No-show fees allowed at Quebec restaurants starting in July

Restaurants in Quebec could soon be able to charge a per-customer fee if a table is reserved and no one shows up. CTV’s Natalie van Rooy reports.

If you’re eating in Quebec, it could cost you to walk away from a restaurant reservation.

The Quebec government is putting forward new rules to allow businesses to charge customers for no shows. At La Squadra, an Italian restaurant in Gatineau, guests not showing up for reservations is a frustrating issue.

“Sometimes it can be thousands of dollars,” said Martin Rémillard, La Squadra owner. “Let’s say a group of 20 is not showing up, at $50 per person you can do the calculation, but it’s also the fact that I declined another reservation for those spots, so that’s where it hurts the most.”

Rémillard says the no-shows account for less than five per cent of bookings, but the impact is still felt when it happens.

He says last weekend 10 people pulled a no-show after the owner brought in staff to accommodate the larger group.

“None of them showed up so I brought some server to help them out and I kept a cook in the kitchen to be able to serve those people, and then they never showed up,” said Rémillard.

The Quebec government is cracking down on the issue. New regulation starting July 17 allows restaurants to charge $10 a person for no-shows, as long as the reservation is five people or more. Owners will not be allowed to charge if one member of the group shows up.

“It was about time. Quebec was the last province to provide the means to restaurant operators, in a way to fight against no-shows,” said Maximilien Roy, Restaurants Canada Federal and Quebec VP. “It’s a really a good step in the right direction.”

Restaurants Canada says businesses should be allowed to charge more than $10 and be able to charge for any no-shows, not just larger groups.

“Let me remind you that the profit margins for the industry is about three to five per cent. So, every little piece really counts when you’re a restaurant operator,” Roy said.

Association Restauration Québec says no-show reservations cost businesses an average of $47,000 per year and the association has seen cases up to $100,000 worth of losses.

“For smaller restaurants, the impact is bigger and there’s a trend of this issue getting bigger throughout every year,” said Rémillard. “You know, 10 years ago that effect was minimal. Now it’s, you know, almost every two weeks.”

To avoid the Quebec no-show charge, people need to cancel at least three hours before their reservations and business owners will be required to remind people about their booking.