Have you ever been cozy on your couch, binge-watching something with no plans to stop, until your phone buzzes to remind you of your dinner reservation in half an hour? A lot of us have been in a situation like this, where we have no intention of trying to make it to that restaurant, but if you used your credit card to book the reservation, they could charge a fee. So most of us call and offer an excuse to cancel, and it turns out, most of us also use the same excuse.
According to a new survey of thousands of Americans by restaurant tech platform SevenRooms:
- 71% say they’d never pay to cancel a restaurant reservation.
- Instead they may beg for a refund or straight up lie and the most commonly used lie is a family emergency (21%), followed closely by a fake medical situation (20%).
- Some folks are also willing to pay the cancellation fee, with 38% saying they’d pay as long as the fine was less than $10.
But Josh Todd, CMO of Seven Rooms, says there’s really no need to lie. “Restaurant hosts have seen it all before, so don't make up an elaborate story about why you shouldn't have to pay the fee,” he explains. “Instead, be honest, and they'll usually understand and be able to accommodate you in some way.”
Source: Food and Wine