You make a reservation for a nice dinner at a nice restaurant. At the last minute, your plans go awry and you have to ditch the reservation.

Well, did you at least call and cancel the reservation, or did you "stand up" the restaurant, the same way your date stood you up in high school?

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One restaurant in Cape May has made a bold move and publicly announced their cancellation policy - which includes a charge to your credit card since you didn't show up.

Fair or not fair?

In the Facebook group, Cape May Live, Carl Messick, executive chef and co-owner of Grana BYOB in Cape May has posted his restaurant's cancellation policy. "We are a small restaurant- when we lose 20 covers it not only hurts business however we staff accordingly and it hurts our staff as well. We also have many guests who want to dine with us however can’t do so when the cancelations or no-shows are within an hour of your reservation."

The policy: canceling your reservation within 24 hours (or not showing up) will result in a $25 per person fee charged to your credit card (which you needed to use to make your reservation.)

It's a risky move as the big summer season is beginning, but it seems like the announcement of the policy has been met with a lot of understanding. Most people who commented said they understand the policy.

That sounds pretty refreshing, doesn't it?

Honestly, I never really thought about what happens when you cancel dinner reservations. Messick, though, does a great job of explaining the policy and the reasons behind it. When you learn that cancellations hurt not only the restaurant, but the staff, the policy becomes more and more acceptable. No one makes money when tables that are reserved sit empty.

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I'll admit that I've never been to Grana BYOB, but I may be headed there soon. (By the way, cheers to them for including BYOB in their name! There's no question, right?) Their menu looks inviting!

So what do you think? Is the policy a good idea? Let us know!

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