WERRINGTON, Staffordshire – A popular ice cream parlour and tea room in Staffordshire has introduced a deposit system for certain bookings after repeated no-shows left the owner facing financial losses.
Natalie Taylor, who runs Bobby’s Ice Cream Parlour in Werrington, said she made the decision after a string of customers failed to show up for afternoon tea reservations. In one recent incident, about a dozen guests did not arrive, forcing her to absorb the cost of prepared food and staff wages.
“We’re a family-run business, so I just felt really upset,” Taylor said. “Three of the bookings involved customers with allergies, so we had to prepare special gluten-free options, which cost me quite a bit of money.”
The no-shows not only wasted resources but also resulted in lost opportunities to seat other paying customers. “If they’d let me know, I could have given that table to someone else,” Taylor explained. “Instead, we ended up turning people away, thinking the table was booked.”
She suspects some individuals may be double-booking at multiple venues and simply failing to cancel unwanted reservations.
In response, the business has begun requiring deposits for afternoon tea and large group bookings. The deposit is then deducted from the customer’s bill when they arrive. Taylor noted that the policy has been well received so far.
“We still welcome walk-in customers,” she said. “It’s only for bookings where a lot of preparation is needed.”
By implementing the new system, Taylor hopes to reduce waste and protect her business from further financial strain, while continuing to provide quality service to those who show up.
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