Resto Réservation Deposits
- Thread starter cassidain
- Start date
A few years ago (I think 2017 or 2018) I contacted La Guerite to make a reservation for 5 people. They required a credit card to make the reservation with something of "no show" fee involved. I had not encountered this request before (at least in St barths) and the idea of throwing my credit card info around to a restaurant was off-putting so I declined. I then found a way to make the reservation, probably through St Barths Access, without having to provide my credit card info. On the day of our reservation Le Guerite sent an email CANCELLING our reservation! Needless to say we have not been back and will not go back to that restaurant.
Aipotu
SBH Insider
I (sorta) get the concept, especially during high season, but early November is usually not overly crowded, so it feels off-putting. And the Bonito form was clearly written by an angry lawyer, rather than a welcoming host. I actually find the terseness of the form more off-putting than the concept -- it's the polar opposite of hospitality. Bonito can do better (especially since this surfaced during a thread on how great their general manager is!)
Aipotu
SBH Insider
Per person! So in almost every case, a minimum of 300-600 Euro...
amyb
Senior Insider
garykool81
SBH Insider
Not sure if this is still the case, or if they have even reopened, but Le Sereno's Al Mare was requiring a deposit of €100 per person earlier this past winter. Not only that, but they required me to send a photo of my driver's license along with the credit card at the time. I don't mind the deposit since that is becoming more and more commonplace where we live in the DC area, but requiring an image of my photo ID seems highly unusual -- and, frankly, makes me concerned about identity theft.
MTBH
SBH Member
There is no way they are at 25% profit. Most operate around 0% sadly but 5% is about as good as it gets. Esp. for seasonal places. This makes these no show deposits pure highway robbery.
elgreaux
Senior Insider
The issue is that a lot of people have their hotel or a concierge service make three or four reservations for the same night, then they decide when it's time to go out, where they want to go, and don't cancel the other three reservations, so an otherwise full restaurants finds itself with no shows. Perhaps they are trying to nip that practice in the bud... by a real hit to the wallet.
cassidain
Senior Insider
that's pretty s****y
Reed
Senior Insider
It is amazing the number of calls I overhear while working events on Nantucket............."I am not even hungry now after all these hors d' oeuvres..........we should bail on our reservations". It is like a game to a number of what I would call professional goer-outers. I see the same on SBH as well. Meet up for a drink and stay longer because there is more than ample food and you are having a good time then you don't bother to turn up for your reservation. Short of maybe Select and a few other establishments offering a very casual menu, I would be hard pressed to come up with anyone who operates at a 25% food cost. Most restaurants count on wine and liquor sales for their income. When people cancel last minute it is extremely difficult to fill those seats with walk-ins on an island where everyone is reservation conscious to make sure they get a seat at their desired eatery. I have no issue with the practice of collecting a credit card number. I suspect in doing so, it acts as a deterrent for people who are restaurant promiscuous.
Cwater
Senior Insider
I agree.
Trés sad!
