With her train to London running late on the weekend of the coronation, Claire Gleave decided to cancel the restaurant table for five that she had reserved because she knew she would miss the 7pm booking. But she still ended up with a £125 bill.
The mother-of-three from the Cotswolds fell foul of reservation rules that, according to analysis by the Observer, a significant proportion of top-end restaurants have now adopted: if you cancel your booking too late or don’t show, you will be charged a fee. And that fee can be the same price as a number of courses or even a whole tasting menu.
A study by the Observer has shown that more than 90 of the top 100 restaurants in the UK and Northern Ireland charge for “no-shows” (where a customer does not turn up) or for late cancellations. A cancellation fee can, in some cases, apply as far in advance as two weeks before the booking date.
To read the full story in The Guardian, please click here.
