Cherry Bar had 20 bookings last night, less than half showed up
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30.10.2020

Cherry Bar had 20 bookings last night, less than half showed up

Image by Andrew Bibby
Words by Tom parker

This is devastating.

Premier Daniel Andrews’ announcement earlier this week that hospitality could reopen across Melbourne was a huge relief for the city’s pubs, bars, cafes and restaurants who had been so patient through the lockdown period.

Finally, the prospect of welcoming guests into their establishments became a reality and so each and every venue that was able to reopen was ever-enthusiastic about the opportunity.

For the large part, Melbourne punters have been equally forthcoming but reliability can often be a concern in the hospitality world, especially when it comes to bookings where there’s no cancellation fee.

Melbourne’s beloved Cherry Bar bore the brunt of this issue on Thursday night when 13 of the venue’s 20 bookings didn’t turn up.

On Tuesday, Cherry Bar announced via their Facebook page that they wouldn’t be implementing a cancellation fee to support their fans.

“We know that you know that we only have 20 spots available under current laws inside Cherry and that we desperately need you to spend up big if you secure one of those rare spots. We trust you. Cheers,” the venue said.

20 guests equates to only 8% of the venue’s licensed capacity, which means that it is critical for Cherry Bar that everyone shows for their booking.

But on Thursday, they got stung.

In response, Cherry Bar have introduced a $25 booking fee to ensure everyone who’s promised their attendance actually shows.

Lift your game, Melburnians!

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