For restaurant owners · Bookings and no-shows
Write a no-show policy for large tables
Plain wording for your large-table no-show and cancellation terms, plus confirmation lines and phone words, built only on the terms you already set.
The prompt
Paste it into ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini and fill in each part in [BRACKETS]. Restaurant owners and general managers.
I run a restaurant. A big table did not show last week, and I turned away other guests to hold it. I have decided what my no-show terms will be. Now I need them written so guests understand them and my staff say them the same way every time. What I have: - The terms I decided: the party size they apply to, how much notice to cancel, how long we hold a late table, and what happens when a table does not show: [MY TERMS] - Where the policy will appear, such as the confirmation, the website and the phone: [WHERE IT GOES] - How I sound with guests: [MY TONE] What I want: 1. Write the policy in plain words, short enough to read in under a minute. 2. Write a version of one or two sentences for the reservation confirmation. 3. Write what the host says on the phone when a large party books, in words a new host could say. 4. Write a short, kind reply to a guest who asks why we have the policy. 5. List the questions a guest is likely to ask that my terms do not answer. Rules: - Write a draft for me to read. Do not send or post anything. - Use only what I gave you. If something is missing, ask me instead of guessing. - Use my terms exactly. Do not add a fee, change an amount or make an exception I did not write. - Do not decide who gets charged or who gets a pass. That stays with me. - Leave out guests' card details and anything about their health. Give me back: - The policy, the confirmation lines and the phone words - The reply for a guest who asks why - The gaps in my terms, as questions for me
When to use it
A big table did not show on a Friday, you turned other guests away to hold it, and you want the policy written down before it happens again.
When not to
Do not use it to decide the fee, the deposit or the cutoff. You set those first and check them against the rules where you operate. A guest who disputes a charge goes to you.
What to paste in
- [MY TERMS]: The no-show and cancellation terms you already decided, in your own words. Point to where the fee is set rather than typing an amount.
- [WHERE IT GOES]: Each place the policy will show up: the confirmation message, the reservations page, the phone.
- [MY TONE]: Three or four words for how you want the policy to sound.
Never paste
- Names or card details of guests who did not show
- Anything a guest told you about their health
A filled-in example
Sample. Fictional business, fictional client.
MY TERMS: Applies to parties of 8 or more; cancel at least 24 hours ahead; we hold the table 15 minutes past the time; the table is held with a card, and a no-show or late cancel is charged the per-guest fee shown in our reservation link. WHERE IT GOES: The reservation confirmation, the reservations page on our website, and what the host says on the phone. MY TONE: Friendly but firm, no lecturing.
What you should get back
- A short policy in plain words, built only on your terms
- One or two lines for the reservation confirmation
- Phone words a new host can say the same way every time
- A kind reply for a guest who asks why, and the gaps in your terms
What stays with you
The prompt writes a draft. You decide what happens to it, and nothing should reach a guest until you have read it. Decisions about money stay with a person every time, and so do health questions and complaints. When KeenHand builds a routine like this, every message carries the same four decisions: Automate, Approve, Revise, Reject.
Related
- Reply to a large-party reservation request. A reply to a big-table request that offers only the times your large-party rules allow and says what the guest needs to do to hold the table.
- Answer reservation requests for a busy holiday. Replies to holiday table requests that offer only the seatings you have left, explain the holiday menu and send everyone else to the waitlist.
- Plan a new server's first week. A day-by-day first week for a new server, built from how your floor runs, with a trainer on every shift and a checklist before they take tables alone.
More: every prompt for restaurants, bookings and no-shows, and AI for restaurants.
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