How to reduce no shows in restaurant



When running a restaurant, one of the biggest challenges you can face is dealing with no-shows. These are customers who book a table but fail to show up, leaving you with wasted time and an empty table. To reduce no-shows and ensure your restaurant runs smoothly, here are some tips:

1. Implement a reservation policy. Make sure customers understand the importance of giving you notice if they can't make it to their reservation. Require a credit card number to secure the reservation or ask for a pre-payment deposit, and be clear that there will be a fee for no-shows or late cancellations. Another option is to inform customers that any no-shows or late cancellations can result in their email being added to a list of non-reliable guests, and they may not be able to make instant reservations in the future or guarantee the seat.

2. Use a reliable reservation system. Having a good system in place is essential for managing reservations and keeping track of no-shows. Look for a system that allows you to easily make, manage, and track reservations.

3. Make it easy to cancel. Make sure customers can easily cancel their reservations by providing a phone number in the email or a cancellation link. You should also make sure your website has a canceling functionality so customers can do it without having to call.

4. Send reminders. Send customers a reminder a few days or a few hours before their reservation to make sure they don't forget. This also gives them the opportunity to cancel or reschedule reservations.

5. Call customers. On the day of their reservation, call customers to confirm and make sure they're still coming. This will help reduce the number of no-shows, as customers will be less likely to forget if you give them a reminder.

6. Send SMS reminders. Send customers a text reminder on the day of their reservation with a link to confirm that they're still coming. This will give them an easy way to confirm their attendance and ensure they don't forget. By implementing these tips, you should be able to reduce the number of no-shows at your restaurant and ensure your business runs smoothly.

By utilizing a reliable reservation system, making sure your restaurant is easily visible online, sending reminders and confirmations, and adding to your reservation policy, you can significantly reduce no-shows and ensure your restaurant runs more smoothly. Our ReDi Restaurant Reservation application can help you improve no-shows and reduce the losses caused by them. We offer pre-payments, Email, and SMS reminders with cancellation links, Cancel reservations from the web and we can call customers by our voice bot on your behalf.