Restaurant charges $17 fee for customers who commit this common dining practice: ‘Going a bit far’

People are expressing “reservations” astir this caller policy.

A French restaurateur has been ripped online aft announcing a caller good connected eating parties whose number of members didn’t lucifer their original booking.

Olivier Vincent, chef and head astatine L’îlot successful Amboise, had reportedly go fed up pinch parties that either exceeded aliases fell short of nan number of patrons they had reserved for, local media reported.

The problem — which reportedly occurred connected a “weekly” basis, per nan leader — was peculiarly damaging arsenic his venue only has 20 seats.

Vincent announced successful a Facebook post, which has garnered 27,000 views successful nan first 24 hours, that diners who neglect to get pinch nan number of guests specified connected their preservation “will beryllium charged 15 euros ($17.27) per missing aliases further person.”

“Thank you for your understanding,” nan Frenchman wrote. “We’re present because we request to make group responsible.”

L’îlot presently boasts a respectable 4.7 stars connected Google, wherever it’s described arsenic serving “inventive gourmet plates prepared successful a down-to-earth edifice pinch an unfastened kitchen.”

According to Vincent, nan incorrect booking rumor had been ongoing since COVID, but things came to a caput past Sunday erstwhile 1 customer exchanged aggregate messages trying to alteration nan booking.

“After astir 10 emails pinch 1 person, she told america location would beryllium eight, past nine, and finally, they arrived astatine 7 without warning, without apology,” he recalled.

Vincent said there’s nary excuse for this correction successful a time and property wherever “everyone has their telephone connected them, 24/7, successful their pocket.”

 “If we are capable to reserve, we are capable to telephone to opportunity if we will beryllium less, aliases more, aliases that we are not coming,” he declared.

“If we are here, it is to work. It is not to person tables, not to person customers,” Vincent vented. “We shape ourselves truthful that everything is serene. We person staff. We activity pinch caller products. We do not salary labor and suppliers pinch Monopoly tickets. My edifice is simply a business.”

However, nan argumentation received mixed reviews pinch immoderate critics claiming that it was unfair to diners who had to cancel last-minute owed to unforeseen circumstances.

“A spot of a limiting business believe if location are only 1 aliases 2 group missing from a ample table,” said one. “Emergencies exist. You’re not going to get awesome publicity for yourself.”

They added, “Even if abuses exist, you are going a spot far. Imagine an on-call expert who can’t subordinate their family for dinner, aliases personification who has a family emergency.”

“A last-minute unforeseen event,” said another. “Getting near extracurricular nan edifice (it’s happened to maine before)… Well, I mightiness arsenic good spell location other then. It seems beautiful counterproductive to me.”

However, galore were connected committee pinch nan issue, which they felt was nan cleanable antidote to an pandemic of inconsiderate diners.

“I deliberation it’s wholly normal, group conscionable person to springiness capable notice, it’s a deficiency of bully manners, that’s what reservations are for,” said 1 defender. “You person guests, you count 8 people, 2 don’t travel without warning, you’ve done nan shopping and nan cooking accordingly.”

They added, “Personally, nan adjacent clip I don’t induce them. This is his livelihood, he loses 2 places, truthful I wholly understand his approach.”

Meanwhile, a chap restaurateur claimed that “this benignant of business has unluckily go commonplace.”

“Between phantom reservations, last-minute cancellations, and customers arriving very precocious hoping to beryllium served anyway, it’s go a existent headache,” they wrote. “For a mini establishment, each array counts. Service isn’t conscionable astir dishes coming out, it’s astir meticulous organization, a room team, precise timing—and erstwhile things spell disconnected nan rails because of sloppy behavior, nan nonaccomplishment of gross is very real.”