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TV chef Emily Roux defends charging prospects £100 a head if they do not present up at her restaurant after reserving a desk

TV chef Emily Roux has defended her restaurant’s policy of charging no-show bookings almost £100 per head.

The 33-year-old, who is the daughter of Masterchef’s Michel Roux Jr, runs the modern French restaurant Caractère in west London‘s Notting Hill area.

In her defence of the policy, Roux compared reserving a table at a restaurant to booking a flight, buying tickets to a football match or an evening at the theatre.

‘If you’re sick and you can’t attend do you think the game will be replayed?

‘Will the actors do it again? Will the plane wait a couple of days? No’, Roux remarked.

Roux has run Caractère alongside her husband Diego Ferrari since 2018, where a three-course à la carte meal can set you back £89.

Regularly appearing on the Saturday Kitchen show, the TV chef took particular aim at those who book tables at multiple restaurants on the same evening.

Speaking on the Go To Food podcast, Roux said: ‘I would just love to have conversations with those people and try and make them understand how damaging it is for us’.

TV chef Emily Roux pictured with her father Michel Roux of Masterchef

TV chef Emily Roux pictured with her father Michel Roux of Masterchef

Caractère is a modern French restaurant in west London's Notting Hill area

Caractère is a modern French restaurant in west London’s Notting Hill area

Explaining how would-be customers not showing up to bookings can be particularly impactful on smaller family-run businesses, Roux said: ‘We do 30-35 covers and we’re full. 

‘If you have two no-shows or two cancellations on that evening, it’s hugely damaging.

‘And it also means that you can’t have somebody else take that table up as well’.

Then asked as to whether or not restaurants could start to charge deposits or request payment for meals ahead of arrival, Roux said she didn’t think people would be ready to accept such policies. 

‘I genuinely think that people are not ready to put a deposit, or to pay up front when they’re coming.

‘I think we’re still, and as I said we get lots of bookings last minute as well, like you know, within 48 hours’.

Those in agreement with Roux’s lofty no-show fees are likely to cite recent data which revealed one in ten restaurant’s across Britain are at ‘imminent’ risk of closing.

Emily's grandfather Albert Roux was also a celebrated chef established Le Gavroche in Mayfair

Emily’s grandfather Albert Roux was also a celebrated chef established Le Gavroche in Mayfair

A survey conducted late last year by accountancy firm Price Bailey found that restaurant closures are already occurring at their highest rate in over a decade.

A staggering 1,409 ceased operations in the year ending September 2024, a spike of almost 20 per cent on the previous year.

Many high profile dining establishments have been included in these figures, such as Leroy in London’s trendy Shoreditch area and the Roux family’s own restaurant Le Gavroche which shut after decades of service in Mayfair in January of last year.

Industry leaders have also expressed concerns over last Autumn’s budget, in which Labour Chancellor Rachel Reeves hiked both the minimum wage and national insurance contributions and placed further financial strain on restaurants.

Speaking in the wake of the budget, UK hospitality CEO Kate Nicholls stated: ‘This Budget is the latest blow for hospitality businesses. Rising taxes, increasing costs and fragile consumer confidence risk bringing growth to a grinding halt’.