What is a good no-show rate for a restaurant?

There is no single benchmark that holds across every kind of venue, so the useful comparison is your own rate over time, by day of the week and by party size. Work it out by dividing no-shows by total bookings for a period. For reference, ART Hospitality runs eight venues on Stampede with a 0.3% no-show rate across the eight.

Will taking a deposit put guests off booking?

It can, which is why most venues do not ask for one on every table. Use deposits where an empty seat costs most, such as Friday and Saturday nights, large parties and set-menu or ticketed events, and leave quieter slots deposit-free. Saying clearly what the deposit is for, and when it is refundable, makes it easier to accept.

Should I take a deposit or the full amount upfront?

A deposit is usually enough for an ordinary table and comes off the bill on the night. For set menus and ticketed events, taking the full amount upfront means an empty seat is no longer an unpaid one. In Stampede, deposits are collected online at the point of booking and recorded against that booking, and venues can also take the full amount upfront.

How far ahead should I send a booking reminder?

Close enough to the visit that plans are settled, and early enough that a cancelled table can still be rebooked. A common pattern is the day before or the morning of the booking. Include the date, time and party size, and make it easy to change or cancel.

What should I do when a guest does not show up?

Apply the terms you set, consistently, and keep the no-show on the guest’s record so repeat offenders are visible. A short, friendly follow-up often brings back a guest whose plans simply changed. In Stampede, a no-showed booking can start a win-back workflow, which sends a personalised email and stops the moment they rebook.

Does Stampede charge per cover?

No. Stampede is one flat price per venue with no per-cover fees, so bookings and deposits taken through your own page cost the same however busy you get.

A guide for operators

Fewer no-shows. Here’s how.

Four habits that stop booked tables sitting empty, whatever system you run.

The short answer

1Take a deposit on the nights that matter.
2Make the cancellation terms plain before they pay.
3Remind guests before the visit, with an easy way to cancel.
4Keep a waitlist, so a freed table gets filled.

Read the steps

EnquiriesPhoneDepositsPre-ordersWaitlistAlerts

Day planner

17:0020:00Now

Enquiries

Phone

Deposits

Pre-orders

Waitlist

Alerts

Day planner

17:0020:00Now

Powering 2,500+ UK venues

The problem

Booked, then empty.

Saturday, 20:00. Megan’s table for six. Nobody comes, and nobody calls.

Table 5, Saturday night

Before

No-show · 20:15

Booking · Sat 20:00No-show

Megan O’NeillTable 5 · 6 covers

Booked by phoneMonNo deposit · no reminderNot arrived20:15

Walk-in · party of 420:05

Turned away: fully booked

Table 520:00 to close

Six covers prepped, nobody seated

No deposit, so nothing lost by staying home
No reminder, so the plan quietly slipped
Walk-ins turned away for a table nobody sat at

After

Seated · 20:02

Booking · Sat 20:00Table 5

Megan O’NeillTable 5 · 6 covers

£60.00 deposit · paid onlineMonTerms agreed with the bookingMonReminder on her lock screenSat 10:00Seated at Table 520:02

Waitlist · Saturday2 waiting

Ready for Table 5 if her plans had changed

A £60 deposit taken when she booked
Reminded on her lock screen that morning
A waitlist ready if her plans had changed

Same booking, same night. The difference is a deposit, a reminder and a waitlist.

How venues fix it

Four fixes.

Works whatever booking system you run.

Deposit · Sat 20:00 · 6£60.00

Megan O’NeillBooked on your page

Card ending 2291Mon 12:40Paid, and recorded on the booking

Step 01

Take a deposit

A deposit gives a booking a cost to abandon, which is why it is the main lever venues use on no-shows. Start with busy nights, large parties and set menus, where an empty seat hurts most.

In Stampede

Deposits are collected online when the guest books and recorded against the booking, with no-show rules you control.

See table bookings

Cancellation termsBefore she pays

Free to cancel up to 24 hours beforeLater, or a no-show: the £60.00 is kept

I agree to the cancellation terms

Step 02

Make the terms plain

State the cancellation window and what happens to the deposit before the guest pays, then repeat it in the confirmation. Keep the window realistic, and apply it every time.

In Stampede

Deposits come with cancellation charges and no-show rules you control, recorded against each booking.

