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Reservation Deposit Amount Calculator

Suggests a per-guest and per-party reservation deposit that covers the margin a restaurant loses on a no-show without becoming too large for guests to accept.

Your numbers

Results update as you type.

Your estimate

Margin lost per no-show guest...
Suggested deposit per guest...
Deposit for this party size...
Deposit as share of average check...

Estimates only. Assumptions are listed below, and you can change every input.

The most common question from restaurants adopting deposits is simply how much to charge. Too low and the deposit does not change behavior or cover the loss; too high and guests hesitate, call to complain or book elsewhere. Picking a round number because a competitor uses it ignores your own check size and the margin you actually lose when a table sits empty.

This calculator starts from your average check per guest and contribution margin to work out what a no-show really costs you per seat. You choose how much of that loss the deposit should cover and set a ceiling as a share of the check to keep it guest friendly. The tool takes the lower of the two, rounds it to a clean increment and multiplies it by the party size you are writing the policy for. It is a sizing aid, not a rule; you can still round up for peak nights or down for regulars.

How to use this tool

  1. Enter your average check per guest and contribution margin so the tool can work out what an empty seat actually costs.
  2. Choose how much of that loss the deposit should cover and set a ceiling as a share of the check that feels fair to guests.
  3. Pick a rounding increment and the party size your policy targets, then read the per-guest and per-party deposit.

What the math assumes

  • Assumes the real cost of a no-show seat is the contribution margin on the average check, since food that was never served is not a loss.
  • Assumes a 65% contribution margin, full coverage of lost margin and a 50% ceiling on the check unless you change those inputs.
  • Assumes the deposit is rounded to the nearest increment you choose, and rounds down instead whenever rounding up would push it above your ceiling.
  • Assumes the same deposit per guest for every seat in the party; it does not model tiered deposits or minimum spend agreements.
  • Does not account for how guests in your market react to a given amount; test the suggested figure on a few peak nights before making it standard.

Frequently asked questions

Why size the deposit on margin instead of the full check?

When a party does not show, you keep the ingredients and the beverage you would have poured, so what you truly lose is the margin, not the whole check. A deposit that covers margin is easier to defend to guests and still removes the incentive to skip the booking.

Is a deposit meant to recover losses or to change behavior?

Both, but for most restaurants the behavior change matters more. Even a deposit well below your lost margin sharply reduces no-shows because the guest now has skin in the game, which is why the coverage target input lets you deliberately aim lower.

Should the deposit be the same for a table of two and a table of ten?

Per guest it usually can be, which is why the tool works per seat and then multiplies by party size. Many restaurants only require deposits above a certain party size or on peak nights, so run the calculation for the party size that triggers your policy.

Link to this toolhttps://holdtabl.com/tools/deposit-amount-sizer/

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