Guide

Deposits and Cancellation Policies: What to Ask

Every location sets these differently. The mistake is assuming, not asking.

Group bookings almost always involve a deposit and a cancellation policy, because the location is committing staff to your party instead of to other customers. Both terms vary by location, by group size and sometimes by date, so treat everything here as a list of questions rather than a set of numbers.

Ask what the deposit is and what it is for

A deposit may be a flat amount, an amount per person, or a share of the expected total, and it may apply toward the final bill or sit separately. Ask which. Ask how it is paid and whether one person can cover it for the whole group.

Ask when it stops being refundable

There is usually a point where a deposit becomes non-refundable, and it is often earlier than people expect for groups. Ask for that point as a date rather than as a description, and get it in writing with the booking confirmation.

Ask what happens if one person cancels

This is the question that catches organizers out. A group of several people almost always loses one. Ask whether that seat is still billed, whether it can be released, whether someone else can take it, and how late any of that can happen.

Ask how a change differs from a cancellation

Moving a date, shrinking a head count and canceling outright are often treated as three different things. Ask what a reschedule costs, whether the deposit travels with it, and whether there is a limit on how many times it can move.

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Get the Whole Group on One Booking

Tell us the occasion, how many people and when you need to be done. We will find the locations that can hold the group and get the terms in writing.

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