explain that this wasn’t some freak occurrence — it was more of a regular sight every week.
“All these wasted seats, all the wasted food, and all the over-rostered staff,” he said. “All this wasted effort and money.”
So in an effort to switch things up in favor of his business, Shen announced that Artichoke will take deposits for all group bookings over 10 people starting in April.
“If that pisses you off, too bad. We gotta eat,” he shrugged.
It’s a bold move, but one that’s aimed at tackling a very real problem, and Shen maintains that “a reservation is a 2-way promise”.
“We’ve been holding up our end of the deal for 8 years, and if you still can’t honour your end of it, then don’t mind if we have to take deposits or pre-payments to prevent you from playing us time and again,” he ended his post.
According to Channel NewsAsia, Artichoke’s new group reservation policy will require your credit card details, so if you cancel less than 24 hours before your booking (or you don’t show up at all), you’ll be charged a penalty fee that’s half of the average bill for brunch or dinner.
Judging from the slew of comments online, it seems fellow restaurateurs and customers are standing with Shen in support. After all, people are trying to make a living here, and it’s basic courtesy to turn up for an appointment, or at least inform them if you’re not going to make it.
