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If it's a restaurant whose reservations are hard to come by then I can sort of see the justification. On the other hand, life happens and it seems unfair to punish a diner whose father passes away (for example) and can't make the reservation. This is a tough one. If you can afford to eat at this particular type of restaurant then you probably can afford to pay if you can't eat there. I don't have much sympathy for either side.

I'm the GM of a small bistro and wine shop - we do charge no-shows for things like winemaker dinners or for NYE parties, Valentines Day, and things like that - anything that requires a pre-payment, or a credit card to hold a reservation. If they give us 24 hours notice, we don't charge them, and obviously...if it's less than 24 hours and it's a genuine emergency, we don't charge them for the meal they're missing. We do it on these occasions because our chef is making food that isn't normally on the menu and will otherwise be wasted if the people he's cooking for don't show up. There isn't a way for us to recoup those losses.

Yet another sign of the times. Granted, we as diners should always do our part to cancel a reservation with as much notice as possible. However, to be charged a steep fee if we don't or can't give notice, while more or less fair to an establishment, will probably do more in the long run to alienate regular and potential clientele. The real trick here is that are some restaurants that can get away with this and many, many restaurants that have no business even thinking about charging for a missed reservation. Unfortunately, that determination is mostly subjective. For my part, it tends to be a (from-the-gut) call I make during the reservation process--if I don't feel like leaving a CC# with my name a number at a particular place, I stop the reservation, tell them why and make another call. I haven't gone hungry yet!

I don't mind the cancellation fee since its spelled out. I can't speak for Per Se, but Ko only seats 12 people at a time so I'm sure missing a reservation for 2 or 4 cuts into the margin quite a bit since they only turned a fixed amount of tables every night. Especially if they can't get someone to take over that time slot.

It's a commitment device. Restaurants that can get away with it should do it. Restaurants that can't get away with it will stop it faster than they started it. This is one of those situations where things just work themselves out. There really is no right or wrong. If you think it's wrong, I'm pretty sure Per Se and Momo Ko do just fine with the people who planned on showing up anyway.

Now if something crazy happens and you really have to go somewhere else. And you call to explain and they're dicks about it... then you should probably trash them to hell. But hopefully restaurants are run by people with brains so hopefully it doesn't come down to that. But if restaurants are super strict no matter the circumstances, I think individuals should pull no punches in getting back at the restaurants.

I think a no-show charge is fine IF the seat can't otherwise be filled. I would be willing to bet that somewhere like Per Se has a waiting list that could fill needed seats very quickly. Just as comparison, I've been on the waiting list at Chez Panisse in Berkeley and gotten a call at maybe 5 pm for a 9 pm seating--and snatched it up (and I'm betting others would have if I didn't)!

Thus, three days seems totally unreasonable. On the other hand, if the person NEVER calls and the restaurant must hold the seats open for a certain amount of time, then a fee is acceptable because they have objectively lost business. Why not do it like my hairdresser: if you cancel withing 48 hours AND they can't fill the appointment, you're charged 50% of the price; if they do fill the appointment with another client, no charge. This seems to me to strike an appropriate balance between not letting customers screw over the business by cheating them out of customers, but also not having the business get excess money from customers when they're not losing any.

One could argue you are not going to a restaurant when dining at Per Se or Ko, but are, in essence, purchasing a ticket to a dining experience, much like a Broadway show. In fact, Thomas Keller and David Chang are more famous than most Broadway stars.

Similarly, the sports ticket and a restaurant seat are both perishable items... If you owned Yankee or Mets tickets and couldn't make a game, you get stuck with the tickets, coincidence that the common phrase is "I had to east them!" Similarly, the sports ticket and a restaurant seat are both perishable items...

I could see this expanding to more restaurants in demand. Advanced purchasing of a seat reservation, and lower price a la carte menu. It would be an interesting way for the restaurant to keep average seat revenue up.

If they are willing to pay me if my table isn't available at the reservation time, I'm happy to pay a no show fee...

I agree with wotstaters. I would not give my CC# over the phone to a host/hostess. I've seen how "carefully" the reservations book is tended. Too many people have access to it, including other guests when the host/hostess is seating diners. If, indeed, online guests are fighting for these tables, it shouldn't be hard for the restaurant to fill them, even if they have to take walk-ins.

