Music hits 7:00pm - 10:00pm

Listen Live

Search

More restaurants charge 'no-shows'

Thursday, 10 April 2025 06:30

More restaurants are charging a fee to those who book a table and then don’t show up.

Many have been forced to introduce a ‘pay first, eat later’ due to the high number of no shows. 

The top restaurant, the Gertrudhof in Zurich, runs a policy that anyone who doesn’t turn up for a reservation will be charged CHF 50 for each person, foreign guests will be charged a CHF 50 deposit. 

Other restaurants are taking a harder line, one in Lucerne charges for a full menu if guests don’t arrive – that can run to CHF 320 a person. 

Restaurant owners say taking a deposit is cutting no-shows significantly.  

Share

More from Bitesize News

  • Geneva could foot the G7 bill

    Geneva fears it will be left with the security bill from a G7 summit just across the border in Évian, according to 24 heures.

  • US NGO discovers Swiss child abuse cases

    Switzerland relies too heavily on an American NGO to detect child sexual abuse online, raising questions about the country's ability to protect children on its own.

  • French singer banned by Paleo

    The Paléo Festival in Nyon says it will no longer invite French singer Patrick Bruel, after a former volunteer accused him of inappropriate behaviour.

  • Cars going uninspected

    The cantons are struggling to keep up with mandatory vehicle inspections, leaving more than 550,000 checks overdue nationwide.

  • War may lead to rent rises

    Rents may rise again, says the bank Raiffeisen.

  • Not a heatwave, yet

    Summer has arrived, with temperatures climbing past 30 over the long weekend. Basel reached 31 and Sion hit 32.4, but MeteoSwiss, says this does not yet count as an official heatwave.

Follow WRS

Download our app

  • Available on the App Store
  • Available on Google Play