How to reduce restaurant no-shows

First, work out what a no-show costs you

An example: a table of four with an average spend of 600 SEK per person is 2,400 SEK in lost revenue. Two no-show parties a week comes to nearly 20,000 SEK a month — far more than a booking system costs. That's why no-show prevention almost always pays for itself.

The measures that actually work

• An SMS reminder the day before — the single most effective step, because guests actually see it in time.
• A cancellation link in the confirmation and reminder. The goal is to make cancelling easier than simply not showing up.
• A waitlist that can automatically fill the gap when someone cancels.
• Card capture at exposed times — the guest enters card details when booking.
• Deposits for large parties, where a no-show hurts most.
• A late-cancellation fee, with clear terms the guest accepts when booking.

When is card capture worth it?

Not everywhere. If you rarely see no-shows, reminders and cancellation links go a long way. Card capture and deposits make a measurable difference on Fridays and Saturdays, on holidays, and for parties over six — the occasions where a no-show is both more common and more expensive.

How Dinebase handles it

Email confirmation with a cancellation link is included in every plan. The Dinebase plan adds SMS reminders (0.90 SEK per SMS incl. VAT, plus 0.75 SEK per extra message part) along with the waitlist. Pro (1,700 SEK/month) also includes card capture, deposits and late-cancel fees.