With her train to London running late on the weekend of the coronation, Claire Gleave decided to cancel the restaurant table for five that she had reserved because she knew she would miss the 7pm booking. But she still ended up with a £125 bill.
The mother-of-three from the Cotswolds fell foul of reservation rules that, according to analysis by the Observer, a significant proportion of top-end restaurants have now adopted: if you cancel your booking too late or don’t show, you will be charged a fee. And that fee can be the same price as a number of courses or even a whole tasting menu.
A study by the Observer has shown that more than 90 of the top 100 restaurants in the UK charge for “no-shows” (where a customer does not turn up) or for late cancellations. A cancellation fee can, in some cases, apply as far in advance as two weeks before the booking date.
When Gleave rang the restaurant in Chelsea five hours before she and her family were due to take their seats, she was charged a cancellation fee of £25 for each diner, a fact she only realised when she looked at her bank statement a few days later.
“I did cancel on the same day, but I would never not turn up. I figured I would be giving them some time to fill the space,” she says.
Our survey of 100 venues named in last month’s National Restaurant Awards shows that more than 90 charge amounts ranging from £20 to £375 if people don’t show. And it is not just high-end places – local venues where you can get well fed for £30 are also imposing penalties.
At the pricier end, the Ledbury in London, which features Isle of Mull crab and Cornish turbot on its menus, charges a no-show fee of £195 per head. The same rules apply at Core by Clare Smyth, a three-Michelin-star establishment, which charges a £150 fee for late cancellation. And if you cancel a booking at the Black Swan at Oldstead within 14 days before eating, you stand to lose the £50 deposit required for each diner.
The process of booking a table has changed significantly in recent years. With apps allowing multiple reservations for the same time on the same night, unscrupulous diners can choose the venue they want at the last minute and leave the rest with empty tables.
The introduction of fees for late bookings or no-shows, deducted from debit or credit cards required at reservation, is a result of this practice, say restaurateurs, who face significant losses if they have tables sitting empty.
Paul Foster of Salt in Stratford-upon-Avon charges £55, half the price of its tasting menu, if the table is cancelled two days beforehand. “If someone cancels midweek within 48 hours, we struggle to resell the table,” he says. “It is dead money. With that table being open, food has been ordered, prep has begun and staff have been scheduled. I’m very strict with it, and we have lost customers from it in the past.”
Andy Beynon of Behind, a one-Michelin-star restaurant in London Fields, said two guests not showing up results in a 15% loss in business. “This isn’t just about missed revenue – it’s about the hard work, time and financial resources that are invested into each preparation,” he said.
In Edinburgh, the Palmerston, voted No 41 in the top 100, charges £20 per head if there is a cancellation within 24 hours on tables of three or more. “We increased it from £10 because a lot of people don’t bat an eyelid at that [£10]. It made it a bit more serious,” said co-founder James Snowdon. “It makes people aware.”
Peter Backman, a restaurant consultant, said the problem had emerged in business bookings where participants don’t know when a meeting might end or what their client will want, to eat so they cover a few options by make multiple bookings.
Sameer Taneja of Benares in Mayfair said the number of no-shows declined considerably after they brought in a £35-a-head charge. “Currently we charge about four to six times per week for no-shows,” he said.
Outside Michelin-star restaurants and places where you can expect to pay more than £100 a head, smaller establishments typically charge less, with a one- to two-day cancellation period. The Tamil Prince in Islington, London, charges £35 a head for a late cancellation six hours before booking, while Tom Straker, known for his TikTok videos, charges the same in his Notting Hill restaurant.
Other restaurants in the top 100 have taken the policy even further, demanding full payment on booking, as with buying a concert ticket. Ynyshir, the Welsh restaurant voted best in Britain in the national awards, requires prepayment of £375 a head for dinner, with sales “final and non-refundable”, although they can be rescheduled with two weeks’ notice. Diners are advised to take out travel insurance in case they need to cancel at short notice.
Moor Hall in Aughton, Lancashire, requires payment of £225 per head for dinner at the time of booking. “Should you fail to cancel your reservation at least 14 days prior to your arrival, your payment will be retained as a cancellation fee,” the restaurant’s terms and conditions say.
The Man Behind the Curtain in Leeds asks for £135 in advance for dinner, which it calls “an event, like a concert or theatre experience”. If it is not cancelled within 48 hours, it won’t be refunded. “Late cancellations or no-shows are both damaging to the business and upsetting for other guests that really wanted a table,” its terms and conditions say.
Not all of the top restaurants charge. The Sportsman in Kent only takes bookings by phone or email and confirms a week in advance, saying that no-shows are rare. Singburi in Leytonstone, north-east London, is rated the 73rd best restaurant but is cash only and takes bookings on the phone.
Despite the warnings on websites, many restaurants are keen to show they are flexible and will refund fees if they get another booking. “If there are extenuating circumstances such as transportation strikes, bad weather or sickness we make exceptions,” said Taneja.
• This article was amended on 2 July 2023. An earlier version said the Observer analysis covered “the UK and Northern Ireland”.
