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From Serious Eats: New York
cajunboy answered "Only particularly small or crowded coffee shops." to Should Coffee Shops Ban Laptops?
Poll posted by The Serious Eats Team, August 31, 2010 at 11:15 AM
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From Serious Eats
Quiz posted by Joshua Bousel, September 13, 2010 at 6:30 PM
From Serious Eats
Quiz posted by Joan Fang, July 12, 2010 at 7:30 PM
From Serious Eats
Quiz posted by Adam Kuban, March 9, 2010 at 7:30 AM
From Serious Eats
Quiz posted by Katie Quinn, February 1, 2010 at 7:00 PM
As noted in other comments, the key issues to me would be communicating the policy to the customer and the basis for the charges. Certainly there are the direct cost of any food preparation and the indirect cost of unused seating and table(s). And, under all but sudden and extreme circumstances, customers should honor their reservations. Aa well-communicated fee for no-shows might go far in helping them remember.
HOWEVER, if there is no lost revenue to the restaurant -- such as if the restaurant still had no available seating -- any no-show charges seem unjustified. If I'd arrived late for a reservation, had been charged as a no-show, and there were no tables available, I would never again attempt to dine at that restaurant.