ottawa foodies

Here is a story on a new reservation system (if that is the right word) that some restaurants in the US are experimenting with. It will be interesting to see if it makes it's way into Canada.

www.mercurynews.com

I don't mind the idea of a non-refundable reservation fee ($25 - $50) that would then be applied to your total bill at the end of the meal, provided that this helps the establishment from increasing costs due to empty tables.

I am utterly fine with restaurants taking a deposit to ensure reservation, forfeit if the customer is a no show/no call.

It seems totally reasonable to me. I'm not aware of any other industry that would tolerate online bookings without a deposit.

It would also cut down on the restaurant industry people ranting about no-shows on social media! :-)

You can reserve a car overseas without a deposit on AVIS I think.

We did it, but as it turned out, the price we got reserving in Canada was cheaper than the best deal they could give us at the counter so we used our reservation.

Restaurants can't work the way a car rental place would. You can't call a nearby identical restaurant and ask them to seat your customers because you ran out of seats... or rather, they could, but a different restaurant gets the money, the customer doesn't get the food they wanted, and unless the other place is extra super high tech, they can't bring to table to the customer.

The recent spat of no-show shaming on social media has been amusing, but ultimately i think that it wasn't wasted.

I bought tickets to Alinea in Chicago (where this system originated) last year. It would have cost me more to cancel my dinner reservations than my flight, so you bet I got my butt in my seat on time! It was also worth every penny and I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

This article is not talking about a smallish deposit for a reservation. They are talking about "ticketing"

"Unlike traditional reservations, the ticketing concept requires customers to pay for their meal in advance. And if they fail to show up, they don't get a refund.Customers go the restaurant's websites to pick a day and time for their meal, and pay for it then with a credit card"

" For reservations beginning Sept. 1, Coi's customers can buy a dinner ticket that costs $145 to $195 -- depending on the time and day -- plus tax and an 18 percent service charge. The ticket can't be exchanged for a different night and there are no refunds if the person fails to show up."

For "destination" restuarants, I can see where this is very attractive.
I am not so sure how I feel about ticketing overall. A deposit for a reservation, sure.

lovetoeat, this was my understanding of the process as well from this and another article that I've read about the ticketing system - you pay in full for the food in advance, without the option of a refund.

Personally, that would make me feel very uneasy about buying. If for some reason I'm not able to go, then the onus is on me to sell the ticket to someone else I guess, which sounds like a big pain. I suppose it's no different than concert tickets, so maybe I'm just opposed to the ticketing system for restaurants because I'm not used to it.

I've never heard of restaurants charging a deposit but I would be much more in favour of that.

Do they deliver. . . . . . ?

The article was clear, i was raising a different but related point.

I'm generally good with the ticket system. ProciuttoEggs raises some valid concerns but i figure that's more of a customer service issue than a customer not showing up to be served thing.

We've seen the restaurant ticketing system already right here... see Forum - Two spots available for Au Pied De Cochon - Cabane à Sucre.

For food that is an event, this is really no different than ordering tickets to a sporting event or theatre performance. You can't reserve a seat at a Senators game and then cancel (or not) at the last minute without paying for a ticket. I'll bet you anything that THRU will require prepayment if/when it opens. With a total of six seats, nothing else makes sense.

At more run-of-the-mill restaurants customers are less likely to tolerate a ticketing system. Hipsters do like to stand in line though, so all bets are off. :-) As always, the customers will decide where the line of acceptability should be drawn...