Luxury London restaurants are cracking down on no-shows and social media freeloaders by introducing hefty deposits and minimum spends, as the industry battles rising costs and booking bots snapping up prime tables.
Gymkhana, the two-Michelin-starred Indian hotspot in Mayfair, has introduced a £100 minimum spend for dinner, payable upfront.
Meanwhile, Hutong, located in The Shard, now requires diners to spend at least £80 per head on Friday and Saturday nights. Over in St James’s, Chutney Mary has imposed a £60 per person minimum for dinner.
Gymkhana said it introduced the policy in November 2024 due to an increasing number of no-shows and because of ‘large volumes of bots and reservation resale websites’ targeting the restaurant after it won its second Michelin star.
The group behind Chutney Mary, MW Eat, admitted it had wrestled with the decision but decided it was necessary to combat diners treating high-end Indian cuisine like a cheap takeaway, where groups order a few mains and pile on inexpensive sides.
Chris D’Sylva, owner of the Michelin-starred Dorian in Notting Hill, said he introduced a £25 per head deposit to deter customers from making multiple bookings and only showing up to one.
He described the practice as ‘reservation-squatting… because there’s no penalty associated with making a reservation.’
Gymkhana, the two-Michelin-starred Indian hotspot in Mayfair, has introduced a £100 minimum spend for dinner, payable upfront
Gymkhana said it introduced the policy in November 2024 due to an increasing number of no-shows and because of ‘large volumes of bots and reservation resale websites’ targeting the restaurant after it won its second Michelin star
Gymkhana London. The restaurant industry has been hit hard by soaring costs, from rising wages to sky-high rents and increased food prices
D’Sylva also slammed influencers who turn up just to snap a picture for social media: ‘It’s something to drive away influencers that come and all they want to do is say that they were there and get the benefit of the social currency and post on their Instagram to the detriment of the business.’
‘Inflation, tax changes, and freeloaders’ – the pressures on fine dining
The restaurant industry has been hit hard by soaring costs, from rising wages to sky-high rents and increased food prices.
D’Sylva pointed out that premium ingredients from Japan now have to be flown around Russia, pushing costs up further.
On top of that, some of his regular customers have left the UK due to non-dom tax changes.
Many restaurants are also cracking down on influencers looking for a free meal in exchange for an Instagram post.
D’Sylva said he often turns down these ‘collab’ requests and noted that some influencers simply order one dish and a glass of wine to generate content.
Matt Tucker, who runs global restaurant booking platform Tock, said minimum spends aren’t necessarily a welcoming message but are a response to ‘influencer culture gone crazy.’
Hutong (pictured), located in The Shard, now requires diners to spend at least £80 per head on Friday and Saturday nights
Hutong. Tucker slammed bots snapping up reservations before genuine diners can book, calling them ‘as bad as influencers’
Hutong.
At Mayfair sushi temple The Araki, diners must pre-pay £310 per head on Tock for the exclusive dinner omakase experience.
Tucker added: ‘There’s no desire to gouge the guests or the customer in any way. This is just saying, ‘we are making a contract between the two of us that you’re going to show up and I’m going to provide you the best meal, the best service’.’
He also slammed bots snapping up reservations before genuine diners can book, calling them ‘as bad as influencers.’
Dorsia, a high-end restaurant and nightlife booking app, applies a minimum spend to all restaurants on its platform, with London bookings typically ranging from £50 to £150.
However, founder Marc Lotenberg warned that setting the bar too high could backfire: ‘The higher minimum spend doesn’t equate to a higher spend overall.’
The group behind Chutney Mary (above), MW Eat, admitted it had wrestled with the decision but decided it was necessary to combat diners treating high-end Indian cuisine like a cheap takeaway, where groups order a few mains and pile on inexpensive sides
Food at Chutney Mary Restaurant in St James London
Top London hotels are also jumping on the trend. At Jean-Georges in The Connaught, anyone who only wants drinks or dessert will be hit with a £50 per person minimum charge.
Claridge’s Foyer & Reading Room has the same rule for dinner guests. Maybourne, which owns both venues, declined to comment.
However, not all restaurants are taking this approach. Tomas Minkley, chief operating officer of Bob Bob Ricard, famous for its ‘press for champagne’ buttons, revealed they had scrapped their minimum spend, saying it was ‘incompatible with today’s economic climate’ and that they wanted ‘to prioritise value and loyalty’.
Gymkhana, Hutong and Chutney Mary have been approached for comment.
