"One company has booked two restaurants. We had a no-show of 50 people »

It's starting to look a lot like the no-show season in the restaurant business. Restorer Elaine Murphy set up an extra chef and waiter at her gourmet restaurant The Washerwoman in Glasnevin last night for a group booking for 20 people. Five of them arrived for dinner.

"We really did staff and food for these people and there was no notice. We ended up billing half of the absentees. It seemed right. "

Murphy does not charge a reservation deposit, but requests groups of 10 or more or a credit card. No-shows will be charged the total price per head, she says. "It rarely happens," says Murphy. "If people keep in touch with us, it will not happen. We are really trying to keep people in touch regularly. "

The Commission for Competition and Consumer Protection is to conduct a formal investigation into a campaign by the Restaurant Association of Ireland encouraging members to demand non-refundable deposits in the event of no-show. It is not the Commission that represses the practice of individual restaurants, but an investigation into any alleged coordinated action by RAI, which would constitute a violation of competition law. How do restaurants handle non-presentations?

Two years ago, in the spiral staircase on Black Friday (this last Friday before Christmas), Murphy lost a booking of 50 people due to a no-show. "The company had two restaurants booked. We confirmed it, but they said they did not know which restaurant was calling them. The group had been in the Winding Stair for a decade, but the numbers had grown and two people were organizing it. "I hate to accuse people who did not show up," Murphy said. "But separating from a credit card number is no longer a priority for us."

Technology has not solved the problem. Murphy thinks that absences are more frequent. "People are more likely not to show up when they book through an app and when they have no human contact. Taxi drivers also say it. The person does not cancel a human voice. "

Gabriel Recchia, head of the locks on the Grand Cbad in Dublin, explains that this restaurant charges a deposit of € 20 per person for bookings during this time of the year and € 10 per head for groups over eight people the rest of the year. "We do a double check. We send emails and we call in advance. If people do not arrive within 15 minutes, he will give the table. "But it's pretty hard to attract visitors without an appointment." Locks will reimburse a deposit up to 48 hours in advance if people have to cancel.

"The worst time for no-shows is undoubtedly the beginning of December," said Recchia. "You have people who book two or three places to check which one is right for everyone."

The unenviable task of accepting the Christmas party reservation for everyone to adore food can involve a bit of panic, duplicate booking or even tripling. Sometimes when he calls to confirm a reservation, he has to ask "what restaurant are you?" Sometimes they forget honestly. "

At the Sage restaurant in Midleton, Cork, chef Kevin Aherne takes a deposit for any group of more than eight people. "We really find that confirming with people really does matter. The best booking system is a person with a phone and a pencil. This personal interaction usually ensures that people will arrive, "Hey, how are you, do you come tomorrow night?"

Last year, Aherne had been away 30 times. "They said," We just decided to go somewhere else. We had reserved two places. It was a Tuesday night, Aherne will not forget it soon. The booking deposit has resulted in "a dramatic decrease in the number of non-submissions," he said.

In Galway, Chief Jess Murphy only requests deposits for the upstairs private dining room to cover extra staff costs in the event of cancellation. In winter, most of their restaurant guests are locals. "We all know them, so we will not start charging someone who gets a 10% down payment twice a week. It's really based on trust. It is important that small businesses have this confidence. "

"The worst session we ever had was a table of 15 people when we opened for the first time, so we sort of learned from that." The Galwegians made their Christmas lunch in Kai a must-attend event . "We have the same guys who have come here for seven or eight years. They reserve the same dates each year. They "live the ideal" in terms of personal relationships with their customers. "We have thirty seats and most people have my personal phone number."