No-shows put restaurants on the brink of closure

An increase in no-shows and last-minute cancellations has left about a fifth of restaurants on the brink of permanently closing their doors.

Each customer that does not show up costs proprietors an average £89, with a third giving less than an hours’ notice for cancellations, making it unlikely that another booking will be received in its place.

In a survey of about 200 restaurants by Barclaycard Payments, owners claimed that instances of diners failing to turn up for reservations had risen by 40 per cent, with the rate of cancellations 35 per cent higher still.

More than a third of establishments take card details when accepting bookings and charge a fee if a customer does not turn up, and a further 37 per cent intend

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