A proven solution to prevent no-shows at your restaurant

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Every restaurant faces this moment. You reserved the spots for a group of 10 travelers, you prepared the ingredients, and assigned the tasks to the staff. Everything is ready for a busy and important night. However, at the scheduled time, the group never arrives. They do not call to cancel, you stare at the empty table and realize you turned away other guests for nothing. For a restaurant, this is a real loss. You waste the seat, the prep costs, and the revenue. 

But here is the problem: this loss only falls on the restaurant. For the guest, a "no-show" has no cost. They do not pay a fee if they do not show up. They do not provide an explanation or face consequences. Next time, they can make a new reservation just as easily. 

This has become one of the hardest problems in daily operations of restaurants.

This article looks at real business scenarios, and explores how restaurants use the Silkpay PaybyLink solution to create real commitment with minimal effort. This tool helps you reduce no-shows and improve overall operational efficiency.

Traditional solution vs Silkpay solution

Traditional solution:

One common traditional way is to build your own website and add an online reservation system, use payment plugins to collect deposits or full payments. In theory, this is a complete, professional  solution. But in real daily operations, the situation is often more complex.

• High cost of technology and maintenance

Traditional ways require you to build a site, choose a reservation system, configure payment plugins, and ensure stable, compliant operations. These tasks need time, a high budget, and long-term technical support.

• Friction in the customer experience

For many clients, a redirect to an unfamiliar page where customers need to fill in sensitive payment data is a problem. This often lowers the booking completion rate. Such systems do not always suit small restaurants and independent merchants. 

Because of this, more restaurants now look for a lighter, faster but equally effective method. PaybyLink offers exactly this kind of realistic choice.

Silkpay’s PaybyLink solution (Payment links) :

• Remove the need for a new system

You do not need to change your existing reservation channels. Instead, you can simply generate a payment link or QR code via Silkpay App, Silkpay backoffice or Silkpay POS terminal once a booking is confirmed and send them to your customers to pay a deposit for the booking.

• Encourage the customer to decide

The customer simply clicks the link to enter the checkout page and complete the transaction. There is no need to download extra apps or register for new accounts on a website. This simple process increases payment convenience and the success rate for your business

• Security and trust 

Safety remains a top priority for every merchant. Silkpay's solution protects your business from fraud and lowers the risk of chargebacks. With PaybyLink, merchants can send direct payment links to customers for booking, this interaction not only makes the process more human but also builds trust, as customers prefer a personalized link than a generic website. 

• Access to a global market

Merchants can accept Alipay+, WeChat Pay, UnionPay, Visa, Mastercard, iDEAL, etc. By integrating PaybyLink with these wallets, merchants not only protect their revenue and reduce wasted food, but also provide a familiar payment experience for asians customers.

PaybyLink use cases for restaurant reservations

Scenario 1: Make takeout for loyal customers more efficient

For many small restaurants, takeout orders do not come from apps. It comes from a stable group of loyal customers. These customers call before the lunch rush or send orders through social channels (WhatsApp, WeChat…), they might send a message directly: "I want one fried rice, pick-up at 6pm." But problems often happen at the time of pickup. 

During peak hours, the shop is already full. Takeout customers must push to the counter to confirm their orders and then pay. 

Sometimes, staff often forget to take notes of takeout order details because they handle in-store service and checkout at the same time. This leads to mistakes and longer wait times. 

The issue is not the order itself. The issue is that payment happens too late.

This is where PaybyLink’s role comes in! Once the order is final, the merchant sends a payment link directly to the customer who needs to pay before they arrive. At the store, they simply pick up their meal. 

PaybyLink in this case reduces queues and congestion during busy times. The checkout process is smoother and staff face less stress. 

For loyal customers, this is not an extra burden. It is a more convenient experience. For merchants, this turns a slow and messy takeout process into a predictable and manageable part of the business.

Scenario 2: Secure custom and pre-orders

In recent years, more restaurants and dessert shops accept orders through social media. This includes dishes that require preparation time, such as homemade Korean side dishes from Korean restaurants. 

These customized products cannot be resold at the last minute or consume them on the same day. In this case, the risk of a no-show is even higher. 

Merchants already buy the raw materials and spend the time preparing the dish. 

But at the pickup time, the customer disappears or sends a simple message: "I cannot come today." This causes real food waste and you cannot recover the costs. These losses often hit small businesses the hardest. 

The value of PaybyLink in this scenario is not about forcing customers to pay. It is about a guaranteed transaction before production starts. 

After a customer completes an order on Instagram, the merchant sends a payment link. They request a full or partial payment before they begin the work. Payment means the order is now official. The change is very direct: 

• Merchants no longer pay for uncertain orders. Food production and sales form a clear loop. 

• The customer values the reservation much more. 

For the merchant, this is basic protection for their time, ingredients, and labor. In reservation and custom food scenarios, PaybyLink does more than reduce no-shows. It helps merchants turn a verbal promise into a real sale.

Conclusion

Every table and every order in a restaurant represents a valuable resource for the owner. When reservations become more than mere promises and translate into tangible actions, establishments can confidently manage seating arrangements, prepare dishes, and coordinate staff schedules.

Customers, in turn, enjoy a smoother dining experience, whether dining in, collecting takeaway orders, or booking limited-edition desserts with reduced uncertainty and anxiety.

For restaurant owners, finding a simple and effective way to secure real commitment from customers at the time of booking isn’t just about reducing no-shows. It’s a practical business method that helps restaurants stay flexible, in control, and grow steadily even during busy service periods.

About the author: Silkpay

Based in Paris, Silkpay provides omnichannel and secure payment solutions to help physical stores and e-commerce in Europe and the Americas accept more than 30 of the world's most popular payment methods: Visa, Mastercard, CB, UnionPay, Alipay+, WeChat Pay as well as Asia-Pacific’s major e-wallets.

Silkpay is a winner of the LVMH Innovation Award. The company was also selected as a finalist for the "Money 20/20" Best Startup and in the "MPE Berlin” Startup Awards. Silkpay also won the "Best Fintech" awards from Capgemini and BPCE.

Silkpay helps merchants deliver the smoothest payment experience to their customers. We are a talented and international team driven by a single goal: to improve the customer experience and make payments simple and secure.