No-Show and Deposit Results Tracker
A reservation by reservation log for recording no-shows, late cancellations, party shrink, and deposit outcomes so you can compare the weeks before and after a deposit policy.
Reviewed for 2026, updated September 8, 2026.
A deposit policy is a hypothesis, and the only way to test it is to know your numbers before and after. This tracker records every reservation that did not go as booked: true no-shows, late cancellations, and parties that arrived smaller than reserved. Log for at least a few weeks before launch to build a baseline, then keep logging after launch using the deposit status column, and compare the two periods by day, time slot, and party size. Most operators find the problem is concentrated in a few slots, which is what lets you keep the policy narrow.
The example rows show how to fill it in; replace them with your own entries. For the estimated revenue lost column, multiply the party size by your average check per guest, and apply your contribution margin if you want a bottom-line figure. Weekly totals can go straight into the Restaurant No-Show Revenue Loss Calculator (/tools/no-show-revenue-loss/). Once you have a month of data under the policy, the Reservation Deposit Policy Payoff Calculator (/tools/deposit-policy-payoff/) will show whether it is worth widening or narrowing, and the guide (/guide/) explains how to read the results.
| Date and slot | Party size booked | Outcome | Table refilled? | Deposit status | Est. revenue lost | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fri 2026-09-11, 7:30 pm | 4 | No-show | No | None (baseline) | Your figure | No call, no reply to the reminder |
| Fri 2026-09-11, 8:00 pm | 8 | Shrink to 5 | Partly | None (baseline) | Your figure | Two tables pushed together, one sat empty all night |
| Sat 2026-09-12, 6:00 pm | 2 | Arrived | n/a | None (baseline) | $0 | |
| Sat 2026-09-12, 7:45 pm | 6 | Late cancel | Yes | None (baseline) | $0 | Called at 6:50, waitlist party seated in its place |
| Sun 2026-09-13, 12:30 pm | 3 | No-show | Yes | None (baseline) | $0 | Walk-in took the table within a few minutes |
| Tue 2026-09-15, 6:30 pm | 2 | No-show | No | None (baseline) | Your figure | Slow night, table stayed empty |
| Thu 2026-09-17, 7:00 pm | 10 | Late cancel | No | None (baseline) | Your figure | Canceled two hours out, private room lost for the night |
| Sat 2026-10-10, 7:30 pm | 8 | Arrived | n/a | Applied to bill | $0 | First weekend under the policy, party confirmed headcount the day before |
| Sat 2026-10-10, 8:15 pm | 6 | Canceled in window | Yes | Hold released | $0 | Canceled via the reminder link, table resold from waitlist |
| Fri 2026-10-16, 7:00 pm | 9 | No-show | Partly | Fee captured | Your figure | Guest disputed by phone, manager kept the fee, reason logged |
| Fri 2026-10-16, 8:30 pm | 4 | Late cancel | No | Waived | Your figure | Family emergency, first offense, waiver approved by GM |
| Your date and time | Covers booked | Arrived / No-show / Late cancel / Shrink | Yes / No / Partly | None / Held / Applied / Captured / Refunded / Waived | Party size x average check | Reason, who called, who approved any exception |
https://holdtabl.com/templates/no-show-tracking-worksheet/Use it in your business, share it with your team, or link to it from your own site.
Also from HoldTabl
- Reservation Deposit Policy Launch Checklist: A step by step checklist for restaurants introducing a reservation deposit, from measuring the no-show problem to reviewing results after the first trial.
- Free calculators