Marios Bregu, the owner of Maria’s Greek Taverna in Cardiff, recently voiced his frustration on social media after he had 22 no-shows in a single night. The restaurant in Crwys Road, Cathays, was ‘hit hard’, and Mr Bregu had to throw away £200 worth of food at the end of the night after people did not turn up for their bookings.
No-shows & food waste are not an isolated incident; many independent restaurants are struggling to survive in the current economic climate, and no-shows/last-minute cancellations are adding to their woes.
For Mr Bregu, the cost of living catastrophe has been challenging for his restaurant, which has recently seen a drop in delivery orders and the average spend per customer. His energy bills have soared from £1,800 to £4,140 a month, and his annual water bill from £600 to £995. These soaring costs and the pandemic-induced drop in customers mean that no-shows threaten the future of independent restaurants like Maria’s.
We cannot overlook the urgency of the situation. Mr Bregu works 95 hours every week only to make about £1,000 profit in a month. No-shows are not simply minor inconveniences; they can differentiate between survival and closure for independent businesses.
Mr Bregu – ‘We don’t want to call out our guests or make anyone feel bad, but we want to highlight the damage no-show or late cancellations have on small businesses…’ Deposits are no real solution either. The standard range of a deposit for a booking resides between £10 – £50. In no way, shape, or form does this cover the cost of a full table of customers, eating, drinking & tipping. Deposits and charges are a relatively new phenomenon brought on through necessity as the problem has accelerated. Deposits and charges create barriers to booking and can prevent as many as a 1/3 of individuals from making that booking. They are generally unpopular and don’t replace the cost of a full-paying table. QZee is the only solution thinking outside the box here and solving the core issues.
My Bregu – ‘It’s okay if plans change, but please let us and the restaurants know. Even with an hour or so notice (or when you know there will be a change of plan), we can take other reservations or walk-ins and set up our restaurant to welcome all.’ QZee automates this whole process. From creating the booking, even reminding you to leave on time to make your booking, to automatically detecting if you aren’t going to show up and then filling that with our own ‘walk-ins’ in the form of our virtual queue.
Our solution is a deposit-free, spontaneous solution for any plan. On top of that, it helps your local businesses! No-shows are inevitable sometimes, but let us remove the awkward part for you and the businesses you visit!
https://metro.co.uk/2022/12/14/wales-cardiff-restaurant-owner-said-he-had-22-no-shows-in-a-night-17933736/
