More and more sugar shacks in the province are asking their customers to reserve and pay online to avoid this no showunfulfilled reservations that resulted in financial losses estimated at 15%, according to Sugar Bush owners.
• Also read: “No-show”: Make the settlers pay!
This is the case of the Érablière du Lac-Beauport, which, after consultation with other similar establishments in the Quebec City area, has decided to launch a new reservation and payment system on its website.
“As of this year, a number of sugar stands in the area charge customers in advance,” explains co-owner of the family business Richard Lessard.
And the businessman does not regret his choice, because all weekends until the end of April are practically fully booked and the income is already in the coffers.
Also at the Chalet des Érables in Sainte-Anne-des-Plaines, reservations and payments are made in advance on the site to avoid unpleasant surprises.
In the event of cancellation, the prestigious establishment will not provide any refunds. However, it is possible to transfer the reservation with a notice of 72 hours.
Satisfied costumers
This is the second year that the Érablière du Cap in Lévis has used the prepayment method. “Since we’ve been working like this, we can afford to take fewer people, but we have 100% of the people who come and the people are happy,” says owner Christine Tardif.
Other establishments prefer to recommend prepayment, but do not require it. Julie Blouin from Sucrerie Blouin on Île d’Orléans points out that most visitors book and pay online. When making reservations over the phone, she asks for a credit card number. “We decided to protect ourselves in this way,” she says.
The same observation for the La p’tite hut on the coast at Mirabel. “Yes, we work with prepayment, but we don’t force anything,” says manager Émilie Barbier.
For his part, Robert Dufresne of the Cabane à sucre du Bois-É in Trois-Rivières is considering this solution to counteract the problem of non-compliance with reservations. “I have no choice but to do it next year, especially the groups,” admits the man.
On the rise in gastronomy
Missed reservations have become a real nuisance in the restaurant world.
On Monday, the Association Restoration Québec (ARQ) presented the results of a survey of its members, which showed that 65.8% of them said they had noticed an increase in “no-shows”. Only 2.8% of the managers surveyed state that they have never had to deal with this situation.
what they said
- “People booked for 20 people, it rained and people decided not to come” – Richard Lessard, Érablière du Lac-Beauport
- “Of the 30 people who don’t come, we’ve seen it before” – Julie Blouin, Sucrerie Blouin on the Île d’Orléans
- “There were a lot of people who didn’t come, on average it was a good 15%” – Christine Tardif, Érablière du Cap in Lévis
- “Constantly 15% of people don’t come, it makes a big difference because we turn customers away” – Robert Dufresne, Cabane à sucre du Bois-É in Trois-Rivières
- “Customers can make a deposit or pay in advance. It’s also easier and faster once you get there.” – Émilie Barbier, La p’tite hut on the coast, in Mirabel
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