Chef slams 47 customers that didn’t show up for Easter Sunday bookings

A chef has publicly shamed customers who booked 47 seats for Easter Sunday lunch but failed to show up. Those who booked didn’t even call to cancel – leaving the restaurant out of pocket.

The restaurant was forced to turn away genuine customers as people failed to show up for their reservations. Those who let them down were also uncontactable with a “blank line or unknown number” left. The restaurant has been left feeling “scammed”.

Speaking to James Churchfield on BBC Radio Cornwall, Paul James, owner of CJ’s At The Sanctuary in Falmouth, said it was frustrating.

One of the no-show reservations was for a table of nine people, reports Cornwall Live.

“Happy Easter people, especially to those who visited us for Easter Sunday,” he posted following service. “Today we had a total of 47 people/customers not show up for their bookings without prior warning to cancel, seven tables in total.

“Honestly, who doesn’t cancel or show up for a table of nine? Not only is this disappointing for CJ’s but for those we had to turn away as we thought those tables were already sold.”

He continued to say that staff “tried their best to prepare and spend money on ingredients – only to not have people show up”.

“If you can’t make your table please phone ahead and cancel it. Every table we tried to call back went to a blank line or was an unknown number. We feel ever so slightly scammed.”

He said hundreds of pounds worth of food was wasted as well as having two extra staff in that weren’t then needed. “There’s wage bills, electric, lights, gas and heating buildings,” he said of some of the costs.

“One of the worst tables for me was a 7pm table and we phoned them up the day before,” he continued. He said the last table on the day was at 6.15pm but staff then waited around until 7.15pm for the final booked table which never showed up.