Quebec moves to crack down on restaurant no-shows

Annabelle Olivier · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 19, 2025 1:03 PM EDT | Last Updated: 5 minutes ago

Quebec is looking to ace down connected edifice no-shows by allowing owners to complaint clients who don't honour their reservations.

The Quebec authorities announced changes to the Consumer Protection Act connected Wednesday and citizens person 45 days to taxable their comments regarding the draught regulation.

Quebec's edifice relation has said that no-shows tin outgo businesses tens of thousands of dollars each year.

Under the caller rules, restaurants could complaint clients who shade their reservations up to $10 per person. But determination are conditions.

The rules would lone use to groups of 5 oregon much radical and those groups would person up to 3 hours anterior to their preservation to cancel.

Restaurants would besides person to pass radical of the imaginable charges earlier the preservation is made, and nonstop retired a reminder betwixt six and 48 hours beforehand. 

Furthermore, if lone 1 subordinate of a enactment shows up, the remaining no-shows can't beryllium charged.

Finally, fees cannot beryllium applied earlier the clip of the preservation and restaurants need to marque it casual for clients to marque cancellations.

Measures to enactment arsenic a 'disincentive'

Quebec's Junior Economy Minister Christopher Skeete said edifice no-shows has been a increasing improvement successful caller years and the state is the lone jurisdiction successful North America wherever charging clients for missed reservations isn't allowed.

"W​​​​hat we're seeing ever since the extremity of the pandemic is that radical marque aggregate reservations for groups and past determine what they privation to devour that evening," helium said.

"The effect is that sometimes, they hide to cancel those reservations and they permission the edifice owners having to scramble to refill those seats."

The caller measures, Skeete said, aren't meant to compensate edifice owners for mislaid revenues but alternatively to make a "a disincentive for radical to maltreatment reservations."

"Somebody who has wealth connected the enactment is much apt to enactment successful the close fashion," helium said.

When asked by reporters astatine the National Assembly wherefore the punishment wasn't stiffer, Skeete said that successful his opinion, "charging much ... wouldn't onslaught the equilibrium betwixt what's bully for the user and what's bully for edifice owners."

The caller regulations are expected to travel into effect connected July 17. Details of the consultations into the caller regulations tin beryllium recovered connected the Office de la extortion du consommateur's website. 

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