CELPIP Listening Part 6 · Viewpoints · set 10 of 10

Are Restaurant No-Show Fees Fair?

A CELPIP Listening Part 6 practice set (Viewpoints): the transcript, 6 questions and the answer key with an explanation for each answer. No sign-up needed. This page prints the transcript and has no audio; on the real test you hear the recording once and cannot replay it.

The task

You will hear a guest columnist on a food podcast give his view on restaurants charging fees for missed reservations. Listen once, then answer the questions.

You hear the audio only once.
The speaker presents a point of view: follow the argument and the position, not only the facts.

Questions: 6
Time: 4 minutes
Practice set: 10 of 10

Transcript

The test plays this once, as audio. For real practice, answer the questions first, then check the transcript.

More restaurants in Canada are now asking for a credit card when you book a table, and charging a fee if you don't show up. In Montreal, where I live, I've seen fees from fifteen to fifty dollars a person. A lot of diners are annoyed by this, and at first, so was I. But after talking to people who run restaurants, I've come around to supporting it, with some conditions. Let me start with the objections. Plans change. A child gets sick, a storm hits, a meeting runs late. Being charged for a dinner you didn't eat can feel like a penalty for being human. Some people also don't like handing over card details just to reserve a table, and they worry about hidden charges. But consider it from the other side. A friend of mine owns a forty-seat bistro. On a typical Saturday, she told me, four or five reservations simply never arrive, and no one calls. That's often ten or more empty seats on her busiest night, after she's already bought the food and scheduled the staff. Restaurants operate on very slim profits, often under five percent, so a few lost tables every week can decide whether a small place survives the year. And here's what struck me most. Since she introduced a twenty-dollar fee last spring, her no-shows have dropped by about eighty percent. She's actually charged the fee only a handful of times, because people now take the time to cancel. The fee works less as a punishment and more as a reminder. That said, I don't think restaurants should have unlimited freedom here. The rules should be clear at the time of booking, not hidden in small print. There should be a reasonable cancellation window, say twenty-four hours. And owners should use some judgment. If someone calls from the hospital, charging them would be wrong, and it's bad for business. I'd also say this to my fellow diners: if a fee is the only thing that gets us to cancel a reservation we're not going to use, that says more about us than about the restaurants. A reservation is a small promise. A fair, clearly explained fee simply makes that promise mean something.

Questions and answer key

1What is the speaker's overall position on no-show fees?
1. AThey are unfair to diners whose plans change and should be banned outright.
2. BThey should apply only to large groups.
3. ✓They are reasonable if they are applied clearly and fairly.
4. DThey should be set at fifty dollars a person.
Answer: C
He has 'come around to supporting it, with some conditions', such as clear rules and a cancellation window. Calling them unfair was only his first reaction: 'at first, so was I.'
2What happens at the speaker's friend's bistro on a typical Saturday?
1. AShe turns away four or five groups at the door.
2. BAbout ten customers cancel by phone in the afternoon.
3. CShe closes early because she is short of staff.
4. ✓Several booked groups fail to arrive without calling.
Answer: D
'Four or five reservations simply never arrive, and no one calls.' The 'ten or more' refers to empty seats, not customers who called to cancel.
3Why does the speaker mention that restaurant profits are often under five percent?
1. ✓To show how much a few empty tables can hurt a business
2. BTo argue that restaurants should raise their menu prices
3. CTo explain why restaurants need fewer staff on weekends
4. DTo suggest that owners exaggerate their losses
Answer: A
Because profits are so slim, 'a few lost tables every week can decide whether a small place survives the year.' He never discusses menu prices.
4What happened after the bistro introduced its fee?
1. AMany regular customers stopped coming.
2. ✓No-shows fell by about eighty percent.
3. CThe owner charged the fee almost every weekend.
4. DBookings dropped sharply during the spring.
Answer: B
'Her no-shows have dropped by about eighty percent.' She has charged the fee 'only a handful of times', not every weekend.
5Which condition does the speaker think restaurants should follow?
1. ACharging only customers who book online
2. BRefunding the fee after the meal
3. ✓Allowing a reasonable time to cancel
4. DLimiting fees to fifteen dollars a person
Answer: C
He says 'there should be a reasonable cancellation window, say twenty-four hours.' Fifteen dollars is just the lowest fee he has seen, not a limit he proposes.
6What is the speaker's attitude toward diners in his closing comments?
1. AHe sympathizes with diners who sometimes forget about their reservations.
2. BHe thinks diners should refuse to give card details.
3. CHe believes most diners already cancel responsibly.
4. ✓He suggests diners share some responsibility for the problem.
Answer: D
He tells 'my fellow diners' that needing a fee to cancel 'says more about us than about the restaurants.' Refusing to give card details is an objection he reports, not something he recommends.

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