Quebec is looking to take energetic measures against restaurants that do not present allowing owners to accuse customers who do not honor their reservations.
The Quebec government announced changes in the Consumer Protection Law on Wednesday and with ongoing consultations, citizens have 45 days to present their comments regarding the regulatory draft.
The Quebec Restaurants Association has said that non -shows can cost companies of thousands of dollars each year.
According to the proposed rules, restaurants could charge customers to ghost their reservations of up to $ 10 per person. But there are conditions.
The rules would only apply to groups of five or more people and those groups would have up to three hours before their reservation to cancel.
The restaurants would also have to inform people about possible positions before the reservation is made, and send a reminder between six and 48 hours before.
In addition, if only a party member appears, the remaining non -shows cannot be charged.
Finally, rates cannot be applied before reservation time and restaurants should facilitate customers to facilitate cancellations.
Measures to act as a “disincentive”
Quebec Junior Economy Minister Christopher Skeete said that the Non-Shows restaurant has been a growing phenomenon in recent years and that the province is the only jurisdiction in North America where customers are not allowed to charge for lost reserves.
“What we are seeing since the end of the pandemia is that people make multiple reserves for the groups and then decide what they want to eat that night,” he said.
“The result is that sometimes they forget to cancel those reservations and leave the owners of the restaurants who have to fight to fill those seats.”
The new measures, Skeete said, are not destined to compensate for restaurants for lost income, but to create a “discouragement for people to abuse reserves.”
“Someone who has money on the line is more likely to act in the right way,” he said.
When journalists asked him in the National Assembly why the penalty was not more rigid, Skeete said that, in his opinion, “charging more … would not achieve the balance between what is good for the consumer and what is good for restaurant owners.”
The new regulations are expected to enter into force on July 17. The details of the consultations on the new regulations can be found in the Office of the protection du consommestiveWebsite.
The high cost of living has some Quebec restaurants that fight to fill the dining rooms. In response, some chains are doubling discounts and other promotions so that people return to their tables.
