Early frontrunner for jackass of 2009

It’s a pain but many restaurants require credit cards when making reservations. Especially on busy holidays like Valentine’s, and that makes regular patrons angry. But there is a reason for this. Many reasons in fact. Such as this gentleman low-down-good-for-nothing jerk in Des Moines who made reservations at 10 restaurants on Valentine’s. Yes, 10!  From the Des Moines Register:

My friend Ethan, owner of Fleur Wine and Ale, poured lots of yummy sparkling wines last night and while he was there, told me a story that made my jaw drop… Ethan told me that he knows a guy that books reservations at about 10 restaurants to surprise his wife and then gives her the choice at the last minute. The 9 losing restaurants? Yup. Just got stood up. Ethan said the guy never canceled a reservation.   

Sadly, the world is full of people like Ethan’s friend who see a reservation as a one-way agreement and not the contract it is. The trade magazine Nation’s Restaurant News estimated the no-show rate at between 10 and 30 percent of all reservations — and that includes restaurants with months-long waiting lists. Customers, for the most part, have not been held responsible but 15 years ago credit-card reservations began changing that.

Even though they’re standard in high-end restaurants, the reservation charge is still not popular. But it does work. When American Express did a study of people who had given credit cards before reserving, the no-show rate dropped to seven out of 10,000 reservations or .0007 percent.

Another way of dealing with no-shows is using Open Table. The program will bar a person from making reservations if they miss more than four in a 12-month period.

If you really do have to miss a reservation due to an emergency, call the restaurant at the earliest convenience and if it’s within a couple of hours, apologize profusely and get the Maître d’s name. That way, when you make up the reservation you can introduce yourself, apologize in person and let the restaurant know you aren’t one of those Des Moines types.