xmas work dinner

DigForVictory

Have you got an invoice from the restaurant? If you ask them to sort you one naming all those who paid the deposit, you can at least *try* to reclaim some of the VAT back.

However, in future, all money up front or no place at the table...

Pollycat

nuttyarab wrote: »

Not sure if this is the right forum section but couldn't really find what I was looking for.
Tonight was our Xmas works party, I organised a 3 course meal in which I had paid a £10 deposit each head a few weeks ago, anyway we had 2 no shows 😠
I expected to loose my deposit but the restaurant charged us full price. I did pay it but was just wondering if they can do this?

What exactly did you say to the restaurant mananger about the missing diners when you first arrived?
What was their response?

nuttyarab wrote: »

I can see why they have done it but just wondered if 'legally' it was allowed.
My husband picked up the bill at the end of the night, he didn't check it just paid, if I had seen it I would have questioned it.
They never even asked us if we wanted the food and to be honest I thought that is what the deposit was for

If you had spoken to the manager and he said you'd have to pay in full for the missing diners, why didn't you question it at the point of arrival?
If you had agreed with the manager that you'd only pay for the people present, why didn't your husband know this and query the bill at the time he paid?

It doesn't seem to add up to me.

paddyrg

At the very least, the restaurant should give you and your husband a freebie next time you're in...

Poppie68

paddyrg wrote: »

At the very least, the restaurant should give you and your husband a freebie next time you're in...

I doubt they are going to provide a freebie, the restaurant would of lost money because of the no shows..

Op have you checked the t&c or spoken to them yet because it could just be an error or if those were the conditions of booking you need to get the no shows to pay up.

JReacher1

I would have just taken the money off the service charge.

Pollycat

Poppie68 wrote: »

I doubt they are going to provide a freebie, the restaurant would of lost money because of the no shows..

Op have you checked the t&c or spoken to them yet because it could just be an error or if those were the conditions of booking you need to get the no shows to pay up.

Why would the restaurant have lost money because of the no-shows?

Say 10 people booked and all paid £10 deposit for a (for example) £30 meal.

According to the OP they were charged in full for all 10 people even though only 8 people attended.

So the restaurant was paid in full for 10 people (i.e. 10 x £30) but only served 8 meals.

The no-shows paid £10 deposit and the OP's husband paid the remaining £20 x 2 for the no-shows.

marliepanda

Pollycat wrote: »

Why would the restaurant have lost money because of the no-shows?

Say 10 people booked and all paid £10 deposit for a (for example) £30 meal.

According to the OP they were charged in full for all 10 people even though only 8 people attended.

So the restaurant was paid in full for 10 people (i.e. 10 x £30) but only served 8 meals.

The no-shows paid £10 deposit and the OP's husband paid the remaining £20 x 2 for the no-shows.

Many scenarios.

The meal was prebooked, so the meals may have been prepared in advance of arrival/ingredients bought?

Someone may have tried to book a table for two, but due to limitations on seating, they may have been turned away.

Another larger party may have tried to book, but may have been two short because OP booking 10 so decided to take their custom elsewhere.

Extra staff may have been employed because 10 people was too much for one server to handle who was originally planned.

nuttyarab

I paid a £10 deposit for each person including the no shows. When I informed the manager that two hadn't turned up he just said thanks for letting them know, it was never said I would still have to pay or was it said they would still serve the food. I gathered I would lose the deposit but didn't expect for it to be added to our bill.
My husband got the bill and quietly paid for it, he didn't want to go through it in front of everyone and we didn't expect to be charged, I always thought that is what a deposit is for?

Pollycat wrote: »

What exactly did you say to the restaurant mananger about the missing diners when you first arrived?
What was their response?

If you had spoken to the manager and he said you'd have to pay in full for the missing diners, why didn't you question it at the point of arrival?
If you had agreed with the manager that you'd only pay for the people present, why didn't your husband know this and query the bill at the time he paid?

It doesn't seem to add up to me.

Pollycat

marliepanda wrote: »

Many scenarios.

The meal was prebooked, so the meals may have been prepared in advance of arrival/ingredients bought?

Someone may have tried to book a table for two, but due to limitations on seating, they may have been turned away.

Another larger party may have tried to book, but may have been two short because OP booking 10 so decided to take their custom elsewhere.

Extra staff may have been employed because 10 people was too much for one server to handle who was originally planned.

Yes but at the end of the day, the meal was booked for x people at £x.
And that's the payment that the restaurant received.
Thus incurring no financial loss (except maybe on # drinks consumed).
The restaurant would have assessed the income/expenditure of accepting a party booking so would possibly have considered the scenarios you list.
But once the booking had been accepted and the whole party had paid in full - even the no-shows - then they would not have lost anything.

Or am I missing something?

bris

They are legally allowed to charge for the no shows. They need to mitigate their losses but who would want 2 seats at someone else's night out so in that respect it would be impossible to mitigate this loss.


The contract was for X amount of people, they charged for X amount of people, all legal.