DB and Lumiere's pre-sup agreement
By Mia Stainsby, VANCOUVER SUN
February 10, 2009 5:01 PM
It's not the most romantic thing in the world but couples making reservations at DB Bistro Moderne and Lumiere for Feb. 14, one of the busiest restaurant days on the calendar, are being asked to sign a
"guarantee" form.
No-shows on that date will be charged the full Valentine's menu price of $85 per person at DB Bistro and $145 at Lumiere. And if they don't make cancellations within 24 hours of the date, they'll be charged $40 on the credit card number they'll have submitted.
"It's not to make money," says DB and Lumiere general manager Paul Quinn. "It's to confirm they understand if they don't cancel and don't show, we have permission to charge them. It's for Valentine's Day only, which is a high demand day. We take our reservations very seriously and we hope our customers do, too." Both restaurants, he says, are fully booked.
Quinn, who has worked in high-end restaurants in Ottawa and New York, says the practice isn't unusual on high-demand days.
To Vancouverites, the guarantee form and its consequences might come as a surprise as most restaurants do not charge no-shows except for large groups, absorbing any losses. It's been the stuff of other world cities. Not us.
Or is it? And are local restaurateurs moving in that direction?
Bearfoot Bistro charges $50 a person for no-shows as a general policy all year round. "It's like any other service industry, you pay to reserve theatre seats, air fare. It's a very common practice elsewhere in the world," says owner Andre Saint-Jacques. "When I reserved at Alain Ducasse at Monte Carlo, I was charged 250 euros per person three months in advance on my credit card. Every year I go on culinary trips and all the high-end restaurants ask for credit card information, even in Beijing. It goes on all the time in big cities."
Tojo's restaurant takes a $50 deposit per person for groups of 10, but doesn't charge for no-shows. Owner Hidekazu Tojo says about five per cent of customers cancel at the last minute.
One local diner, however, did not take well to the guarantee form. "I am fully horrified," wrote someone who emailed a Sun reporter upon booking at DB Bistro. "I can't believe a restaurant in the city will get away with having to sign a contract for a dinner reservation. Anyway, we have cancelled our reservation . . . instead we will order in!"
At Bishop's restaurant, known for exemplary hospitality, they don't charge no-shows on high-demand days, but they do ask for credit card information from large groups. The eternally gracious John Bishop wonders if the time has come to reconsider his policy.
"I can understand [DB and Lumiere's Valentine's policy]. You refuse other parties to honour reservations, you gotta pay staff, you got to have food on hand. On most evenings, there is a no-show," he says. "It's difficult, particularly in small restaurants where sometimes 10 per cent of reservations don't show. My own staff has heard stories that on special occasions, people book at several places and then decide where to go. The only thing that gives me comfort is I don't see no-show numbers increasing."
mstainsby@vancouversun.com
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Fair enough!
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but with all of these "fast casual" places, I never know what is expected.
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