When a party of nine arrived at Restaurant l’Îlot in the Loire Valley and had two fewer people than they had booked for, Olivier Vincent decided that enough was enough. The chef announced that diners showing up with a different-sized group to their booking would be fined.
“We have reached this point because we have to make people aware of their responsibilities,” Vincent told the radio station Ici Touraine. He said that diners would face a surcharge of at least €15 per person differing from the booking.
Under Vincent’s policy, the party of nine with two no-shows would face a €30 surcharge on top of the bill for food and drink.
The restaurant is located in the town of Amboise in France’s Loire Valley
In a message posted on Facebook, the chef said that the charge would apply to parties that were bigger or smaller than stated in the booking.
His restaurant, which serves dishes such as fish tartare and rabbit with garlic and thyme, seats just 20 people. Vincent said his establishment was disrupted by people who came in unexpectedly big or small groups.
“We’ve got staff. We work with fresh produce. We don’t pay the staff and the suppliers with Monopoly money,” he said. “My restaurant is a business.”
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He said he had exchanged “a dozen emails” with the customer whose attitude had irritated him.
“They told us they would be eight and then nine and finally there were seven of them without warning [us] or without apologising,” explained Vincent.
“Everyone has their telephone on them 24 hours a day. If you’re capable of booking a table, you’re capable of phoning to say that you’ll be more or less or that you’re not coming.”
The message put out to diners from Vincent about adhering to numbers when booking a table at the restaurant
Many French restaurants charge diners who book a table but fail to show up at all. However, l’Îlot is among the first to fine those who arrive but in numbers different from the original booking.
David Zenouda, deputy chairman of Umih, the hotel and restaurant owners federation in the Paris region, said it was “very frustrating” when party sizes were greater or smaller than expected.
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However, he described Vincent’s surcharge as “over the top”.
He said: “It will not be good for his reputation and I doubt that customers will come back with practices like that. He stands to lose much more than the 15 euros per missing customer.”
In a message on the restaurant’s Facebook page, one user said: “This is not going to be good publicity for you. Imagine a doctor who is on call and cannot join their family for a meal or someone who has a family emergency.”
Not everyone was a critic, however. “You’re right,” one online commentator said. “Respect and politeness are notions that are becoming unknown to people.”
Dining and Cooking