People are expressing “reservations” about this new policy.
A French restaurateur has been ripped online after announcing a new fine on dining parties whose number of members didn’t match their original booking.
Olivier Vincent, chef and manager at L’îlot in Amboise, had reportedly become fed up with parties that either exceeded or fell short of the number of patrons they had reserved for, local media reported.
The problem — which reportedly occurred on a “weekly” basis, per the boss — was particularly damaging as his venue only has 20 seats.
Vincent announced in a Facebook post, which has garnered 27,000 views in the first 24 hours, that diners who fail to arrive with the number of guests specified on their reservation “will be charged 15 euros ($17.27) per missing or additional person.”
“Thank you for your understanding,” the Frenchman wrote. “We’re here because we need to make people responsible.”
L’îlot currently boasts a respectable 4.7 stars on Google, where it’s described as serving “inventive gourmet plates prepared in a down-to-earth restaurant with an open kitchen.”
According to Vincent, the incorrect booking issue had been ongoing since COVID, but things came to a head last Sunday when one customer exchanged multiple messages trying to change the booking.
“After about ten emails with one person, she told us there would be eight, then nine, and finally, they arrived at seven without warning, without apology,” he recalled.
Vincent said there’s no excuse for this mistake in a day and age where “everyone has their phone on them, 24/7, in their pocket.”
“If we are able to reserve, we are able to call to say if we will be less, or more, or that we are not coming,” he declared.
“If we are here, it is to work. It is not to have tables, not to have customers,” Vincent vented. “We organize ourselves so that everything is serene. We have staff. We work with fresh products. We do not pay employees and suppliers with Monopoly tickets. My restaurant is a business.”
However, the policy received mixed reviews with some critics claiming that it was unfair to diners who had to cancel last-minute due to unforeseen circumstances.
“A bit of a limiting business practice if there are only one or two people missing from a large table,” said one. “Emergencies exist. You’re not going to get great publicity for yourself.”
They added, “Even if abuses exist, you are going a bit far. Imagine an on-call doctor who can’t join their family for dinner, or someone who has a family emergency.”
“A last-minute unforeseen event,” said another. “Getting left outside the restaurant (it’s happened to me before)… Well, I might as well go somewhere else then. It seems pretty counterproductive to me.”
However, many were on board with the issue, which they felt was the perfect antidote to an epidemic of inconsiderate diners.
“I think it’s completely normal, people just have to give enough notice, it’s a lack of good manners, that’s what reservations are for,” said one defender. “You have guests, you count 8 people, two don’t come without warning, you’ve done the shopping and the cooking accordingly.”
They added, “Personally, the next time I don’t invite them. This is his livelihood, he loses two places, so I completely understand his approach.”
Meanwhile, a fellow restaurateur claimed that “this kind of situation has unfortunately become commonplace.”
“Between phantom reservations, last-minute cancellations, and customers arriving very late hoping to be served anyway, it’s become a real headache,” they wrote. “For a small establishment, every table counts. Service isn’t just about dishes coming out, it’s about meticulous organization, a kitchen team, precise timing—and when things go off the rails because of careless behavior, the loss of revenue is very real.”
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