Mark No-Show

When a guest doesn't show up for their booking, it's important to register it as a no-show instead of just deleting or cancelling the booking. Why? So Vendion can distinguish a guest who actively cancelled from one who simply let the table stand empty — those are completely different behaviours from a CRM and occupancy perspective.

Why no-show is its own status

A no-show affects several parts of the system simultaneously:

• Occupancy analytics – shows your actual utilisation rate (bookings that arrived vs. bookings you planned for)
• CRM profile – the guest's no-show counter updates automatically
• Automations – segments and tags can set rules based on no-show patterns
• Risk flag – future bookings by the same guest show a warning if the pattern repeats
• Revenue forecasting – analytics subtracts no-shows from average spend per table

Step by step

1. Open Bookings in the POS or admin panel (/admin/reservationer)
2. Find the booking – it stays in the timeline/list even if the guest didn't arrive
3. Click the booking to open the detail panel
4. Click "No-show" (red button) or choose "Mark as no-show" in the status menu
5. Confirm in the dialog
6. Status changes to No-show automatically

When should you mark no-show?

Generally: when the guest hasn't arrived within 15 minutes past the booked time and hasn't gotten in touch. Some restaurants use 10 min for lunch and 20 min for à la carte dinner – adapt to your policy.

You should not use no-show if:

• The guest called and is running late (change the time instead)
• The guest called and cancelled (use "Cancel")
• You yourself moved the booking to another day
• The booking was waitlisted and never offered a table

Policy options – what do you do with repeat no-shows?

Vendion registers the history either way, but you decide which policy to apply:

Automatic no-show fee (future flow)

In booking settings you can enable a no-show fee (e.g. 200 SEK/person). When status is set to no-show, the amount is recorded on the reservation. Note: the actual charging is not yet automated (March 2026) — the payment integration isn't finished. For now the field serves as bookkeeping reference.

Segments and auto-tagging

Via the Marketing module you can build a segment that finds guests with a no-show pattern:

Guests with 2 or more no-shows in the last 90 days

You can auto-tag these as "No-show risk" and attach an automation:

• Next booking requires deposit
• SMS automatically sent: "Booking confirmed once deposit is paid"
• Admin gets notified when the guest books again

Rebooking flow with restriction

When a guest with no-show history tries to book again, this happens:

1. The booking is created as pending (not confirmed)
2. Admin gets notified in /admin/reservationer
3. You can confirm manually, require a deposit, or decline
4. If you choose "Require deposit", a payment link is sent to the guest
5. After payment, status flips to confirmed automatically

Want to allow direct booking again? Remove the "No-show risk" tag on the guest's CRM profile, and future bookings go straight to confirmed.

Legal – can you charge a no-show fee in Sweden?

Short answer: Yes, but with conditions. Per the Swedish Consumer Act and Contracts Act, a restaurant may charge a fee if:

• The guest is clearly informed at time of booking (the SMS confirmation must mention the fee)
• The fee is reasonable relative to actual damages (e.g. not 1000 SEK for a 2-top at lunch)
• You actually held the table and lost revenue (can be proven if the restaurant was fully booked)

For safety: include the fee in the SMS confirmation, e.g. "Missed booking without cancellation 2h prior incurs 200 SEK/person." The Swedish Consumer Agency generally approves fees up to ~250–500 SEK/person for missed à la carte bookings.

Undo no-show

If you marked by mistake – e.g. the guest arrived but staff missed the check-in – click "Reactivate booking" in the detail panel. Status returns to confirmed and the CRM counter decrements.

How often should you review no-show statistics?

• Weekly – look at no-show rate in Analytics (tab "Bookings"). Over 5% is a warning flag
• Monthly – identify top guests with repeat no-shows and decide on blocks/deposits
• Quarterly – evaluate whether the policy is working, adjust the fee level if needed

A healthy restaurant typically runs at 1–3% no-show. Bars/nightclubs often 5–10%. If you're higher than that: consider shortening the SMS reminder (3h before instead of 24h) or requiring deposits on Fridays/Saturdays.