Quebec restaurants will be able to charge a no-show fee of $10 per person as of July 17

The Quebec government is officially giving restaurants the green light to charge a no-show fee of $10 per person if a group of two or more people fails to make good on their reservation.

The no-show fee, which comes into effect on July 17, can be applied only if patrons are informed in advance that they will be charged a fee if they don’t show up, and if they are sent a reservation reminder and confirmation request 6 to 48 hours in advance. Customers must also be able to cancel their reservation at any time.

According to the Quebec Restauration Association, no-shows result in average financial losses of $49,000 per establishment every year.

This law follows up on the Quebec government’s changes to tipping, which mandates restaurants to calculate tips based on totals before tax.

À compter du 17 juillet, les restaurateurs pourront imposer des pénalités en cas de réservations fantômes. Le nouvel encadrement permettra de soutenir les restaurateurs tout en protégeant la clientèle contre tout abus. pic.twitter.com/qcZMw6OVMs

— Simon Jolin-Barrette (@SJB_CAQ) July 3, 2025

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