Reservation no-shows double in past year, CGA finds

The number of consumers not showing up for their reservations in pubs, bars and restaurants has doubled since September last year, according to the latest research from Zonal and CGA by NIQ. 

Some 12% of consumers are still not honouring their reservations and not informing venues in advance that they need to cancel. 

The latest findings have highlighted the financial impact that not turning up has on the industry – costing the sector £17.59bn per year in lost revenues alone. 

The damage is even greater once wasted food and staff costs are taken into account. Unsurprisingly, restaurants are the most severely impacted, as they experience 27% of the cancellations across the industry.

Following the launch of the industry-wide #ShowUpForHospitality campaign that was spearheaded by Zonal in September 2021, the percentage of hospitality customers booking but simply not turning up dropped from 14% at launch to 6% by September 2022. 

A further 12-months on again, however, and consumers appear to have fallen back into old habits and rates of no-shows have significantly increased once more.

Olivia FitzGerald, chief sales and marketing officer at Zonal, said: “These latest insights show that no-shows are still very much an issue facing the industry and it is a costly one. It is important that we continue our efforts to educate customers on the impact that not honouring bookings has on the industry, as well as finding ways for businesses to help reduce the risk of these no-shows occurring.

“Whilst the industry has made significant steps to reduce these figures, there is still more work to be done. We want to again bring the industry together to raise awareness of the issue, to share knowledge on how to mitigate the problem, as well as encourage customers to always show up for hospitality and help support their local pubs, bars and restaurants.”

Andy Dean, client director for CGA by NIQ, added: “This research is incredibly important in highlighting the impact no-shows are having on the hospitality sector, as customers might think missing a reservation is only a minor inconvenience for the venue and staff. 

“The wider connotations need to be emphasised to customers, so they appreciate the need to show up for hospitality, support the industry and the workers within it.”