Richard continued: “So to help customers save and to maintain our tight margins we have adopted the American ‘ticket-system’ of booking. It is simple, much like booking an airline ticket or theatre, the earlier you book, the better chance you have of dining on your chosen time.
“Diners can pre-book by visiting our special ‘Turners Ticket’ website page direct, and if they choose to pre-pay they save over 20% on our Simply Turners a la carte menu, normally costing £55 for five dishes it would be just £45 per person on a Thursday night, however unlike lots of online offers they will receive the full Turners Restaurant experience and menu.”
The system was first trialed in Chicago at renowned three Michelin star restaurant where no shows were reduced and customer value increased and has now become a popular option amongst diners in the US.
Richard said: "UK diners have a different approach, so I thought we would trial it for a few weeks until the end of May - I guess you could say its a 'pop-up' trial offer. We may upset a few people with this Thursday pre-pay system, but I’ve never been one to make decision lightly and at Turners its all about the food, but to make the perfect omelette you have to crack a few eggs.”
The trial is to see how the Midlands diners would take-up the pre-payment system, and early feedback has been positive, Richard said: "It was a slow start with many customers ringing up to check how it worked and asking what the catch was but once they understood the concept they were keen to book.
“We have certainly seen a positive uptake, so we are looking at how to maybe introduce it into our schedule moving forward - If you don't try these things you never know, and if nothing else, being a Michelin restaurant means you need to push boundaries at all levels.”
Noma, in Denmark, also has it's own way to deal with restaurant no-shows. They turn to social media to shame the customers who stand-up reservations but when they only serve 12 tables costing up to $500 each for a meal it's no surprise that no shows aren't taken to kindly; as Peter Kreiner, managing director of Noma sas 'It's quite a large percentage of the sales that we miss out on'.
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