A guest paid $200 to reserve a table for eight. Now two people cannot come. Does the restaurant refund $50, keep the full deposit, or apply $200 to dinner for six?
If your policy says only “deposits are nonrefundable,” the guest still cannot answer that question. Neither can the host handling the call.
Good restaurant reservation deposit policy wording connects each financial outcome to a specific event: canceling the booking, reducing the party, arriving with fewer guests, or completing the meal. It also tells guests exactly when a deadline expires and who can resolve a refund question.
Below is one fictional policy, edited as a document—not a list of answers your team must improvise later.
The reservation behind the redline
The Alder Room is a fictional Chicago restaurant. For this example, it collects a $25-per-person deposit for reservations of six or more.
An eight-person reservation therefore requires $200 upfront. The restaurant wants to allow refunds for cancellations and reductions made at least 48 hours before the reservation, while retaining the relevant deposit after that deadline.
That is a business choice for this example, not a recommended rule for every restaurant.
OpenTable’s September 23, 2026 guest guidance distinguishes deposit arrangements from cancellation arrangements and identifies restaurant responsibility for manual refunds. That distinction matters here: collecting money upfront, imposing a cancellation consequence, and returning money are separate actions. Your wording needs to explain each one.
Editing key: strikethrough marks deleted wording; bold marks replacement wording. Blockquotes are margin comments, not part of the guest-facing policy.
Marked-up policy: make the money traceable
1. Name the charge and explain where it goes
A deposit is required for large parties. Deposits are nonrefundable and may be used toward your visit.
For reservations of six or more, we collect a $25-per-person deposit when you book. The deposit is a prepayment, not an additional dining charge. We apply the deposit to your final bill, except for amounts retained for late cancellations, late party-size reductions, or no-shows under the terms below.
Margin comment: “Large parties” leaves the threshold undefined. “May be used” makes the credit sound discretionary. State the amount, collection point, and bill treatment together. Do not call every deposit nonrefundable if some cancellations qualify for refunds.
2. Replace “48 hours’ notice” with an actual deadline
Please give us 48 hours’ notice if your plans change. Late cancellations will lose their deposit.
To receive a full deposit refund when canceling your reservation, email reservations@alderroom.example at least 48 hours before your scheduled reservation time. All reservation times and deadlines use America/Chicago time—Central Standard Time or Central Daylight Time, as applicable. We use the time your email reaches our inbox, not the time we reply.
For example, a reservation for Saturday, October 17, 2026, at 7 p.m. has a cancellation deadline of Thursday, October 15, 2026, at 7 p.m. Chicago time. If you cancel after the deadline or do not attend, we retain the full deposit.
Margin comment: A restaurant cancellation policy needs a channel, a cutoff, and a time zone. The receipt rule also prevents a delayed staff reply from turning an on-time cancellation into a late one. Confirm that your inbox and reservation workflow can support this promise.
3. Give changed headcounts their own financial rule
Changes to party size may affect your deposit. Please call us.
Email party-size reductions to the same address. If your email reaches us at least 48 hours before the reservation, we refund $25 for each removed guest. After that deadline, we retain $25 for each removed guest, including guests absent on arrival. The remaining deposit is applied to your bill.
If your party drops below six, the deposit for the remaining guests stays on the reservation and is applied to your bill. Increases require our confirmation and an additional $25 deposit per added guest. Do not assume an increase is accepted until we confirm it.
Margin comment: This party size change policy answers the eight-to-six question. Before the deadline: refund $50 and credit $150 at dinner. After the deadline: retain $50 and credit $150. Specify what happens below the original booking threshold, too.
4. Give refunds an owner, not a vague instruction
For refund issues, contact your booking provider. Refund timing varies.
For deposit or refund questions, email reservations@alderroom.example with your reservation name, date, and booking reference. Do not email full payment-card details. Our restaurant team handles manual deposit refunds, including for reservations booked through a third-party platform.
We initiate refunds due under this policy within five business days. Your payment provider controls when the credit appears. Refunds go to the original payment method. If the deposit available for your bill exceeds the final bill, we refund the unused amount on the same basis.
Margin comment: Reservation deposit communication should not send guests between the restaurant and a platform without an accountable owner. Publish the five-business-day commitment only if your team can meet it. “Initiated” is not the same as “visible in your account.”
Clean version for adaptation and appropriate review
Communication example only—not legal boilerplate. This fictional wording requires adaptation to your actual booking tools, payment processes, staffing, and applicable requirements, with appropriate operational and legal review before publication. The .example email address is a placeholder.
Reservation deposits, cancellations, and party-size changes
For reservations of six or more, The Alder Room collects a $25-per-person deposit when you book. This is a prepayment, not an additional dining charge. We apply it to your final bill, except for amounts retained under the terms below.
Cancellations: For a full deposit refund, email reservations@alderroom.example at least 48 hours before your scheduled reservation time. All times and deadlines use America/Chicago time—Central Standard Time or Central Daylight Time, as applicable. Your email must reach our inbox by the deadline; our reply time does not affect eligibility.
For example, a reservation for Saturday, October 17, 2026, at 7 p.m. has a deadline of Thursday, October 15, 2026, at 7 p.m. Chicago time. For cancellations after the deadline or no-shows, we retain the full deposit.
Party-size reductions: Email the same address. Before the deadline, we refund $25 per removed guest. After the deadline, we retain $25 per removed guest, including guests absent on arrival. The remaining deposit is applied to your bill, even if your party drops below six.
Party-size increases: These require our confirmation and an additional $25 deposit per added guest. An increase is not accepted until we confirm it.
Refund questions: Email reservations@alderroom.example with your reservation name, date, and booking reference. Do not include full payment-card details. Our restaurant team handles manual deposit refunds, including third-party bookings.
We initiate refunds due under this policy within five business days, to the original payment method. Your payment provider controls when the credit appears. If the deposit available for your bill exceeds the final bill, we refund the unused amount on the same basis.