If it's a good restaurant then a no show isn't a big deal as they will be those waiting to fill the spot. Let's get real here, a doctor or medical specialist might charge if there's a no show, but they're performing a service & they usually call their patients the day before to reconfirm. To me, charging a diner a late fee helps to feed that restaurateur who has an over inflated ego. You don't need to charge anyone.........when a customer calls, just politely say that the reservation will be held for 15 minutes & after that it's gone.

Stick to the basics please & serve up great food along with great service (remember, those two go together) & they will come.

I'll pass on those places. The economy may soon prove that it's a quick ride from "Why yes, I'd be thrilled to have my name on your cookware" to "Yo! Soup jockey! Order up!"

I can see charging someone who doesn't notify the restaurant at all, but the fee for three days or one day is pretty steep.

This brings to mind a hotel reservation where I paid to have the room held for me because my flight was going to be late, and I wanted to be assured of a room.

I got there, and they'd overbooked, so there was no room for me. But they still wanted me to pay the fee. Huh? The room wasn't held for me, so what was I paying for?

At a restaurant, I can see charging an advance fee for holding a table, or a set number of seats, if a restaurant has specific seating times. The understanding being that you need to be there at x time, or they'll offer up the table to someone else who is there and waiting. Or you pay the fee, and they'll hold the table for you until you arrive. Some people would find that fee perfectly acceptable and others would be sure to get there 15 minutes early. But in this case, it's the customer deciding if they want to pay or not. And if they aren't on time, they can't whine about not getting seated right away. And it gives other people the opportunity to snag a table that might otherwise sit empty while the restaurant waits for the reservation to arrive.

yes, for parties of 6+ or at upscale restaurants where a no show has an impact on their margins and screws up their reservation system. no, for 4 top or less at a place that allows walk-ins and isn't perpetually booked. regardless of a no-show fee, diners should always notify the restaurant if they're no longer able to make it. i also doubt too many restaurants besides per se could get away with a $175 fee with a 3-day cancellation policy.

Oh, and @therealchiffonade If you were under a bus and dying, I'm sure a restaurant like Per Se, would make an exception and just ask you or your family (if you had passed) to fax a copy of your EMS report or something and you wouldn't get charged.

However, I find it crazy that you think Thomas Keller is rolling around in the dough from canceled reservations. His food's reputation and consistency, no matter what chef is at the helm, and the fact that it continues to delight and surprise people, is part of what makes him successful and do not forget that most of the money paid in any restaurant goes to overhead. No matter the price paid, that higher price is for better ingredients, better staff, a better restaurant, it rarely, if ever goes to the bottom line.

Thomas Keller himself continues to provide mentorship to all of his cooks and chefs and they all go do their own thing and frequently open their own restaurants. He is not rolling in dough from the cancellations of dying people, that's silly. If he is rolling in dough, it is because he works extremely hard as do all of his staff.

I don't know where I stand on small parties skipping out on reservations. However, I have long thought that any party of say 10 or more that reserves a table should not only be charge for not showing but if you reserve seats for 25 and 12 show up, the difference should still be paid. There is an extreme loss of moeny to the restaurant when you no-show a party reservation.

I just saw a show on BBC about how the big name chefs like Gordon Ramsay and Tom Aikens are not doing very well because of the bad financial times and people not eating out as much as they used to--particularly places that start at 75 pounds per head ($114). They actually were showing what you got for it at Ramsay's London--it all fit on a small platter. They said it was delicious, but not "value for money"--they felt very shortchanged portion-wise. Tom Aiken no longer owns his restaurant--he's just an employee there now that it went into receivership. And he's the youngest chef to ever get two Michelin stars.
I would NEVER give a CC number over the phone to some host or hostess to make a reservation--not with all of the ID theft going on these days.

Well, the idea is understandable and I sympathize, especially with the small business owner. But one wonders how "Joe Restaurant Owner" would implement the policy, if his/her place is not hot-hot-hot. If reservation is made on-line it's easy to get a credit card #, but how many people would give the number over the phone? and where is it kept? in the reservation book? How late is "no-show"? Farallon takes reservations in 15 minutes increments; if my party is 15 minutes late should I expect "seating if available" AND be charged a "no-show" fee? Especially at a less chi-chi place, I can see people coming in to complain about charges; that may be too high a price for a small biz owner.