No Shows - Please Tell Us If You Aren't Coming!

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We recently re-opened the outdoor Garden Terrace following lockdown. We’ve been delighted with the demand; it’s been lovely to see familiar friendly faces as regular customers have returned and some new faces too - welcome!

Opening only the Outdoor Terrace whilst we prepare the inside spaces was always going to be a risky venture. As a small independent family business, whatever we do has to make a profit. It is how we make our living, how we support our family and pay the fixed costs of the building. It is also how we continue trading so providing jobs, and ongoing business for our suppliers. We are are a valued part of the Otley economy and local community.

‘No Shows’

Whilst we are grateful for the support we have received during lockdown and since re-opening, an increasing number of guests who have booked a table on the Garden Terrace have not arrived (‘no-shows’) … and did not cancel or let us know they were not coming.

This is part and parcel of running a restaurant but it is not without consequence, especially when we, like many other restaurants, are operating on very slim profit margins, with reduced seating and increased costs as COVID safety measures are implemented.

Consequences

Guests who do not cancel in effect ‘block’ a table for use by others. This weekend we had too many blocked tables we could have allowed others to use had the original booking been cancelled. Indeed we turned people away on the expectation that the tables were booked. On Saturday alone we had 20 no-shows. That is 20 tables we could have allowed others to use. It is especially frustrating as we turned away guests who could have used those tables. It is 20 tables that have generated no income.

For us it means operating at a loss, wasted ingredients and staff under-employed. Ultimately it may mean that we do not open at all.

If one party is a no-show it is manageable. But when 20 tables are empty due to no-shows it has a serious impact on how we operate and our viability.

We completely understand that plans change due to personal circumstances, preferences and the changeable nature of the weather in Otley. All that we ask is that if you cannot come as planned, please tell us so others can use the table.

How To Cancel Your Booking

Cancelling a booking is easy:

It takes only a moment to do and helps us more than you can know.

Thankyou for reading and your understanding.

Sofia Elena and Alessandro

Buon Apps Restaurant

David Pottsbuon apps