Restaurant looking to make changes after 33 last-minute cancellations over weekend

A Manitoba restaurant is considering measures to prevent last-minute cancellations after dealing with a rash of no-shows over the weekend.

The Gates On Roblin said there were 33 cancellations on Sunday for its first brunch service of the year, with one reservation cancelled just one hour before the sitting was set to begin.

It’s an issue Ray Louie, the general manager of the restaurant, has been seeing more of in recent months.

“The courtesy to call isn't there anymore,” he said. “And they feel maybe that we're big enough we can absorb it, and we always have in the past, but it's getting to the point where it's harder now.”

He says a recent 10 per cent rise in the minimum wage and a 30 to 35 per cent hike in food prices have hurt profits.

"For us to throw food out on a Sunday brunch or half meals prepped that don't get sold, that's garbage, and that impacts the bottom line and much more significantly now than ever.”

Louie, who sits on the board of the Manitoba Restaurant and Foodservices Association, said he has heard of reservations being cancelled at other restaurants in Winnipeg. Some customers are making reservations at multiple restaurants, he says, but only making a decision on where to attend at the last minute, which hurts the restaurants that aren’t selected.

“What they don't see is that for every 20 seats that don't show up, that's essentially one server that doesn't get work,” he said. “Imagine going to work one day in any other sector and having your work not be there, and you're told, ‘sorry, no earnings for you today, go home.’ That’s a little bit harsh.”

Louie said the Gates is considering charging a cancellation fee or a set time frame to deter no-shows, but added nothing has been decided yet. He understands issues like blizzards and illness have an impact on attendance, and wants to create a perfect solution.

“I'm trying to get feedback from our following on what those rules should be as a reasonable local business trying to retain their customer base and not stir everybody up,” he said. “The last thing I want to do was to use this to create a divisive or an incendiary topic for everyone to get pulled into sides on.”