Popular Huddersfield restaurant makes big change after lack of ‘common decency’ on busy night

Anello has issued an update and apology for the change to customers

One of Huddersfield’s most popular restaurants has spoken out after being left with a large empty table on one of its busiest nights, prompting a change to how it takes bookings.

Independent pizzeria, Anello, which is based in the village of Slaithwaite has built a strong reputation since opening in 2022, drawing regular diners in with its delicious Neapolitan pizzas, seasonal small plates and focus on local produce. Housed in a former library in the heart of the village, it has become a firm favourite with locals and visitors alike. But despite its popularity, the restaurant recently faced a frustrating situation that many in the hospitality industry will recognise.

On a busy Saturday evening, a table for 10 people failed to turn up for their reservation, leaving a large space empty for two hours at peak time. With no call or cancellation, staff had no opportunity to offer the table to other customers.

The incident has led the team to rethink their long standing approach to bookings. Until now, the restaurant had operated on trust, choosing not to take deposits even for larger groups.

Sharing the experience with customers online, the team explained the difficult decision they have now made.

Taking to Facebook, the owners of Anello, penned: “This is table one! Table one sat empty for two hours last night because a group of 10 people didn’t show up. No call, no email, no notice, no chance of us filling the space.“We’ve always wanted to go off trust when taking bookings for tables. It’s common decency to let someone know you’re not coming – right? Life is busy and plans change and I’ve never been comfortable with the idea of punishing people financially for that.“I could bang on and on about the state of the hospitality industry, but we are where we are with that. But with that and the amount of times this has happened, we’re now going to take a booking deposit for groups of 6+. Sorry folks. It doesn’t sit quite right but we just don’t have a choice at the moment. Thanks so much as always for all your ongoing support!”

The post quickly drew support from loyal customers, many of whom agreed the change was necessary to protect a much loved local business.

Luke Greenwood said: “You should also make a note of their name and number and not allow them to book again. If they wanna come, they show up and they wait till you can accommodate them.” Lulu Vi wrote: “You have to do what you have to do to protect your business. The village would be worse off without you so you are protecting the village too.”

Leanna Hansom penned: “Two people being a no show is bad enough but a group 10 is downright disrespectful. As others have said, decent people would have no trouble with being charged a deposit, especially for larger groups. If that’s what needs to happen to discourage no shows, then do it!!”

Adam Beswick said: “That’s horrendous. Some people are so selfish. Hope this doesn’t happen again. We love Anello and fully support deposits.”

Abigail Rachael said: “I don’t blame you. That’s a lot of covers to lose” and Jennifer Holmes agreed: “That’s so sad for you and absolutely understandable.”Find out more about Anello or book your table, here. Read our review on Anello, here.

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