What's the solution to no-show problem?

I don't like being stood up. You've agreed the time, the place. You have swapped phone numbers. You turn up on the right night. With no advance warning, they don't. Their behaviour is offensive, rude and, for restaurateurs, financially damaging.

So is there anything we can do about no-shows? It is bad enough at any time of the year, but it is particularly galling to have a table for 10 with a reserved sign but no diners at Christmas, or several intimately lit tables for two in the same state on Valentine's night.

I must admit that at Brannigans we are better off than most. When people are booking a meal for a party of 20, they expect to pay a deposit. I would have been hard pressed when I was managing director of Wheelers to introduce a "50% up front" rule for diners.

But we still experience no-shows, and it continues to be an irritant that we could well do without.

The worst offenders in my opinion are those who blatantly abuse the system. They book a table for four at three restaurants on the same night, then ask their friends to choose one. They often don't even have the courtesy to call the other establishments to let them know so they can resell the tables.

We are not alone in our plight. During the rail dispute, there was the man who travelled regularly between Newcastle and London by train. As his alternative, he bragged that he would book seats with three airlines, jump on the flight that best suited his schedule, then apply for refunds on the unused tickets. It is no wonder that airline operators overbook on popular flights, but I wonder how hoteliers could introduce the concept of standby accommodation. If you missed a bedroom, you could be next in line for a sofa in the reception area.

Overbooking simply isn't an option in the restaurant business. You cannot upgrade from economy class to business class, scoring Brownie points all round. You can only show genuine paying guests to the door, apologising profusely and hoping they won't slag you off to all their friends. A return booking? I doubt it - even if you have offered a complimentary bottle of house wine to compensate for the inconvenience.

Ringing round the day before or that morning to check the evening bookings is time-consuming and costly. I am also not sure how effective it is. Genuine people will confirm their bookings; hardened no-shows will simply hold on to the table until they have decided whether or not they want it. You might be lucky and prick a few consciences, but while it may work for Conran and the other top-end London restaurants, I don't see it as a universal solution for independent or mid-spend chain operations, where time is already at a premium.

When I think of no-shows, I must admit I feel angry. I think my reaction is common to most of my peers, and it is only human nature to act by trying to police or punish offenders. It is only recently that I have wondered whether this instinctive reaction is actually not necessarily the most sensible in commercial terms.

I would like to put forward an alternative view. Instead of checking up on guests ahead of time, or acting like an outraged head prefect when they fail to materialise, we could try to turn the no-show to our advantage.

If someone goes to the trouble of booking a table at your restaurant, it must mean that they have heard good things about it, or have enjoyed a previous visit. The fact that they didn't turn up means they either decided not to eat out that night, or they picked another of their three or four options.

I would like to suggest that we try following up no-shows, not with an admonitory slap on the wrist, or a charge made to their Visa card (tempting as that might be) but with a warm invitation to visit us on another occasion - maybe enhanced with a special offer.

This could be crude psychology, but it strikes me that to treat discourteous individuals with respect and courtesy may be a good method of encouraging them to do the same by you.

I am not naïve enough to think they might kick the habit altogether. I am hopeful that they would grant you an exemption from their no-show routine. We'll try it and let you know.

Stephen Evans is chief executive of Mustard Entertainment Restaurants, which owns late-night venue Brannigans