A New York man was charged a $250 fee for canceling his reservation at a small Boston restaurant. It turned out he’d fallen ill and was hospitalized. While that case is admittedly a little extreme, reservation cancellation fees are becoming increasingly common. Only 4% of restaurants levied them in 2019. That’s now up to 17%.

Host Robin Young looks into the restaurant industry, starting with Lilly Jan, an industry watcher and lecturer on food and beverage management at Cornell University. She also talks to chef and restaurateur Will Gilson, owner of Puritan & Company and other Boston-area restaurants. Gilson recently asked his Instagram viewers, “What can restaurants do better?” and got an earful in response.

This article was originally published on WBUR.org.

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