A conversation with the chef who started charging for no-shows — and doubled her covers
April 5, 2026·Basel Khalifa
Beatriz Almeida runs a fourteen-table restaurant in Lisbon's Príncipe Real. Three years ago, she was losing 22% of her bookings to no-shows. Today, she runs a deposit policy, has a six-week waiting list, and is one of the few restaurants in the city that actively prefers groups of six over couples.
We sat down with her in March.
MPS — When did you decide to start charging for no-shows?
It was a Saturday in May 2023. We had nine cancellations after 18:00, three of them tables of four. I had bought the food. I had paid the kitchen. I went home that night and cried in the kitchen at midnight. The next Monday I called my husband, who is a software engineer, and I said: we are taking deposits.
It was that simple?
It was that simple. The hard part was deciding I would not feel guilty for it.
Did you lose customers?
I lost the customers I wanted to lose. The ones who think a reservation is a soft suggestion. We charge €15 per person, refundable if you show up or cancel more than 24 hours in advance. The first three months were rough. We had bookings drop maybe 30%. By month four, every booking on the calendar was real.
You mentioned you prefer groups of six. Most restaurants find them difficult.
Six is the magic number. Six is one table. Six is one set of dietary requirements that we sort out in advance because it is worth our time to. Six tips well. Six does not stay until midnight unless they are happy, and if they are happy they leave a 20% tip.
Why did the deposit help with groups specifically?
Because groups are coordinating eight people's calendars. They cancel things. They re-cancel them. They cancel and rebook a different day. Without a deposit, a group is essentially a probability distribution. With a deposit, a group is a commitment.
You mentioned MyPerfectStay's group bookings.
Yes — when a group books through your platform, the deposit is already taken before they get to me. I see a confirmed booking, six covers, dietary requirements pre-filled. It is the easiest reservation I take all week.
Last question: any advice for restaurants who are nervous about deposits?
The customers you are afraid of losing have already left. The ones who stay are the ones who were going to show up anyway. You are not punishing them. You are honouring them.
Beatriz's restaurant is one of 1,200 venues integrated into MyPerfectStay's group booking system. If you run a restaurant and want to learn more, get in touch.