2023-12-29 20:52:41
The restaurant Le Hobbit, in Quebec, launched a cry from the heart following a disastrous evening during which nearly 30% of its reservations simply did not show up, in the middle of the holiday season.
“I have employees who have canceled activities planned between Christmas and New Year’s Day to go back to work, because we know it’s going to be busy and fun. It’s really a shame to see that they did it for nothing,” laments the co-owner of the Hobbit, Danie Ouellette.
Like many other owners in the industry, the entrepreneur says she is fed up with this “scourge” which has been going on for years now. She therefore chose to denounce this “disrespectful and harmful” practice on social networks this week.
Ms. Ouellette estimates that the “no-shows” on Thursday evening took up more than a quarter of her dining room completely unnecessarily. “We had to refuse a good twenty passers-by, because we kept these tables,” she notes.
“People say it’s tourists who do this, who book at several restaurants to be sure of having space. The most frustrating thing is that this is not true in this case. They were locals who know how much the restaurant business has been affected by the pandemic and everything that comes with it.”
Legislation to rethink
Exhausted, the owner of the Fondissimo restaurant in Magog, Jean-Philippe Plouffe, had confided to Journal a year ago it was now going to impose fees on those who do not honor their reservations.
This practice is, however, discouraged by the Association des restaurateurs du Québec (ARQ), since it is not legal. It is also not permitted to require a deposit.
Although The Hobbit has not decided to follow in the footsteps of the Estrie establishment, the restaurant on rue Saint-Jean does however ask for the credit card information of customers who reserve a table.
The restaurant Le Hobbit, located on rue Saint-Jean in Quebec, denounced the “scourge” of “no-shows” on its social networks on Thursday evening. Photo Le Journal de Québec Vincent Desbiens
“It’s enough to make customers think, because we have everything they need to make them pay. But there are still a few people who are going to be bold knowing that we can’t do anything,” continues Danie Ouellette.
For years, the ARQ has been engaged in a standoff with the Quebec government in order to change things. The organization would like fees ranging between $5 and $20 to be paid by customers who do not show up for a reservation.
The co-owner of the restaurant Le Hobbit says she is “very eager to see” if this idea will one day be implemented.
“Above all, we need to make people aware. Even if it’s a table for two, it can have a big impact. “It’s perhaps this table that will cause us to bring in extra staff for nothing and waste food,” she concludes.
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