One in four diners cancels or fails to show in lead-up to Christmas

New data from payments tech company Dojo reveals that over a quarter (26%) of diners cancelled or missed reservations during last year’s busy Christmas period.

Restaurant and bar bookings are already up 139% this year compared to 2023. Yet even among industry insiders, only three in five (59%) hospitality workers, when dining out, inform bars and restaurants when they can’t make a booking, with just 26% calling ahead to notify venues. 92% of hospitality managers say that no-shows and cancellations impact revenue, with 40% losing £50–£100 and 23% losing over £100 per table of two that fails to show. Despite these negative knock-on effects, only a quarter (26%) of industry workers claim to have never failed to show up to a reservation without cancelling.

Furthermore, one in ten (9%) hospitality workers have left restaurants without paying when dining out in their spare time due to unreliable service. Men are twice as likely to leave without paying than women are. A further 14% have considered walking out and have said they would be unlikely to return.

When asked why they wouldn’t return to a restaurant or bar, nearly half (45%) cited unreliable service. Reliability emerged as a key theme, with almost three-quarters (74%) stating that a quick and dependable payment experience is essential for enjoying their visit. Additionally, 93% of workers believe that reliable payments strongly contribute to customer satisfaction levels, loyalty and the overall experience. More broadly, 62% of workers reported that technology issues such as card machine outages or booking errors significantly impact customer satisfaction.

“I find outages very stressful, both at work and in my free time,” says Kat, a 36-year-old supervisor at a busy restaurant near London’s Spitalfields Market. “In the restaurant, especially during peak times, it’s particularly challenging—you want every guest to have a seamless experience. But outages create service backlogs, frustrate customers, and leave people waiting past their booking times, with food coming out late, disrupting the entire operation. We often have to offer free drinks or stay late to make up for the delays. And when I’m out with friends, it’s just as frustrating; you just want to pay quickly and get on with your day. Reliability issues are a hassle on both sides of the table!”

Unreliable service also impacts tipping behaviours, even among hospitality workers themselves, when they’re dining out in their spare time. Only 26% claim to always leave a tip when dining out. Attentive and friendly staff is the key motivation for tipping (41%), followed by quality of food and dining experience (21%) and fast and reliable service (12%).

Jon Knott, Head of Research & Market Insights at Dojo, commented: “This is the most popular time of year for eating and drinking out, as Christmas parties get into full swing. Yet behind the scenes, no-shows, last-minute cancellations and even walk-outs as a result of unreliable service are hitting hospitality hard.

This festive season, by ensuring reliable payments and consistent service, hospitality businesses can ensure celebrations go off without a hitch to encourage return customers. Now is the time to deliver exceptional experiences, tackling common customer frustrations like slow and unreliable card machines. These issues can turn into major revenue losses – particularly at the busiest time of year when hospitality businesses are under pressure from high customer demand.”