Take Reservations or Sell Tickets?

 Okay, this is my first venting post. Every restaurant I know of has to struggle with reservation policies and no-shows. People have come to expect that they can make a dinner reservation at their favorite restaurant so they don't have to just show up and wait. I encourage that behavior because as a restaurant owner I like to have a forecast of what to expect on any given night and time. As a customer I enjoy being able to make a reservation so I have a reasonable expectation of being seated close to my arrival time. Seems like it can work to everyone's benefit.

 On special occasions, namely New Year's eve and Valentine's day, we take credit card numbers along with the reservations. People used to ask why, now half of them call with their credit cards in hand because they fully expect to supply the numbers. On those nights, everyone who has provided their credit card information shows up or calls and cancels beforehand.  I have never intended to charge anyone who doesn't show up, but the fact that they have given us their information seems to be all the incentive they need to be courteous enough to call us if their plans change. Problem solved, right?

 What happens when someone calls to make a reservation and they don't have their credit card handy? They may be on a cell phone and aren't comfortable giving out sensitive information that way. Generally they say that they will call back with it and would still like us to make the reservation. We do and we call them again a day or two prior to the day to confirm the reservation, along with everyone else. Sometimes we don't hear back from them and here lies the real dilemma. We could give the table away to someone else, but that flies in the face of how I want to treat my customers. The risk that someone shows up on any night thinking they have a reservation, only to find out that they don't, probably outweighs the risk of losing some revenue. But the consequences go beyond just the financial health of my business. The waitstaff loses out on the tip, and we have to turn away customers who wanted the table and had every intention of honoring their part of the "contract". 

 I could institute a policy that no reservations will be honored without a credit card. I could put the onus on the customer to call us to confirm their reservation. But in a small business like mine, we all share the duties of answering the phone and taking reservations. What if the policies weren't explained clearly? What if the customer honestly forgets to call and shows up on a night when it can be VERY difficult to find a table anywhere else? 

 In a perfect world I could just sell tickets like a theatre company does. If you can't make it, give them to your friends. If they can't make it, at least your dinner was already paid for. How many people would agree to those terms for a dinner in a restaurant? My guess is not very many. Unless it became standard. I'll keep dreaming.