One in five restaurants 'have considered closing' due to no-shows and cancellations

Recent research from Barclaycard has found that business owners have seen a 40% increase in no-shows since last year, rising to 57% for restaurants located in London.

As a result, nearly a fifth of business owners have considered closing, with this figure rising to 36% for London restaurants.

Businesses estimate they lose an average of £89 for each diner that doesn’t turn up, according to Barclaycard.

The research has also found that 23% of restaurant owners consider last-minute cancellations to be one of the biggest issues facing the industry right now, followed by no shows (22%), with significant impact on food waste, staff morale and revenue.

Britons would be less likely to cancel a booking if they had been asked to pay a deposit (33%), according to the research, indicating there are clear methods to deter cancellations and no shows, says Barclaycard.