Just before the Labor Day weekend, I received an email from one of my all-time favorite restaurants, Majolica in Phoenixville, PA, noting what has apparently become a chronic problem for dining establishments.
It seems that during a recent busy Saturday evening, the restaurant had twelve people that did not show up for their reservations. These were people who had been called that day to confirm their reservation date, time, and number of people in their party.
Even forgetting the economic impact that this has on a BYOB restaurant like Majolica, and the fact that it is only common courtesy to cancel if you know you can’t make a reservation… the real tragedy is the fact that the restaurant had TWENTY people on a waiting list for reservations that particular evening. Twenty people who wanted to dine at this restaurant and couldn’t!
But the most frustrating part of this problem is that – apart from overbooking in anticipation of no-shows – there is very little a restaurant can do to protect itself.
So, as a matter of common courtesy… if you happen to find yourself in a bind and unable to make a reservation that you’ve confirmed, please call the restaurant to cancel… as there will undoubtedly be someone on the waiting list eager to take your place. That way, everyone wins.
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