Free template
Reservation deposit policy template
Deposit policy text you can copy: per-head deposits, how they apply to the bill, refund windows, and a card-hold alternative.
A deposit is money taken at booking that comes off the bill; a card hold charges only if the guest breaks the policy. Deposits fit high-commitment bookings (tasting menus, events, big parties); holds fit everyday tables because most guests never feel them. One operator in the thread linked below reports even a $1 deposit with a published $100 no-show fee nearly eliminated no-shows.
Whatever you choose, disclose it at booking and apply deposits to the bill automatically. Surprise fees create chargebacks; disclosed ones create commitment.
Per-head deposit (casual)
Bookings for [6] or more guests carry a $[10] per person deposit, taken when you book and taken straight off your bill when you dine. Deposits are fully refundable when you cancel at least [24] hours ahead, and they move with your booking if you reschedule. No-shows forfeit the deposit.
Per-head deposit (formal)
A deposit of $[25] per guest is required to confirm reservations [for parties of six or more / for the tasting menu]. The deposit is applied in full against the final bill. Deposits are refundable for cancellations made at least [48] hours in advance and transferable to a rescheduled date, subject to availability. Deposits are forfeited in the event of a no-show or cancellation within [48] hours.
Card-hold alternative (no money taken upfront)
We do not take a deposit. A card secures your booking; nothing is charged unless the whole party does not show or cancels inside [4] hours, in which case a fee of $[15] per guest applies. Cancel free any time before that from your confirmation email.
How to use this well
- Operators report per-head deposits from about $10 in casual rooms upward (sources above); small deposits deter nearly as well as large ones because commitment, not amount, does the work.
- Always auto-apply the deposit to the bill. Making guests ask for it back reads as a trap.
- Watch the platform take: some platforms charge 2-3% on deposits and prepayments (OpenTable's 2026 service fee is 2%; Tock takes 2-3%; resOS 2% plus Stripe). On TableHelm, holds and fees run on your own Stripe account with zero platform take.
- For ticketed events, full prepayment is cleaner than a deposit: the sale is final, like theatre tickets, and you say so.
Questions
Common questions
Card holds for everyday reservations (no friction for the guests who simply show up as booked), deposits for high-stakes bookings you cannot re-sell: tasting menus, holidays, parties of eight or more, buyouts. Many rooms run both: holds by default, deposits above a party-size threshold.
Want the system these templates plug into?
TableHelm is free for one location: booking page, floor plan, waitlist, guest book and email confirmations. The policies you just copied paste straight into it.