The tables were set for brunch on a typical fall Saturday at Farmhouse Tavern, a small restaurant in the Junction with fewer than 60 seats.

The kitchen was preparing a “country breakfast” that day, Nov. 19, featuring a house-smoked bacon, homemade quince jam and pork terrine. A cancellation the night before was nothing the staff couldn’t manage.

But then the calls started coming in faster, some guests cancelling as little as 10 minutes ahead. By the end of the day, it would be the restaurant’s worst Saturday since opening in June 2012.

All told, owner Darcy MacDonell faced 97 cancellations and “no-shows” in those 24 hours. He cut two servers and estimates a 15-per-cent loss in revenue, about $2,000.

“It’s hard on the psyche,” said MacDonell, who’s been seeing more of what he calls “the new hot trend in dining:” no-shows and last-minute cancellations.

MacDonell launched a “respect the restaurant” campaign on social media in support of small restaurants like Farmhouse Tavern that are hurt the most by guests who don’t show up or who cancel reservations in the eleventh hour.

He had a friend design a poster image for the campaign that prominently displays the social media-ready phrases “#RespectTheRestaurant” and “STOP #noshows.”

Many restaurants expect cancellations on occasions such as Mother’s Day and New Year’s Eve. MacDonell booked and rebooked the restaurant four times on New Year’s in 2014. But he doesn’t expect that level of rejection on an average fall Saturday.

“It becomes frustrating when you’re doing that work (booking and rebooking)so often,” he said.

For a popular downtown spot like Khao San Road, which closed its downtown Adelaide location and is reopening at 11 Charlotte St. next year, moving to a no-reservations policy in 2012 was a no-brainer. The Thai restaurant infamously took no reservations and didn’t seat incomplete parties.

“Reservations were very difficult to manage,” owner Monte Wan said over the phone while he was visiting the restaurant’s new location.

At the original Adelaide spot, which opened in 2011, “there were tons of no-shows,” he says. “We would hold tables and they wouldn’t answer their phone and wouldn’t show … And there are people standing at the door wanting to sit and eat,” he said.

Diners can make reservations at his Khao San Road spinoff restaurant, Nana on Queen St. W., a policy his employees want him to toss. But he’s doing it, he says, to “entice people to come out to a different neighbourhood.”

That was the same reasoning applied by Farmhouse Tavern owner MacDonell, who considers his Junction spot on Dupont St. near Dundas St. W. a “destination restaurant.” Being out of the downtown core, he can’t rely on walk-in traffic.

Location is key in the reservation game, says Kristy Adams, program director of Tourism and Hospitality Management at Humber College.

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“Some restaurants have the luxury of having good walk-in traffic but many do not,” she said. Securing tables through reservations, often overbooking, is one way to ensure revenue. “They’re trying to balance the best way to fill their seats.”

Still, after hearing about MacDonell’s very bad day, Adams had to wonder if there was an underlying cause. “What is going on at the Farmhouse?” Is it stiff competition in the area or has word got out that reservations can be nixed without repercussions?

MacDonell thinks the ease of restaurant reservation apps is possibly to blame for so many no-shows and cancellations. Farmhouse Tavern currently takes reservations weeks in advance through online and mobile service OpenTable The company has told MacDonell that his restaurant has a “higher than normal” no-show rate, the percentage of reservations on the platform that go unused without cancellation. “Normal,” according to spokesperson Tiffany Fox, is about 4 per cent and MacDonell’s is about 5 per cent.

“No shows are something we take very seriously as we know they can equate to meaningful lost revenue for restaurants especially those that don’t have a lot of walk-in traffic,” she said. OpenTable has a “four strikes, you’re out” policy for repeat offenders, though they won’t share how many users are booted from the platform after a fourth no-show in one year.

“There’s a certain anonymity to just hitting a button and cancelling,” saids MacDonell, who is now considering a move to Montreal-bred app DINR, which takes day-of reservations only.

On DINR, founded by Kyle Nares who also co-owns Montreal restaurants Le Bremner and Garde Manger, users are charged $30 a person if they don’t show up. On apps such as OpenTable, users can book tables weeks in advance. “The further you can book in advance the more likely you are to cancel,” said Nares, speaking from experience. “It’s about having tools and methods to guarantee we can get those seats full.”

Across town at L’Unita, an Italian restaurant near Avenue and Davenport Rds., owner David Minicucci, also can’t rely on walk-ins. He takes reservations by phone and on both OpenTable and DINR. To be on the safe side, he also calls to confirm each booking.

“It’s that birthday group of 10 people that makes three different reservations and just completely ignore two of them and end up at one and won’t answer their phone or call you back,” he said of a typical frustration.

Minicucci has offered MacDonell his support in his Respect the Restaurant campaign, one they both hope will educate diners about the importance of making a reservation and committing to it.

It’s ultimately about respect, which is why MacDonell chose the “Respect the Restaurant” hashtag.

“I just want people to be aware. Think of your favourite restaurant and how you want it to survive and thrive. A little consideration goes a long way,” he said.

Correction- December 5, 2016: This article was edited from a previous version that mistakenly said Khao San Road is reopening on Queen St. W. next year.