Cancelled appointments, jobs at risk

It's just after 7.30pm and the table with the reservation for 7pm is still empty. Nobody is answering the phone and there has been no cancellation – it's slowly becoming clear that nobody is coming. A classic case of a no-show, i.e. an unannounced absence despite a booked appointment, which has become increasingly common in many industries in recent years. Aline Bourscheid, Managing Partner of the Hostellerie du Grünewald, Grünewald Chef's Table and Maison B restaurants, has long been aware of this phenomenon. However, it has worsened since the Covid pandemic.

"We now have around two no-shows a day at Maison B. I think there are several reasons for this, but first and foremost the computerisation of booking processes and the fact that many people have a much busier day, but are also afraid of missing out on things, " says the entrepreneur. The later the time, the more no-shows there are: 70 per cent of those who reserve a table for 9 p.m. or later don't turn up. "We usually wait half an hour, then we call. Some hang up immediately, others shout at us, others are embarrassed and apologise. Missing an appointment has happened to all of us. The difference is whether you are genuinely sorry or simply don't care, " says Bourscheid.

Empty tables that cost more than food

Many people don't realise this: With the exception of bread and ice cream, the entrepreneur's restaurants buy and freshly process all of their own produce each day, meaning that cancellations and no-shows lead directly to food waste. Added to this is the financial loss caused by not keeping appointments: "At Maison B, the average receipt, i.e. the average amount spent by customers, is 75 euros per person, at the Chef's Table it is 205 euros. So you can work out how much we lose from a table that doesn't turn up."

To illustrate the problem: the day before the interview, four people stayed away from the Chef's Table despite having a reservation. With a capacity of 21 seats, that's almost 25 per cent. Last New Year's Eve, there were even five in one of the restaurants, which particularly annoyed Bourscheid and her team: "We don't open on public holidays to fill our tills, but as a service for our customers to say thank you for their loyalty throughout the year." Due to the bad weather, reservations in Maison B even fell from 150 to 85 on one day, but everyone here officially cancelled, so Bourscheid was able to send members of her team home and anticipate the empty tables.