Landlord hits out at 30 no-shows on Mother's Day

A frustrated landlord has called out customers who made a booking at his pub for Mother's Day but then failed to turn up.

Connor Devine, who runs The Huntsman in Cheadle, Staffordshire, said he had had 30 no-shows on Sunday after he had booked extra staff and food for the annual occasion.

He said hospitality was really struggling and when diners did not turn up, there was "a real impact on small businesses like ours".

In the past four years, he said the pub's gas and electricity bill had gone up 345%, while last year business rates went up 145%. "It's a struggle. It really is a struggle," he added.

He let his feelings be known in a post on social media, first thanking customers who chose to dine at his pub and complimented his team on the day.

"However, we also want to be honest about something that has been very frustrating for us. We had over 30 no-shows for Mother's Day," he said.

"Days like today take a huge amount of planning, preparation and hard work.

"Our team put in a massive effort to make the day special for everyone who booked with us, and the staff have worked extremely hard behind the scenes preparing food, organising tables, and making sure everything ran smoothly."

Speaking to BBC Radio Stoke, Devine said the no-shows totalled 30 and he was not contacted about any cancellations.

"It's tough for people at the moment with what's happening with the cost of living and the fuel price and everything...," he said.

"It's not just us, it's happening nationwide - a lot of no-shows this year.

"But if people haven't got the money, then just phone us up and cancel."

He said they put events on at the pub to keep it busy, but were having to cut back wherever they could, including on staff wages.

"There's times when it is still fun, but there's times when you think, 'why are you doing it anymore?'," he added.

"We've got 16-year-old girls working in the kitchen and they get more per hour then myself and my brother do."

He said in his post that the pub did not take deposits for bookings "because we want things to be easy and welcoming for our customers", but they would consider introducing that after so many people failed to turn up.

Follow BBC Stoke & Staffordshire on BBC Sounds, Facebook, X and Instagram.