Restaurant reservation no-show policy for small dining rooms

No-shows hurt more when the dining room is small. I learned that the hard way on weekend nights when two four-tops disappeared and the waitlist had already given up. We used to just call once and hope people showed. It did not work. What helped was keeping the policy simple: credit card hold for larger parties, a confirmation text the day before, and a clear grace period at the door. I also stopp…