Le Hobbit restaurant in Quebec sparked widespread outcry after a disastrous evening in which nearly 30% of reservations simply didn't show up in the middle of the holiday season.
“I have staff who have canceled activities planned between Christmas and New Year to get back to work because we know it will be busy and fun. It's really a shame to see that they did it for free,” laments Danie Ouellette, co-owner of The Hobbit.
Like many other owners in the industry, the entrepreneur says she is fed up with this “scourge” that has been going on for years. She therefore decided to denounce this “disrespectful and harmful” practice on social media this week.
Ms. Ouellette estimates that Thursday night's “no shows” unnecessarily took up more than a quarter of her dining room. “We had to turn away a good twenty passers-by because we kept these tables,” she notes.
“People say it's tourists who do this, who book at multiple restaurants to make sure they have space. The most frustrating thing is that this doesn't apply in this case. They were locals who knew how badly the restaurant industry was affected by the pandemic and everything that came with it.”
Legislation for rethinking
Exhausted, the owner of the Fondissimo restaurant in Magog, Jean-Philippe Plouffe, told the Journal a year ago that he would now charge fees to those who fail to keep their reservations.
However, this practice is discouraged by the Association des restaurateurs du Québec (ARQ) as it is not legal. Requiring a deposit is also not permitted.
Although The Hobbit hasn't decided to follow in the footsteps of the Estrie establishment, the restaurant on Rue Saint-Jean still requires customers who reserve a table to provide their credit card information.
The Le Hobbit restaurant on Rue Saint-Jean in Quebec denounced the “scourge” of “no-shows” on its social networks on Thursday evening. Photo Le Journal de Québec Vincent Desbiens
“It's enough to make customers think because we have everything they need to get them to pay.” But there are still a few people who are brave because they know we're doing nothing can,” continues Danie Ouellette.
For years, the ARQ has been fighting with the Quebec government to make changes. The organization wants customers who don't show up for a reservation to pay fees ranging from $5 to $20.
The co-owner of Le Hobbit restaurant says she is “very excited” to see if this idea will one day be implemented.
“Above all, we have to sensitize people. Even if it's a table for two, it can make a big impact. “Perhaps it is this table that causes us to hire extra staff for nothing and waste food,” she concludes.
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