AHEAD of the weekend, Salisbury residents are being encouraged to show empathy for restaurants and not to be no-show diners.

Restaurants are operating at significantly reduced capacity due to the Covid secure measures in place to keep customers and staff safe. They have been shut for months, and now some are being hit hard by people not turning up for their booking. A new national campaign, #NoMoreNoShows, has been backed by restaurants in the city.

Dave and Aimee Hancock, owners of Tinga, Salisbury’s number one restaurant on Trip Advisor, said: “We’ve been overwhelmed by the support we’ve received following our reopening earlier this month. We’ve only received a small number of no-shows, but we understand this issue could be detrimental to businesses, jobs and the hospitality industry as a whole.

“We’re supporting the #NoMoreNoShows campaign to raise the awareness of the issue. As independent restaurant owners, all we ask for is a phone call if you need to cancel your booking. We understand plans change, but we are grateful to be given the opportunity to fill bookings with another guest.

“At Tinga, we’re working at 60 per cent of our usual capacity, so every table is so valuable to us and is vital for our success. We look forward to welcoming guests to come and experience a taste of Mexico in our Salisbury restaurant.”

Earlier this month, the Chancellor announced the ‘Eat Out to Help Out’ scheme to support the hospitality industry. This will give diners 50 per cent off their food and non-alcoholic drinks bill Monday to Wednesday throughout August.