Restaurant no-shows hit record high
New figures from Zonal's latest GO Technology report, produced in partnership with CGA by NIQ, reveal that the number of consumers not showing up for their reservations in restaurants, pubs and bars is back to a record high, with 14% of guests failing to honour bookings or inform venues in advance that they need to cancel.
In the survey of 5,000 adults, more than two-thirds (68%) claim they turn up to all of their bookings, 18% cancel in advance and one in seven (14%) admit they often don't turn up and don't tell the venue in advance.
#ShowUpForHospitality
Since the launch of the #ShowUpForHospitality campaign in 2021, GO Technology data has measured no-shows as decreasing. However, this latest insight shows they have returned to the same level as three years ago, highlighting the significant and persistent problem they present.
The findings revealed a direct link between the current financial landscape and the rise in no-shows, with 58% saying that they are severely or moderately affected by the cost of living crisis, and over a quarter (29%) of those who don't follow through on bookings citing cost as their number one reason for not turning up.
When asked what would make guests less likely to miss a booking, the following came out on top:
- Simple cancellation process (30%)
- Rewards and incentives (28%)
- Reservation reminders (25%)
- Deposits (21%)
- Loyalty/loyalty schemes (17%)
Commenting on the findings, Tim Chapman, chief commercial officer at Zonal, comments: "No-shows are a £17.59bn problem for the hospitality sector and the issue does not seem to be going away. In fact, this research suggests it has been exacerbated recently by the cost of living crisis.
"The report also reveals that those most likely to no-show are high-spenders and frequent visitors, which makes them very valuable customers to the sector. It is imperative that we get to grips with the problem, putting in measures to help customers keep in touch and working together to educate consumers about the damage not showing up can do to their much-loved local pubs, restaurants and bars."
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