In this article
Reservations with a delivered SMS reminder showed a 16% lower recorded no-show rate than reservations at the same restaurants without one (risk ratio 0.836, based on 46,884 exposed reservations at 257 restaurants that had reservations both with and without a delivered reminder). This is an observed association, not a measured effect of the reminder. The figures are from the Resos No-Show Index (Resos booking data, Aug 2025–Jul 2026).
Across all 3.77 million reservations in the Resos No-Show Index, the recorded no-show rate was 2.33%. The SMS comparison below is a smaller matched set inside that dataset, not a second headline.
What we compared
The comparison stays inside each restaurant. Only the 257 restaurants that had reservations both with and without a delivered SMS before service are included. Reservations at restaurants that always sent one, or never sent one, are left out, because there is no within-restaurant contrast to make.
The published ratio is a within-restaurant risk ratio. In plain terms, each restaurant contributes its own with-SMS versus without-SMS comparison, and those comparisons are combined. It is not a single pool of every reservation in the dataset, and it is not a before-and-after look at a restaurant switching SMS on.
“Delivered” means the SMS provider confirmed delivery before the service time. A message that was only scheduled does not count.
What this does and does not tell you
The association is between reservations, inside restaurants that already had both kinds of booking. It does not say what happens when a restaurant switches SMS on.
There was no randomisation, so the bookings that received an SMS may differ from the bookings that did not. Channel, whether a phone number was given, and lead time can all sit in that gap. There is no before-and-after switch analysis in this result.
The comparison cannot show cause. The result is not a finding about email, and it is not a finding about reminders in general.
Why “delivered” matters
Being scheduled to send is not the same as delivery. The provider has to confirm that the SMS arrived before the service time.
Writing a reminder guests act on
Send the reminder before service. Use the venue’s name, so the message is obviously about that restaurant. Include a link the guest can use to cancel, so a guest who cannot come can release the table without a phone call.
A reminder that only says a table is booked is easier to ignore than one that names the restaurant and offers a way to release the table. The schedule itself, including which services get a reminder, is set in booking reminders. This section has no data claim about a best hour.
Setting up SMS reminders in Resos
The reminder schedule and SMS delivery are separate. Table booking reminders control timing and rules. Restaurant SMS messages add text delivery. Current per-message prices are on the SMS prices page. Plan prices are on pricing.
Method and caveats
- Data: Resos first-party bookings, 1 Aug 2025 to 31 Jul 2026, extracted 17 Aug 2026. Cite the Resos No-Show Index (Resos booking data, Aug 2025–Jul 2026).
- Comparison: within-restaurant. Only the 257 restaurants that had reservations both with and without a delivered SMS before service are included. The ratio is a risk ratio stratified by restaurant.
- “Delivered” means the SMS provider confirmed delivery before the service time. Being scheduled to send is not enough.
- The comparison is observational. There is no randomisation and no before-and-after switch analysis. Bookings that got an SMS may differ by channel, phone number and lead time.
- No-shows are staff-recorded.
- Within the matched set, the comparison is between reservations at the same restaurants. It does not say what happens when a restaurant switches SMS on.
Frequently asked questions
Do SMS reminders reduce restaurant no-shows?
The Resos data shows an association, not proof. Reservations with a delivered SMS reminder showed a 16% lower recorded no-show rate than reservations at the same restaurants without one (risk ratio 0.836, based on 46,884 exposed reservations at 257 restaurants that had reservations both with and without a delivered reminder). This is an observed association, not a measured effect of the reminder.
When should a restaurant send a reminder?
Before service, with the venue name and a link the guest can use to cancel. The dataset does not identify a best hour.
What does an SMS cost in Resos?
Current per-message prices are listed on the SMS prices page.
Related reading
The canonical dataset is the Resos No-Show Index. How to read the 2.33% headline, and how to calculate a rate for one venue, is in what is a normal restaurant no-show rate. Marking, which the recorded rate depends on, is in how to track restaurant no-shows. A wider practical guide is how to reduce no-shows in the restaurant industry.
The academy page on SMS reminders and no-shows is a link only, not the source of these figures: SMS reminders and no-shows.
