Rex says
Money math without the spreadsheet headache. Plug in your numbers and I'll show you exactly where the dollars land.
Try a scenario
Click to load — tweak from there.Inputs
Result
Annual revenue lost to no-shows
$205,920
Weekly revenue lost
$3,960
Estimated annual recovery with deposit policy
$123,552
No-shows per week
24.0
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How to use this
- 1Enter reservations per week.
- 2Enter no-show rate (%).
- 3Enter average party size.
- 4Enter average check per person ($).
- 5Enter deposit policy effectiveness (%).
- 6Read your annual revenue lost to no-shows on the right — it updates as you type.
- 7Hit Share to keep the scenario or send it to someone.
About this calculator
A no-show doesn't just lose the revenue from that party — it often costs the restaurant a second booking too, since a held table that could have gone to another party during a fully booked period represents real opportunity cost, not just an empty seat. This calculator takes your no-show rate, average party size, average check, and bookings per period, and calculates total lost revenue from no-shows, then models the financial case for a deposit or credit-card-hold policy by estimating how much a typical policy reduces no-show rates (industry data suggests deposits cut no-shows by roughly 50-70% for restaurants that previously had no policy). Fine dining and prix-fixe restaurants with high average checks see the most dramatic dollar impact from no-shows and are also where deposit policies are best tolerated by guests, since the practice is now widely expected at that price point.
Worked example
Using the values the calculator loads with:
Inputs
- Reservations per week: 200
- No-show rate: 12 %
- Average party size: 3
- Average check per person: 55 $
- Deposit policy effectiveness: 60 %
Results
- Annual revenue lost to no-shows: $205,920
- Weekly revenue lost: $3,960
- Estimated annual recovery with deposit policy: $123,552
- No-shows per week: 24
What each field means
Inputs
- Reservations per week
- The reservations per week used in the calculation. Starts at 200 so you have a working example on load.
- No-show rate (%)
- The no-show rate used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 12 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–50 %.
- Average party size
- The average party size used in the calculation. Starts at 3 so you have a working example on load.
- Average check per person ($)
- The average check per person used in the calculation, measured in $. Starts at 55 $ so you have a working example on load.
- Deposit policy effectiveness (%)
- The deposit policy effectiveness used in the calculation, measured in %. Starts at 60 % so you have a working example on load. Accepted range: 0–100 %.
Results
- Annual revenue lost to no-shows
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars and shown as the headline result. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Weekly revenue lost
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- Estimated annual recovery with deposit policy
- Returned as a money amount in US dollars. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
- No-shows per week
- Returned as a decimal number. It recalculates instantly whenever you change an input, so you can compare scenarios without reloading.
FAQ
How much do deposit or credit-card-hold policies actually reduce no-shows?
Industry data and operator reports commonly cite 50-70% reductions when moving from no policy to a card-on-file or prepaid deposit system, since the policy filters out casual double-bookers who reserve at multiple restaurants and no-show the ones they don't choose.
Will a deposit policy hurt bookings overall?
For mid-range casual dining, yes, some guests will book elsewhere rather than provide a card. For fine dining, tasting menus, and high-demand restaurants, guests largely expect it now and it rarely reduces total covers meaningfully — it mainly changes who shows up.
What's a reasonable no-show rate before I worry about it?
5-10% is common and generally tolerable for casual restaurants with walk-in traffic that can absorb the empty tables. Above 15%, especially for restaurants that turn away walk-ins to protect reservation holds, the lost-opportunity cost becomes significant enough to act on.
Are there alternatives to a hard deposit?
Automated text/email confirmation requests 24-48 hours out, a clear cancellation window policy, and overbooking by a small buffer percentage (common in hotels, riskier in restaurants) are lower-friction alternatives that recover some of the loss without a hard deposit's booking friction.
Accuracy and limitations
- Results are estimates before tax, fees, and inflation unless an input explicitly covers them.
- Rates are treated as fixed for the whole period — variable-rate products will drift from this projection.
- This is educational maths, not financial advice. Check anything contractual with the lender or your accountant.
Related tools
Cite this calculator
Writing about this topic? Grab a citation — every link helps keep these tools free.
RevenueLab. (2026). Reservation No-Show Cost Calculator. Retrieved from https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/reservation-no-show-cost
<p>Source: <a href="https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/reservation-no-show-cost" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Reservation No-Show Cost Calculator — RevenueLab</a> (2026).</p>
Source: [Reservation No-Show Cost Calculator — RevenueLab](https://www.revenuelab.fyi/toolbox/reservation-no-show-cost) (2026).