Reservation Deposit Policy Launch Checklist
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A step by step checklist for restaurants introducing a reservation deposit, from measuring the no-show problem to reviewing results after the first trial.

[ ] Pull the last four to eight weeks of reservations and count true no-shows, late cancellations, and parties that arrived smaller than booked, broken down by day, time slot, and party size.
[ ] Put a dollar figure on the loss using your own check size, margin, and refill rate so the policy has a business case you can show the team.
[ ] Decide the triggers: minimum party size, peak days and time windows, holidays and event nights, tasting menus, prix fixe, and private dining.
[ ] Set the per-guest amount and decide whether it is applied to the bill on arrival, refunded on timely cancellation, or charged only as a no-show fee.
[ ] Choose the collection method for each booking type: card hold, card on file, charged deposit, or full prepayment.
[ ] Set the cancellation window for standard bookings and a longer one for large parties and events, based on how fast your waitlist can absorb a released table.
[ ] Add a headcount confirmation deadline for large parties so party shrink is covered, not just outright no-shows.
[ ] Write the policy in one or two plain sentences that state the amount, the window, the consequence, and how to cancel or modify.
[ ] Confirm the booking flow records the guest's agreement to the policy with a timestamp, since that record is your evidence if a fee is disputed.
[ ] Set a statement descriptor guests will recognize so a no-show fee on a bank statement is not mistaken for fraud.
[ ] Put the same policy wording on the booking page, the confirmation message, the reminder, the phone script, and the website reservations page.
[ ] Write down which situations get an automatic waiver, which get a credit toward a future visit, and which keep the fee.
[ ] Give named managers authority to waive or refund, and set up a simple log that records the reason and who approved it.
[ ] Schedule the reminder so it arrives before the cancellation window closes, with a one tap link to cancel or change the party size.
[ ] Connect the waitlist so a table released inside the window is offered to the next guest right away.
[ ] Set a late arrival release time and decide how it interacts with the deposit so the host stand is not guessing at 7:50 on a Saturday.
[ ] Test the guest side yourself: book a table, read the confirmation, cancel inside the window, and check that the release or refund actually arrives.
[ ] Train every host, server, and manager to explain the policy in one sentence and answer the two questions guests always ask: what if I cancel, and what if fewer people come.
[ ] Tell regulars personally before launch, ideally from a manager they know, so they hear it as a change to the house rather than a judgment on them.
[ ] Launch on the narrowest trigger first, such as large parties on peak nights, and run it as a trial for a few weeks before widening.
[ ] Record no-show rate, booking volume for covered slots, deposits collected, refunds, disputes, and exceptions every week during the trial.
[ ] Read reviews and listen at the host stand during the trial, and note any complaint that mentions the deposit.
[ ] Review after the trial and adjust the amount, the window, or the triggers based on the numbers rather than on one loud complaint.
[ ] Put a quarterly policy review on the calendar with the exception log and the tracker in hand.