An Italian-American restaurant in Scotland moved its bookings from Dojo to Sidedoor and turned on two things: an automatic message before each booking, and a card on file. Cancellations nearly halved, from 12.9% to 6.9% of bookings, comparing the eight weeks before the switch with 24 August to 30 October 2026.
We are not naming the restaurant or its group, so this post describes what it did rather than who it is. The figures come from its own booking data.
About the restaurant
It is an Italian-American restaurant in Scotland, and part of a restaurant group. It takes table bookings, both online and through the team.
Like any restaurant that holds tables for guests, it does best when the people who book either turn up or say early that they can’t. A table that is held and then cancelled, or held for a party that never comes, is a table that could have gone to someone else.
The challenge
Before Sidedoor, the restaurant ran its bookings on Dojo.
The aim of the move was simple to state: every guest with a booking should either confirm their plans or let the restaurant know in time to give the table to someone else. That needs two things working together. Guests need a prompt close to the booking, so it is on their mind. And the booking needs to matter to them, so they act on the prompt.
What they set up
The restaurant moved its bookings to Sidedoor reservations and set up two features that do that job between them.
An automatic message before every booking
Sidedoor’s pre-arrival reminder sends a short message to the guest a set time before their booking starts. The restaurant turns it on in Settings, under Notifications, on the “Pre-arrival reminder” row. There it chooses:
- how many minutes before arrival the message goes out
- the wording of the message
- which channels it uses: email, the Sidedoor app, SMS, or a mix
The message lands in the booking’s own conversation thread, so a guest can reply to it and the team sees the reply against the booking. If a venue turns the reminder on but leaves the message blank, Sidedoor sends a friendly default: “Looking forward to seeing you soon! Reply here if anything changes.”
It is automatic. Nobody on the team has to work through a list of phone calls before service. A booking made inside the reminder window is picked up too, so a late booking still gets the message.
Each sent reminder is recorded in the booking’s History as “Pre-arrival reminder sent”, along with whether it actually reached the guest. The team can tell at a glance which bookings have had a nudge.
A card on file
The restaurant also asks guests to save a card when they book, using card on file on Sidedoor payments. Nothing is charged when the guest books. The card is only charged if the guest doesn’t turn up, or cancels inside the cancellation window the restaurant sets.
That gives the reminder some weight. A guest who arrives as planned never pays anything through the booking. A guest whose plans have changed has a clear reason to say so early, rather than leaving the table empty.
When a guest saves a card, the booking shows it, so the team knows where each booking stands before the guest arrives.
The results
The restaurant compared the eight weeks before it switched to Sidedoor with 24 August to 30 October 2026.
| Measure | Eight weeks before the switch | 24 Aug to 30 Oct 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Cancellations, as a share of bookings | 12.9% | 6.9% |
| Share of bookings made online | 55% | 65% |
| Guests who received an automatic pre-arrival message | n/a | 52% |
| Bookings carrying a card on file | n/a | 66% |
- Before
- After
| Before | After | |
|---|---|---|
| Cancellations (share of bookings) | 12.9% | 6.9% |
| Bookings made online | 55% | 65% |
Source: The restaurant's booking data, the eight weeks before the switch to Sidedoor and 24 Aug to 30 Oct 2026, supplied by the venue
Cancellations nearly halved
Cancellations fell from 12.9% to 6.9% of bookings. That is close to half the rate of the eight weeks before the switch.
Most guests get a message, most bookings carry a card
52% of guests received an automatic pre-arrival message in the period. 66% of bookings carry a card on file. For two thirds of bookings, the guest has agreed in advance that a no-show or a late cancellation has a cost.
More guests booking online
The share of bookings made online rose from 55% to 65%. Asking for a card at booking did not put guests off booking online.
What other restaurants can take from this
If cancellations and empty tables are a problem for you, a few points from this restaurant apply to most venues:
- Prompt guests close to the booking. A message a set time before arrival reaches guests when their plans are real, not weeks earlier when they booked.
- Make it easy to reply. A message the guest can answer in the booking’s thread is easier to act on than a number to call.
- Give the booking some weight. Card on file asks guests for commitment without charging the ones who turn up.
- Let it run itself. An automatic reminder goes out for every booking, on busy nights and quiet ones, without anyone on the team having to remember.
- Measure like for like. Compare periods of a similar length, as this restaurant did, and look at the share of bookings rather than raw counts.
You can see how Sidedoor handles bookings, reminders and card on file for restaurants.
Frequently asked questions
What is a pre-arrival reminder for a restaurant booking?
It is a short message sent automatically a set number of minutes before a booking starts. In Sidedoor the venue chooses the lead time, the wording and whether it goes by email, app push or SMS, and the guest can reply to it if their plans change.
What is card on file for restaurant bookings?
The guest saves a card when they book and nothing is charged at that point. The card is only charged if they don't turn up or cancel inside the venue's cancellation window.
Do pre-arrival reminders reduce restaurant cancellations?
For this Italian-American restaurant in Scotland, cancellations fell from 12.9% to 6.9% of bookings after it switched to Sidedoor, using pre-arrival messages and card on file. That compares the eight weeks before the switch with 24 August to 30 October 2026.
Can I move my restaurant bookings from Dojo to Sidedoor?
Yes. The restaurant in this case study ran its bookings on Dojo before moving them to Sidedoor reservations.
Run bookings, guest lists and events on Sidedoor.
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