Current:Home > NewsMaking a restaurant reservation? That'll be $100 — without food or drinks. -Wealthify
Making a restaurant reservation? That'll be $100 — without food or drinks.
View
Date:2025-04-15 13:31:05
It's become increasingly common for restaurants to charge customers' credit cards even before they step foot into an establishment, let alone order food or drinks.
Referred to as a "reservation fee" and applied at the time of booking, the charge ranges in amount but inevitably peeves diners who don't want to be on the hook for what can add up to hundreds of dollars, if their dinner plans — for, say, a party of four — change at the last minute. But that is precisely why restaurants are increasingly implementing the fees.
Operating on razor-thin margins, restaurants can suffer financially if a large party decides on a whim not to show up for a booking. While charging $25 or so a head for no-shows doesn't make operators whole in the event of a last-minute cancellation, it does help them soften the blow. The fees also encourage guests to honor their plans. The rise of restaurant reservation platforms including OpenTable, Resy and others, also make it easy to collect and manage customers' credit card information.
"[Reservation fees] do give diners some skin in the game and serve as powerful motivation to show up," said Brian Warrener, a food and beverage operations management professor at the College of Hospitality Management at Johnson and Wales University.
The fees vary from restaurant to restaurant, and even at a single establishment, based on customer demand at a given time. When diners show up, the fees are typically deducted from a party's final bill.
This tactic has proved to be "a better model than adjusting the price of food, which most diners balked at," Warrener said.
Torrisi bar and restaurant in Downtown Manhattan requires a deposit of $50 a person upon making a reservation. If diners show up, the deposit is applied to the final bill. Customers have 12 hours before the time of the reservation to cancel the booking and get their deposit back. It's among the higher reservation fees around; fees at most restaurants are $25 per person or less.
According to data from OpenTable, 28% of Americans say they haven't shown up for a reservation they made in the past year.
When a big party cancels, or only partially shows up to the table, it can lead to food waste and excessive spending on labor costs — because of servers not having enough work for the evening. It all adds up to a substantial hit to restaurants' revenue.
"If you would end up with a 10%-20% net profit at the end of the night from a large party, you're not going to make that up [by] tacking a fee onto no-shows. There isn't nearly the kind of payoff you get from a big party," Warrener said. "But, they are likely to have people make every effort to show up, because nobody wants to be nicked $100 for nothing because they missed their reservation."
But not all restaurants are in a position to require a deposit upfront, especially when consumers can choose from plenty of restaurants that do not charge for reservations. "A consumer who doesn't want to pay a reservation fee because they may not show up has the opportunity to go elsewhere; it's just likely that elsewhere is going to be a less desirable location," Warrener said.
Safety net for restaurants
Restaurants famously struggled during the COVID-19 pandemic when restrictions were in place. As a result, more establishments have implemented measures designed to protect themselves against revenue loss.
"A lot of restaurants had issues with profitability, so they started thinking about implementing fees. A reservation fee is not to get more money out of diners, it's a financial safety net to prevent revenue loss, or to reduce the number of no-shows," said Apostolos Ampountolas, assistant professor of hospitality finance at Boston University School of Hospitality Administration.
Paying a fee for a reservation, which is typically deducted from the bill when a party shows up, is also less onerous for consumers than facing jacked up menu prices. "It helps restaurants maintain their bottom lines. It's increasingly clear coming out of the pandemic how tough it is for operators to run a restaurant with financial stability. That's why they are taking a more practical approach to managing reservations," said food and beverage consultant Lilly Jan.
Far cry from simpler times
With reservation fees, restaurants are treating dining out more like an experience, such as an event or hotel stay. It's not uncommon for hotels to similarly require nonrefundable deposits on guest rooms that can amount to half the cost of a stay. Guests also routinely pay in advance, and not after the fact, for tickets to shows and events.
"You're making a reservation like going to a show or any experiential moment. You're buying that access and they're selling you a prepaid ticket," said Stephen Zagor, a restaurant management professor at Columbia Business School.
When framed as more of an experience, it's not unreasonable to expect a charge to be attached, he said. But no consumer likes having to pay for anything that was once free.
"It's not out of line with expectations, but it's new to us," Zagor said. There was a time when we used to get everything for free and now suddenly things are a lot more complex."
Megan CerulloMegan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News Streaming to discuss her reporting.
veryGood! (61)
Related
- Olympic women's basketball bracket: Schedule, results, Team USA's path to gold
- Wildfires, gusting winds at Great Smoky Mountains National Park leave roads, campgrounds closed
- The White House is concerned Iran may provide ballistic missiles to Russia for use against Ukraine
- The Excerpt podcast: Hamas leader says truce agreement with Israel nearing
- Retirement planning: 3 crucial moves everyone should make before 2025
- Jalen Hurts leads second-half rally as Eagles beat Chiefs 21-17 in Super Bowl rematch
- Stockholm city hall backs Olympic bid ahead of key IOC meeting for 2030-2034 Winter Games candidates
- After the dollar-loving Milei wins the presidency, Argentines anxiously watch the exchange rate
- Bodycam footage shows high
- The Rolling Stones are going back on tour: How to get tickets to the 16 stadium dates
Ranking
- Judge says Mexican ex-official tried to bribe inmates in a bid for new US drug trial
- NFL’s look changing as more women move into prominent roles at teams across league
- Toyota's lending unit stuck drivers with extra costs and knowingly tarnished their credit reports
- US court denies woman’s appeal of Cristiano Ronaldo’s 2010 hush-money settlement in Vegas rape case
- US appeals court rejects Nasdaq’s diversity rules for company boards
- Federal judge grants injunction banning ‘Kansas Two-Step’ Highway Patrol tactic
- Next 2 days likely to be this week’s busiest. Here’s when not to be on the road -- or in the airport
- How do I boost employee morale during the busy holiday season? Ask HR
Recommendation
Oklahoma parole board recommends governor spare the life of man on death row
Tom Brady decries NFL's quality of play: 'A lot of mediocrity'
Israeli airstrike on south Lebanon kills 2 journalists of a pan-Arab TV station, official says
India, Australia commit to boosting strategic ties as their diplomats and defense chiefs hold talks
Paula Abdul settles lawsuit with former 'So You Think You Can Dance' co
Who won 'Love Island Games' 2023? This couple took home the $100,000 prize
Best Christmas movies to stream this holiday season: Discover our 90+ feel-good favs
Native American storytellers enjoying a rare spotlight, a moment they hope can be more than that