Believe It Or Not, This French Restaurant Has A ₹1,500 Fine For No-Show

A French chef’s strict new policy is sparking debate online. At his intimate 20-seat restaurant, L’îlot in Amboise, chef and owner Olivier Vincent has introduced a fine for guests who arrive with more or fewer people than listed in their original reservation. The move comes after repeated frustrations over no-shows and surprise additions.

(L’îlot restaurant 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.”The Island Restaurant / Facebook)

In a Facebook post, he announced that customers who fail to inform the restaurant about changes in party size will be charged €15 (nearly Rs 1,500) per missing or extra person. The caption read, “Without warning obviously….."

(“From now on, if you do not come with the number of guests for which you reserved, you will be charged 15 euros per missing or additional person,” the restaurant manager announced in the Facebook post.The Island Restaurant / Facebook)

As reported by the New York Post, Vincent said the problem had been ongoing since the pandemic. But things became worse last Sunday when a diner changed her booking multiple times.

(Issues with incorrect reservation numbers have been piling up since the pandemic, per Vincent.Scott Griessel – stock.adobe.com)

“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 told the outlet.

He explained that a simple heads-up could prevent chaos in a small restaurant that relies on every seat being filled.

(The issue was particularly damaging as the venue only has 20 seats.The Island Restaurant / Facebook)

“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," Vincent said.

“If we are here, it is to work. It is not to have tables, not to have customers," he added.

But not everyone agreed with the rule. Some people said it was unfair to diners who might have to cancel at the last minute because of emergencies or unexpected situations.

One user wrote, “And if you have a problem in the kitchen and the service is too long you refund €15 too."

Another said, “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."

“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," someone else added.

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