MONTREAL 鈥� The Quebec government says it will allow restaurants to charge people who reserve a table but who don't show up and don't cancel ahead of time, a change welcomed by an industry that says no-shows cost the average eatery almost $50,000 a year.
Under a regulation set to start July 17, restaurants will be able to charge up to $10 a person for no-shows, but only if the reservation is for five people or more. However, restaurateurs will not be allowed to charge the fee if at least one member of the group shows up to eat.
The new rule is in response to complaints by restaurant owners, who for years have been asking the government to help them recoup some losses from no-shows. Quebec's Consumer Protection Act forbids restaurants from charging no-show fees.
Association Restauration Qu茅bec, a group that advocates for the province's restaurateurs, says no-shows cost restaurants an average of $49,000 per year, and in some cases up to $100,000.
In a news release Wednesday, Simon Jolin-Barrette, justice minister and minister responsible for consumer protection, said the number of no-show reservations has 鈥済reatly increased in recent years.鈥� As a result, some restaurant owners have begun demanding compensation from customers who fail to respect their reservations, he said.
鈥淚n order to protect consumers against possible abuses and also to ensure uniformity, it has become essential to regulate penalties in the event of no-show reservations,鈥� Jolin-Barrette said.
Martin V茅zina, a vice-president with Association Restauration Qu茅bec, called the government's new rule "an important step forward," but said the fee for no-shows should be raised to $20. Penalties should also apply to groups with fewer than five people, as well as in situations where one person in the group shows up and the others do not, he said.
"We are the only province (where) it is illegal to charge for no-shows," V茅zina said.
Fouad Filali has owned Le S茅nateur, a restaurant in Old Montreal, for 30 years. Filali says he stopped taking reservations on weekends around three years ago, in part because of no-shows.
鈥淚 lose up to a thousand dollars in sales each weekend with no-shows,鈥� he said in an interview Wednesday.
Depending on how effective the regulation turns out to be, he said he may start taking weekend reservations again.
At Vieux-Port Steakhouse, several blocks from Le S茅nateur, No茅mie Archambault, the restaurant鈥檚 ma卯tre d'h么tel, says her eatery sometimes gets up to 15 no-shows of two or more customers a day, which makes staffing difficult.
Archambault welcomes the regulation, calling it 鈥渁 good thing.鈥� The government is 鈥渇inally (listening to) restaurants,鈥� she added.
Under the regulation, diners can cancel up to three hours in advance without incurring a fee, and restaurants are required to send a reminder to people within six to 48 hours of the reservation.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 19, 2025.
Joe Bongiorno, The Canadian Press