See table bookings

Wallet · lock screenSat 10:00

Tonight, 20:00 · table for 6Updated when the booking changedThuReminder before she comesSat

Step 03

Send a reminder

Confirm the moment they book and remind them before the visit, with the date, time and party size. Make cancelling quick: a cancellation you hear about can be rebooked, a no-show cannot.

In Stampede

Booking confirmations can become branded Apple and Google Wallet passes that update when the booking changes and remind guests on the lock screen.

See the feature log

Waitlist · SaturdayLive

Joe Foley4 · any time from 19:30

Alert sent

Eleanor Hughes2 · 20:30

Waiting

Walk-ins queue with an ETA

Step 04

Keep a waitlist

Some no-shows will happen whatever you do. A waitlist for your busiest slots sends a freed table to a guest who wanted it, and walk-ins can queue for the next one rather than leave.

In Stampede

Booking alerts tell guests the moment a preferred slot opens, and walk-ins can join a virtual queue with ETAs.

See table bookings

Proof

The proof.

Operators running on Stampede, in their own numbers.

A Sunday roast at an ART Hospitality venue

24,604covers in a single month

0.3%no-show rate across eight venues

“You innovate at a rate I have never seen in a software company.”

Edwin Kirk, founding director, ART HospitalityRead the story

Food at the George & Dragon, a Sankey's venue

4.59 → 4.80Google rating, year on year

2.3×average bill from email bookings

“Having everything under one roof is simply superior, full stop.”

Matthew Sankey, owner, Sankey'sRead the story

A dish being finished at Howies, Edinburgh

3,920guests enriched with real spend

6 weekstheir first six weeks with Stampede

“Every payment lands on the guest who made it now. Everything a guest does with us, online and in our venues, finally joins up in one view.”

Louis Scott, Howies, EdinburghFull story coming soon

89%
Wi-Fi marketing opt-in rate: 55p
average value of a guest contact: 2,500+
UK venues run on Stampede

How we measure these figures

Keep reading.

The terms this guide uses, defined in plain English, and the sources it relies on.

How we compare

Compare us.

Honest, sourced comparisons against the tools venues switch from, checked against the record and dated.

Seven more fixes.

The other problems venues search for, each with the steps that fix it.

Google · 9 days agoNo reply
Clive E.
“Waited forty minutes for our mains.”
Guide · 4 steps
How to get more Google reviews
Ask every guest, make it one tap, and answer what lands.
Tue · 13:10
2× Set lunch£52.001× Rioja, bottle£34.00
Customer: none£86.00
Guide · 4 steps
How to collect guest emails and data
Wi-Fi, bookings and ordering, each asking once, with consent.
BookingsLapsed
Graham WhitleyEvery fortnight
12 JuneTable for 229 MayTable for 2Nothing since94 days
Guide · 4 steps
How to bring back guests who stopped coming
Spot who stopped coming, then give them a reason to return.
Pre-order · Olivia’s party12 of 16 ordered
OliviaShort rib
CallumHake, brown butterGF
AishaWild mushroom risottoV
GillianSquash tartVG
+8 more ordered · 4 still to choose
Guide · 4 steps
How to take group bookings and pre-orders without the admin
The enquiry, the deposit and every plate, sorted before the night.
Seated · Table 12On every device
Priya Shah6th visit · party of 3
Pre-order · from your Square items1× Lobster linguine1× Margherita1× Falafel bowl2× Pale ale, pint
For the team
- £30.00 deposit, already on Square
- A friend at the table is vegan and gluten-free.
Guide · 4 steps
What to look for in a booking system for Square
What a venue on Square should ask of a booking system, in four checks.
Read the guide
Points on spendYour rate · 1 per £1
Callum Reid23 visits
Flat white · £3.40+3Round for six · £52.50+53Earned off the till, nothing keyed in
On a stamp card
The same one stamp for each
Guide · 4 steps
How to run a restaurant loyalty programme that works
Reward what guests spend, skip the app, and give them a reason to return.
Day planner · TueQuiet night
171819202122
T1
T2
T4
T6
T9
T12
14 of 60 covers booked
Guide · 4 steps
How to fill quiet nights
Ask the right guests, give them a reason, and count the covers it brings.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions.

Ready for Friday?

See deposits, wallet reminders and the day planner running on your venue, in a walkthrough with our team.

Fewer no-shows. Here’s how.