Quebec restaurants can now charge you for making a reservation and not showing up

Quebec restaurant owners can now charge a fee to people who make a reservation but don't show up.

Under new rules in effect today, restaurants can charge up to $10 for each no-show.

An association representing Quebec restaurant owners has estimated that no-shows cost the average eatery about $49,000 per year.

Meanwhile, the Canadian restaurant industry association says Quebec was the only province with consumer protection laws that expressly forbade restaurants from charging no-show fees.

Quebec restaurants have to follow a number of rules to apply the fee, including reminding customers of an upcoming reservation and giving them an easy way to cancel.

The fee can be applied only to groups of two or more, and only if none of the members of the party shows up.

WATCH | How no-shows impact restaurants: 

A no-show at a Quebec restaurant could soon cost you a fee

4 months ago

Duration 2:03

After years of pressure from Quebec restaurants claiming tens of thousands of dollars in annual losses thanks to customers who make reservations and don’t show up for them, the provincial government is proposing regulations that would provide restaurants some protections.