CUSTOMERS not turning up for reservations – without giving notice of their cancellation – are becoming “a serious problem” for hospitality businesses, an industry leader has warned.
Marcus Calvani, the co-chief executive of the Jersey Hospitality Association, said the frequency of so-called “no-shows” in the Island had slowly grown over the past decade.
He revealed that the JHA was arranging a meeting to agree a new “standard practice” for restaurants, such as including deposits for table reservations.
His comments came after restaurateur Claudio Abreu raised the issue on social media, stating that the negative impact no-shows were having on both small and large businesses was “massive”.
Mr Calvani said: “This has been slowly getting worse over the last decade and has really started to become a serious problem in the last few years.
“It’s heartbreaking when you throw away food because people have not turned up and you’ve had to turn potential customers away. Some people have genuine reasons, but for others it’s just sheer bad manners and thoughtlessness.”
He noted that “times are not easy” for the hospitality industry, which he said was already battling “very tight” margins.
“When businesses are only making single-digit profit margins, no-shows can be the make or break if they are allowed to continue. It is for this reason that we have actioned our association to have a restaurant sub-sector meeting and for all restaurateurs to agree a new ‘standard practice’ for our island.
“As the hospitality industry, the last thing we want to do is implement anything that isn’t necessary to protect the businesses. Deposits for reserving tables and even guarantees on charges for no-shows have become common practice around the world and sadly it seems that we will have to follow in Jersey as a result of this behaviour progressively getting worse.”
He added that it had also become “standard practice” in the lodging, air and sea travel industries for customers to pay upfront, but that this was “not something that we believe is needed yet in restaurants”.
He continued: “However, it’s vital to protect the Island’s hospitality offering and our business owners’ livelihoods.
“Simple manners, courtesy and respect could have avoided this even being a topic; it’s a shame that the trust has been lost and that the minority are spoiling it for the majority.
“We absolutely want to deliver the highest level of hospitality for all guests, but without these protections businesses will cease to exist and our quality of life in the Island will be seriously negatively impacted.”
