Like many restaurants, it hasn’t been easy for Mundo Trattoria lately.
Between construction, inflation, labour costs and staffing, staying afloat is sometimes a struggle.
On top of that, there’s been another challenge: people reserving a table and not showing up.
“It is more frequent than not,” said Julian Ierfino, Mundo Trattoria co-owner. “Especially larger tables, 10 to 15 people on Fridays, Saturdays — they often reserve prime time, 7 p.m., and you block off these times and then sometimes they won’t even cancel online or call and then 7:30 p.m. no one is here.”
Quebec’s restaurant association (ARQ) says the troubling trend has been on its radar for years.
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It estimates that no-shows cost a restaurant on average about $47,000 a year.
“With $47,000 in cost, we need to have some tools to change the behaviour of customers,” said Martin Vézina, the ARQ’s vice-president of public and governmental affairs.
To do that, the association has asked the government to change the law and allow restaurant owners to be able to charge clients who don’t honour their reservations.
And recently Quebec’s hotel association (AHRQ) has also joined the call.
In an email to Global News, a spokesperson for Quebec’s justice minister said that at their request, “Quebec’s restaurant association and the consumer protection office has met to discuss the phenomenon and we are currently analyzing the solutions that could be put in place to address this problem.”
In the meantime, they urge people to cancel their reservations if they don’t intend to show up.
Some clients also think it’s only fair.
“It’s a question of respect,” Jake Charlton said. “So I do believe restaurants should have the right to charge no-show fees, but an amount reasonable.”
The restaurant association says serious discussions with the government are currently underway, and it’s hoping to serve restaurants some good news in the near future.