Anyone dining at the famous Alois von Dallmayr in Munich is in for a culinary journey. The elegant restaurant is known for its exquisite menus and wine list. Getting a table is a gamble because seats are in high demand. For this reason, the restaurant has introduced a fine.
Anyone who does not show up on the reserved date will be subject to a contractual penalty. “Cancellation up to 24 hours before the reservation is free. Any subsequent cancellations will be charged a no-show fee of €185 to €285 (depending on lunch or evening booking) per person,” the booking reads. The no-show fee is a type of fine. If you don't cancel on time, you have to pay. Since restaurants calculate based on reservations, if multiple tables cancel, that's a problem. For the German Hotel and Restaurant Association (Dehoga), guests who do not show up for promised reservations are a constant problem.
The trendy bar “Das Maria” in the center of Munich also charges this fee. However, this is significantly lower. Guests have to pay 35 euros if they reserve a table and then do not come. This is the average loss in sales. The owner says the move was necessary because they were struggling with an “increasing proportion of no-show guests.” These are guests who simply do not show up for the agreed appointment.
About a third of guests who made reservations at the restaurant were often no-shows. During the day and on weekends this can be compensated for by spontaneous visits, but at night it is more difficult. Before the tax was introduced, losses would often have occurred. “We notice that more and more suppliers are introducing these types of fees,” reports Sonja Neumann from the Bavarian Consumer Center in an interview with the Süddeutsche Zeitung.
Are these fines legal?
According to Christian Feierabend, a specialist in international trade law, this is possible depending on whether the innkeeper can easily give the table to someone else within half an hour. If this is not possible, the host can, in theory, demand compensation from the guest. “In practice, however, it is often difficult for the owner to prove the loss of income,” acknowledges Feierabend.
However, some companies establish a so-called “no-show fee” in advance, i.e. a fee that must be paid if the guest does not show up without an excuse. According to the Bavarian Consumer Protection Center, companies can only charge such a fee if they have previously clearly and clearly informed their customers about it.
How to avoid the fine
If dinner or breakfast plans change, it is advisable to notify the restaurants well in advance. You may have been informed of the contractual penalty by email or telephone when you made your reservation. In this case, you accepted this contractual clause when making the reservation. Then, the debit is done in various ways. Particularly bitter: the no-show fee is charged per person. So if you have reserved a table for four people, you will have to shell out a whopping 80 euros with a fine of 20 euros.
A credit card is often required when making a reservation. As in the previous example of “La María”. The owner may also send you an invoice if you provided your contact details when booking.