A Michelin-starred chef wrote a passionate rant calling diners who fail to show up for reservations 'the worst kind of guest'

• The Michelin-starred chef Tom Kerridge has publicly criticized 27 diners he said failed to show up to his London restaurant on Saturday night.
• Writing on Instagram, he called their behavior "disgraceful, shortsighted and down right unhelpful."
• It's particularly frustrating for chefs right now, as the restaurant industry attempts to get back on its feet following coronavirus lockdowns.
• Other renowned chefs such as Clare Smyth and Simon Rimmer shared Kerridge's frustrations in the comments.
• Representatives for Kerridge did not immediately respond to Insider's request for further comment.

A Michelin-starred chef has written a passionate post about why people who fail to show up for their restaurant reservations are "the worst kind" of diners, particularly right now, as the hospitality industry struggles to return to life following coronavirus lockdowns.

Kerridge wrote on Instagram that 27 people who had booked tables at Kerridge's Bar & Grill in London, where he is the head chef, didn't turn up Saturday night.

He called that kind of behavior "disgraceful," adding that it put people's jobs at risk.

"This industry, like many others is on the verge of collapse," Kerridge wrote.

"Your behaviour is disgraceful, shortsighted and down right unhelpful..... all of you 'no shows' in all restaurants up and down the country are adding to the issues already being faced.

"YOU are putting people's jobs more at risk..... we put staff levels to the number of covers booked and when you fail to turn up, it now costs us, which in turn will force very uncomfortable and hard decisions about staffing levels.

"You are the worst kind of guest, and that is 'selfish.' I hope you have a good look at yourselves."

The three-Michelin-starred chef Clare Smyth was one of many people expressing their sympathies and frustrations in the comments.

"Well said Tom," she wrote. "We need to educate people now more than ever. Our industry needs to come into line with others.

"Staff don't work for free because the guests don't turn up. Ingredients are prepared and wasted. It is incredibly disrespectful."

The celebrity chef Simon Rimmer added: "This is disgraceful. The biggest insult to our industry."

The sentiment is one also held by the Michelin-starred chef brothers Chris and Jeff Galvin, who previously told Insider's Alison Millington that customers booking tables and not showing up was their biggest "bugbear."

"Five percent of customers are no-show," Chris Galvin said, adding that it cost the restaurant a quarter of a million pounds a year, or more than $300,000, because "we could have sold the table two, three, four times over."

"It's amazing when you explain to people, they probably think we have two to three tables not show up, it's more like two to three tables per service," he said.

"It's a real shame."

Representatives for Kerridge did not immediately respond to Insider's request for further comment.

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