Vine & Fire, a restaurant in Crosby, Merseyside, has introduced a new deposit policy after suffering 31 no-shows in a single day. The policy, which requires customers to pay a deposit per person, has been met with widespread support from both customers and other local businesses.
Background on Vine & Fire
Vine & Fire, located on St Johns Road in Crosby, was opened on March 7 by owner and chef Josh Stanton. Stanton has over a decade of experience working in kitchens across the region, rising through the ranks to become a versatile culinary expert. Despite his extensive industry knowledge, Stanton had no prior business education and opened the restaurant learning every step of the way.
The restaurant enjoyed a busy opening period, with Stanton describing the response as "fantastic" in a previous interview with the ECHO.
The No-Show Problem
In a recent Instagram post, Vine & Fire revealed the financial impact of no-shows. The post stated: "Today [June 21] alone, we had a few big tables that never showed up - adding up to 20 people in total." An update later that day confirmed that 31 people failed to arrive for their bookings by the end of the day.
The statement added: "This is really disappointing. For a small business like ours, every booking matters so much. Empty seats hit us harder than you might realise."
Introduction of Deposit Policy
After receiving dozens of responses from customers and other businesses suggesting a deposit system, Vine & Fire implemented a new policy. An update from the restaurant said: "After careful consideration, we’ve introduced a small deposit requirement for all future bookings. This was not an easy decision, but it helps us ensure we can continue to provide the best experience for all our guests, especially after recent no-shows."
Under the new policy, guests will pay a £5 deposit per person from Tuesday to Thursday and £10 per person from Friday to Sunday. The deposit is fully refundable if the booking is cancelled with at least 24 hours' notice. Deposits will be retained for any unnotified changes, such as group size changes on the day.
Support from Customers and Businesses
The policy has been met with waves of support. One customer commented: "Very good idea. Genuine customers won't mind at all." Other local businesses, including Crosby's Kraft Burger restaurant and Southport's Tik Taco, shared their own experiences with no-shows.
Kraft Burger said: "It’s not something we want to have in place and we have had a few negative comments in the past but we trialled removing it and ended up with no shows within the first few days so had to put it back in place." Tik Taco added: "This was happening to us a lot and it’s now stopped as we have put in place a deposit system when they book. Things like this can kill a small business and we wish you all the success for the future."
Vine & Fire expressed gratitude for the understanding and hopes to continue making "delicious memories together" with its guests.
