25 people absent despite their reservation
Like many establishments, The Family Secret offered a special menu for New Year’s Eve, with carefully selected fresh products. But three reserved tables never showed up.
« In all, three tables never arrived. Including the children, that’s a total of 25 people who didn’t come. It’s huge. We obviously tried to contact them by phone, but they never answered us. », deplores Pascal Donfut.
Deadweight losses
These absences are called “ no-shows » in restaurant jargon.
« We had planned a special menu with all fresh products, such as shellfish. Impossible to freeze them. The goods had to be thrown away. And financially, the loss is also very significant. We can clearly say that we worked for nothing… Our mistake was not to ask for a deposit when booking. But we didn’t stop for a second at the end of the year. », continues Pascal Donfut.
Disappointment and anger remain strong for the restaurateur:
“It’s really not easy to get by in the Horeca (hotel and catering) world at the moment. You have to fight to get there. Unfortunately, more and more customers are dishonest. »
-
Pascal Donfut and his team do not intend to let themselves be defeated. A Moroccan couscous evening is already planned for Friday January 17.
“It will allow us to relaunch ourselves and obtain profits to make investments in the restaurant. Fortunately, we have a good reputation, on Facebook all the reviews are positive, and we can also count on loyal customers who have already responded for our evening on the 17th.”
To prevent such mishaps from happening again, Le Secret de Famille has changed its reservation policy.
“Now, for the theme evenings that we organize, we ask for deposits. At least we have certainties. »
Thanks to these measures and the support of his loyal customers, Pascal Donfut hopes that his restaurant will be able to overcome this difficult episode and continue its development.
Related News :