Jean-Luc Boujon 09:17, October 05, 2022

A new trend is flourishing in French restaurants.

To remedy abusive reservations, which some customers never honor, restaurateurs have now decided to charge a deposit at the time of reservation, as in the city of Lyon.

A way not to blacklist unscrupulous customers and protect its turnover.

This is the new scourge affecting restaurants in Lyon: what is called "no show".

These are customers who never show up at the restaurant despite having reserved a table and who do not even call to cancel it.

A practice unfortunately "in full swing", explains Julien Le Guillou, boss of the Lyonnais stopper Antr'o'potes.

"There are so many people abusing it now, booking in several places. And then at the end they say 'so I booked there, there, there'. They choose but they forget to call back the others. Me I have 25 seats in my room inside. If I lose a table of six plus a table of four next to it, I have half of my service which is ruined", he annoys.

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A credit card imprint as a guarantee

To counter this practice, many restaurateurs have therefore decided to take a deposit upon reservation, like Marc Boissieux, boss of the Inattendu.

"It's a credit card imprint. For two covers, we will be around thirty euros: 15 euros per cover. This is what a table costs us, in fact, when it is not fulfilled. If you do not honor and well this sum will be debited. It is a question of survival, "he explains.

However, the trend does not shock most customers.

On the contrary, for them, it is almost common sense.

"I understand them perfectly. Last week, I had an imprint on my card for 15 euros if I ever did not honor my reservation. It surprised me at first, but to be a health professional regularly planted, I find that it is a way anyway to be compensated when you do not work", concedes a client.

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"Now, we pay more and more things in advance to ensure a service so that does not shock me", adds another customer.

The practice is therefore intended to be a deterrent, to avoid blacklisting unscrupulous customers...