The restaurant Petit Prix on Aarhus Ø has introduced a fee of 1,000 kroner per person for guests who reserve a table on Friday or Saturday and then fail to show up or cancel.
The new charge was reported on August 17, 2026 by Avisen Danmark. According to the outlet, so-called no-shows had become costly enough for the Aarhus restaurant to act on its two busiest evenings.
Co-owner and director Sofie Merete Østergaard says the restaurant cannot survive if chairs stay empty. Per Avisen Danmark, the problem grew after Petit Prix changed its concept and lowered its prices significantly, making unused tables far more damaging.
Østergaard adds that empty tables sometimes stood unused even when guests were on a waiting list. She also notes that reservation numbers determine staffing, and that 40 arrivals instead of 100 leaves the restaurant heavily overstaffed.
The fee has not deterred guests who genuinely want to eat there, according to Østergaard. She says a group of guests are simply indifferent, and that the restaurant does not mind losing them.
Avisen Danmark’s survey of other Aarhus restaurants shows the problem is uneven. At Nomelle in Frederiksgade, co-owner and director Rasmus Surland estimates that guests who never arrive cost at least 250,000 kroner in lost turnover per year.
At Bardok, co-owner and chef Martin Fryd Christensen says no-shows were a bigger problem about five years ago. He estimates that fewer than 5 percent of bookings now end without the guests arriving, helped by a booking system that sends a reminder three hours in advance.
Bardok has also stopped calling guests who are late. If a party has not arrived after about 15 minutes, the table can be given to others, and Christensen says informing the restaurant is the guest’s responsibility.
The problem is smallest at Møf in Jægergårdsgade. Figures from 2025 show that only 0.8 percent of the restaurant’s reservations ended as no-shows, and the restaurant states that its guests are good at cancelling.
Rules on no-show fees
Charging such fees is permitted in Denmark under conditions. The industry association HORESTA stated in 2021 that no-show fees are legal if the terms are clearly disclosed and the amount is reasonable compared with the restaurant’s loss.
In a 2019 case note, the Forbrugerombudsmanden said fees must not be disproportionately large relative to the expected loss. The Consumer Ombudsman also stated that consumers must consent to charges on their payment cards under the Danish Payment Services Act.
High fees are not new in Aarhus. Jyllands-Posten reported in 2016 that Frederikshøj required online guests to register a payment card and accept a fee of 1,250 kroner per cover for no-shows.
Ekstra Bladet has reported that several Copenhagen restaurants, including venues in the Cofoco group, charge no-show fees. Those amounts typically fall between 250 and 450 kroner, well below the level now applied at Petit Prix.
