Your numbers
Default: 2.33%, the recorded rate in the Resos No-Show Index 2026. Replace it with your own measured rate. The index uses reservations; this calculator applies the rate to your cover estimate.
No-shows must be staff-recorded to appear in the index. Only 72.9% of eligible venues marked at least one, so the true rate may be higher.
Average revenue per seated guest (food + drink).
Enter your own planning assumption. Delivered SMS reminders were associated with a 16% lower recorded rate in the index, but this was an observational association, not a guaranteed effect.
What no-shows cost you
You could recover
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How the calculation works
The estimate is deliberately simple and transparent so you can verify it:
no-show covers / month = monthly covers × no-show rate %
lost revenue / month = no-show covers × average check
annual lost revenue = lost revenue / month × 12
recoverable / year = annual lost revenue × reduction %
residual loss / year = annual lost revenue − recoverableThis treats a no-show as potential lost revenue when the table cannot be refilled. It does not subtract variable food cost or account for a table recovered through a waitlist, walk-ins, or another booking. Use your own numbers and compare the estimate with your POS and recovery data.
How to use the estimate
Use the calculator to make your assumptions visible, then compare the estimate with your own booking outcomes and recovered tables. Reminder, cancellation, and payment-policy workflows should be evaluated against a stable baseline rather than assumed to produce a fixed result. Read more in our guide to reducing no-shows and how prepayments and deposits work, or see the best systems for reducing no-shows.
Related reading: No-show rate explained · No-show (glossary) · No-show fee · Reduce cancellations
Frequently asked questions
What is a restaurant no-show? +
A no-show is a guest who makes a reservation and neither shows up nor cancels, leaving a table empty that you could have sold. Unlike a cancellation, a no-show gives you no chance to rebook the table, so the lost revenue is usually total.
What is a typical restaurant no-show rate? +
There is no universal rate because recording practices, booking channels, venue mix, and policies differ. The Resos No-Show Index recorded 2.33% across 3.77 million eligible reservations at 2,417 restaurants from August 2025 through July 2026. Use your own measured rate when you have one.
How do I calculate the cost of no-shows? +
Multiply your monthly covers by your no-show rate to estimate no-show covers, then multiply that by your average check for a potential monthly exposure and by 12 for an annual estimate. The calculator also lets you model the difference from a reduction assumption you enter yourself.
Do reminders actually reduce no-shows? +
Delivered SMS reminders were associated with a 16% lower recorded no-show rate in the Resos index, but that was an observational comparison rather than a randomized test. Treat the reduction input as your planning assumption, then compare it with your own baseline.
Cite this calculator
Writing about restaurant no-shows? You're welcome to reference or link to this tool:
Restaurant No-Show Cost Calculator — https://restaurantbookingsystem.com/tools/no-show-cost-calculator/