Our Terms and Conditions

Table Reservation Policy

Tables are available for one and a half hours only, after which they will be re-booked. Additional time may incur an additional service charge.

We respectfully ask that you are ready to be seated at the time of your reservation to ensure the best possible level of service to all of our guests. If you are running late, we kindly ask that you notify us by telephone at your earliest convenience.

However, should you arrive more than 15 minutes after your booking time without forewarning, then you may lose your table to another customer.

Due to the large number of requests, unfortunately we cannot guarantee tables or specific areas when taking reservations, nor can we guarantee that high chairs will be available for use but we will always do our best to accommodate your requests. Your understanding is appreciated.

Afternoon Tea Reservation Policy

Afternoon Teas must be booked in advance and a 50% deposit paid upon booking. Some specific Afternoon Teas (inc Delivery Boxes) require 100% prepayment. All bookings using vouchers must be booked in advance and declared at the time of booking and presented upon arrival. It is essential that we are notified of any specific dietary requirements at the time of your booking to ensure that we can cater for you appropriately. All deposits are taken off your final bill. Also, a discretionary service charge of 12.5% will be added for groups of 6 or more. In the event of a cancellation the following shall apply:

Private Hire

A private booking is only accepted when the Party Booking Form is completed, returned and the relevant deposit paid – only then will Dotty’s confirm the booking has been accepted and your chosen date and time secured. Any final balances for party bookings must be made at least 7 days prior to the party date.

All parties run for a maximum of 2 hours unless otherwise agreed in advance and recorded on the booking form.

Our minimum requirement for all party bookings is 15 adults charged at the prevailing per head charge plus any additional room hire charges.

We have tight start and finish times for all parties because we often host several parties throughout the day. We do allow a grace period of 15 mins prior to the party starting and 15 mins post the finish time however any parties which over run by more than 15 mins will incur a fee of £25 per 15mins.

We do not permit any food or drink to be brought into the Teahouse and consumed unless otherwise agreed.

We do not permit any party poppers, table confetti or items of decorations which need to be secured to the walls.

Accordingly, the following applies to ALL bookings:

1. It is our booking procedure to secure a deposit for all bookings with either credit card details, cash, debit card details or via payment via the Dotty’s website using Paypal.
2. We reserve the right to charge a cancellation fee for any booking that is cancelled, or if numbers are reduced without prior notice.
3. For all bookings, you must notify us of a cancellation or any changes to the number of guests at least 24 hours prior to your booking.
4. If cancellation is made less than 24 hours any deposits cannot be refunded. Dotty’s also in addition reserves the right to charge a cancellation fee of £10 per adult and £5 per child for any bookings changed or cancelled within this 24 hour notice period.
5. The cancellation fee reflects the cost incurred by Dotty’s in terms of staffing, food, and any lost revenue as a result of turning away other potential bookings.
6. We will notify you if any cancellation fee is applied.
7. Where possible, the Dotty’s team will actively manage bookings by checking attendance with the main guests/contact we have in our bookings diary.
8. Dotty’s reserve the right to cancel, change or move any booking to another time and or location. In the event Dotty’s cancel any booking outright a full refund of any deposit will be made within 7 days of the cancellation notification.

Vouchers

1. All vouchers are to be redeemed in Dotty’s Teahouse.
2. All postage of vouchers is to UK addresses only.
3. All vouchers are valid for 12 months from the date of sale, unless otherwise stated on any limited-edition vouchers. Vouchers not used within this time will be forfeited with no entitlement to refund or exchange. It is not possible to extend the voucher beyond the stated 12-month validity period.
4. All bookings using vouchers must be booked in advance and declared at the time of booking and presented upon arrival.
5. Vouchers cannot be used on certain days such as promotional days such as Valentine’s Day or Mother’s Day for example. Please ask if your voucher can be used when booking.
6. Vouchers used on set menus available during promotional periods such as the festive season or special events may be subject to a supplement. Please ask when booking.
7. Reservations booked with vouchers are subject to availability, at our discretion. Please call the telephone number specified on the Dotty’s home page to make your reservation. Purchase of a voucher is not a guarantee of a reservation.
8. Vouchers can be used as full or part payment on goods and services at Dotty’s Teahouse. Purchases made with vouchers are not refundable in cash.
9. Vouchers are not transferable, refundable in cash or replaceable if lost, destroyed or stolen.
10. All vouchers must be presented by the bearer on arrival at the relevant location and must be mentioned when booking.
11. Vouchers can only be used for a single transaction; any remaining amount is not exchangeable for cash or transferred to another voucher and will be automatically forfeited.
12. Risk will pass to the customer upon delivery and title will pass upon receipt of payment in full. Where vouchers are dispatched by email, risk will pass to the customer when the email is sent and title will pass upon receipt of payment in full.
13. For the avoidance of doubt, the term ‘voucher’ as used in these terms and conditions refers only to vouchers purchased directly from the Dotty’s Teahouse website.

Refund Policy Vouchers

Should you be unhappy with your vouchers, please return them to us within seven days of receipt and we will provide a full refund.

To request a refund, please call 02037544613 to report the problem and then post the vouchers to Dottys Teahouse Ltd, 108 High Street, Carshalton, Surrey, SM5 3AE.

The refund would be made to the card used for payment and for the full amount stated, including the postage and packaging.

Unacceptable Behaviour/Damage to Property

If any guests visiting Dottys Teahouse for table reservations, afternoon tea bookings or a private party behave in a manner which we deem unacceptable they will be asked to leave, if they refuse we will stop the party. If any unlawful acts, including breaches of the licensing laws, occur the party will be stopped. We have a zero-tolerance policy on drugs, unacceptable and threatening behaviour.

In the event of a party booking the person named on the booking form assumes responsibility for damage caused by guests, whether in the front or back sections or in any part of the building and undertake to make good or pay restitution for any material damage of furniture, fixtures or equipment. All equipment and property bought into Dottys is done so at people’s own risk. The management of Dottys have the right to stop a party at any time and ask all guests to be respectful of our neighbours when leaving.

Food Safety and Allergens

We respectfully ask that food which has not been prepared in our kitchens is not consumed on our premises. For the avoidance of doubt, this includes celebratory cakes so please ask if you would like a cake served for your celebration. At least 48 hours’ notice is required, so please call or e-mail in advance as much as possible. The reasons we have implemented this policy are that we are (i) often unable to find a place to store the cake in a fridge, which is often required for food safety purposes, (ii) the service of food not on the menu can impact our quality of service to the customer who brought the cake and customers on other tables, especially if we were not warned in advance, (iii) in the event of an alleged food poisoning or serious allergic reaction of one of our guests, we would be unable to trace the source in accordance with our Food Safety procedures.

We cater for most dietary requirements and have strict policies in place for customers with food allergies. We are happy to respond to any specific requests for further information regarding allergens in our kitchens prior to your visit. All of our managers, teahouse staff, chefs and kitchen staff are fully trained on our allergen policy and any questions can be answered prior to orders being taken.