My friends have started charging a cancellation fee for brunch.
By @ineskay · Friends
A few of us have a standing brunch reservation every Saturday. Recently, two people in our friend group proposed a 'cancellation fee' of $20 if you cancel within 24 hours of the reservation, to cover the fee the restaurant charges for no-shows or party size changes.
The full story
There's a group of six of us who have been doing a Saturday brunch for years. It's a standing reservation at a popular place, so holding the table is a big deal. Lately, a couple of people have been consistently bailing at the last minute, sometimes an hour or two before we're supposed to meet. This means the restaurant either gives away our table or charges a fee for the reduced party size, which the rest of us have been splitting. To solve this, two of the most punctual people in the group chat suggested we implement our own '$20 cancellation fee.' If you cancel less than 24 hours out, you have to Venmo the fee to whoever's card is on the reservation, no exceptions. On one hand, I get it. It's about respecting everyone's time and the commitment to the reservation. It feels fair that the person who causes the fee should be the one to cover it. On the other hand, it feels weirdly formal and transactional for a friend group. Life happens—you might get sick, have a family thing come up, or just need to rest. Monetizing our friendship feels a little cold and corporate. I haven't cancelled yet, but I feel like it's only a matter of time before this causes a real argument.
How people voted
- Valid Take — 20% (7 votes)
- I’m Torn — 51% (18 votes)
- Bad Take — 29% (10 votes)
Readers say “I’m Torn” (51%) — 35 votes and 5 comments so far.
What people are saying
@yarawelp — My fantasy baseball league has a punishment for last place that's more complicated than this. people take their commitments seriously lol
@mmkay — I feel like for this to even be proposed, the same people must have been cancelling over and over again.
@vincemm — can't wait for the follow up post when someone refuses to pay
@sammydoes — That's a tough spot to be in. It's totally fair to feel weird about putting a price on friendship plans.
@ashok — What happens when the restaurant waives the fee but someone already canceled?
Keep reading
- We cannot agree on if you have to pay for food you ordered but didn't eat.
- Every time my friend group splits the bill at dinner, somehow I owe the most.
- I have been formally banned from choosing the restaurant for my friend group.
- Our friend group chat now has a 'no memes' during work hours rule.
- At what point does being 'thrifty' just become rude?