Terms and Conditions of using our services

V9- 2023 onwards - Added Covid terms available upon request

TERMS AND CONDITIONS The Ribble Valley Group Ltd

Pricing/Quotes

All quotes are based on current pricing advertised on menus, and are valid for a 12 month period. Should a client wish to confirm a booking following a 12 month period from the date of the initial quote, this may then be subject to a change in pricing.

Pricing of our menus and services are reviewed by The Ribble Valley Group Ltd generally on an annual basis and The Ribble Valley Group reserve the right to change/update menu pricing as and when they see fit.

Confirmation

Once the client confirms acceptance of a quote, We invoice and then a deposit is due, upon payin this deposit this becomes a contractual agreement and this is the point where our Terms and Conditions come into full effect. All Terms and Conditions must be read and understood by the client as this is the basis of the contractual agreement with The Ribble Valley Group Ltd upon confirmation of a booking.

Payment

Upon confirmation of booking, the following process will commence –

First payment – a full invoice is raised with deposit information advising of a non-refundable deposit of 20% of the gross balance. (£250 will be due on bookings between £250 and £1000, and the full balance being due if the gross balance is £249 or less). Once the deposit is paid, the booking date will be confirmed with The Ribble Valley Group Ltd. The Invoice raised will have full details of the event site, clients details and address. Deposits are used to fund the on going operation of the business, deposits over £1200 are held in a holding account and retained until 3 months prior to the event for client financial security. 

Second and final payment - All final details will start to be collated approximately 6 weeks prior to the event date, and these must be confirmed no later than 4 weeks prior to the event date, which is the point when the final balance for catering services is due in full. A final invoice will be issued upon confirmation of all final details and the balance due in full no later than 4 weeks prior to the event date.

The client is responsible for all final details and the settlement of the account, with any queries regarding the invoice being raised immediately. Payment is preferred via BACS, debit cards are accepted. Any cheques should be made payable to The Ribble Valley Group - Catering.

Please note AMEX and Credit Cards are not accepted for wedding/event bookings.

Any payment must accompany the invoice reference and for accounting reasons we cannot accept any payment against a invoice until the final details are confirmed, and final invoices are raised.

Please note, no refunds will be given for any decrease in numbers once final details have been agreed and the final balance paid.

 Once a deposit has been paid, this is subject to a 14 day ‘cooling off’ period and only within that period will a refund will be given should a client notify us in writing that they wish to cancel This term is strictly within the 14 day period or the above terms apply.

Final Details

All final details including numbers, dietary requirements and timelines are to be provided when requested, approximately 4-6 weeks prior to the event date. Any subsequent changes should be notified as soon as possible and will be due for payment immediately, although The Ribble Valley Group Ltd are under no obligation to accommodate these changes. The deadline for confirmation of any details is 4 weeks prior to the event and no extension will be given on this deadline.

Please note, no refunds will be given for any decrease in numbers once final details have been agreed and the final balance paid.

Cancellation

Any cancellation should be advised in writing to The Ribble Valley Group Ltd as soon as possible.

All deposit payments are non-refundable and this payment will be retained by The Ribble Valley Group Ltd. Charges will also be made as per the following- If Cancelled  0-8 weeks prior to the event date Amount due from Client 100% of the catering services. 8-20 weeks prior to the event date is 50% of the catering services and 20 weeks plus is 20% of the catering services (equating to the non-refundable deposit). 

The deposit paid to secure the services of The Ribble Valley Group Ltd is non-refundable. However, if the Company is able to sell the date, then the Company will return the deposit paid, minus an administration fee of £40. We refer to this on our email header as a refundable deposit. 

 Non-payment prior to any event may be taken as a cancellation and the charges above will be applied accordingly. The Ribble Valley Group Ltd may take the decision to cancel an event should the client be in arrears of payment or be in breach of the any of our Terms and Conditions. The Ribble Valley Group Ltd reserves the right to secure outstanding payment after termination of a contract/completion of an event subject to agreement.

The Ribble Valley Group Ltd strongly recommends clients purchase wedding insurance independently where applicable upon booking for their own peace of mind.

 Menus, Range and Availability

All goods and ingredients are offered subject to availability. If an item becomes unavailable or it is of insufficient quality for a client’s function, The Ribble Valley Group Ltd reserves the right to make a substitution. Wherever possible the client will be notified of any changes in advance.

Children under the age of 3 will not be charged for (subject to the menu being a sharing platter/buffet option only), and children aged between 3 and 9 will be charged at a proportion of the adult’s cost for a half sized adult meal or a set children’s menu. All other guests will be charged at full adult price. No supplements are offered for children’s menu, they are based strictly on a single choice only.

All dietary requirements will be accommodated, and it is the client’s responsibility to outline the details of the requirements, including a full table plan showing where those people will be seated. Our Chefs will then adapt the menu choices to suit the requirement, or provide an alternative dish if necessary.

The Ribble Valley Group Ltd strictly only offer menu tastings on 3 course wedding breakfasts, upon request and these are included in the final balance of the booking as free but if a client does not proceed with our services there is a charge of £95. The Ribble Valley Group Ltd will accommodate menu tastings during weekdays only (daytime ideally but some evenings may be possible) but it may not always be possible to accommodate requests between the months of May and September due to this being our peak wedding season. Menu tastings are only available to clients who have enquired previously and are based on the menu discussed with the client. 

Allergens - We adhere to all 14 main allergens set out by the food standards agency, we reserve the right to add charges for more or bespoke allergies that would affect our bottom line costs. 

All menus are priced per person, and based on a single choice menu. Should a choice menu be required of a 3 starters, 3 mains and 3 dessert menu, there will be an additional supplement of £5.00 per person (adults only). As above, children’s menus are based on single choice only (with dietaries being accommodated).

Additional Catering

Meals for entertainers, photographers, videographers, bands and musicians, child minders and any other supplier at events etc. must be pre-ordered and will be charged for. The Ribble Valley Group Ltd accepts no responsibility for any other staff/contractors booked by the client who require food when it has not been booked and paid for, in advance.

Drinks

Our menus and options don’t include drink options, nor do they include a drink service of putting bottles of wine, water, beers or prosecco on the clients tables. If this service is requested or asked of us on the day we reserve the right to charge the client an additional £150. We can also provide a drinks on arrival service charged at £1.20 per guest. 

The Ribble Valley Group Ltd  strictly follows the Drink Aware guidelines at all times and reserved the right to refuse serving a guest if this is judged as a  breach of these guidelines. 

Access/Set Up

The Ribble Valley Group Ltd will require reasonable access to the area of the event in order to deliver, set up and collect our equipment. This will include the use of lifts to upper and lower floors, the use of loading bays and vehicular access. If additional labour is required (e.g. access across lawns to marquees during wet weather), we reserve the right to make a charge for this.

Upon the day of the wedding - If The Ribble Valley Group Ltd is to change the set up, display, layout or tables for an event we reserve the right to do so to accommodate the clients best intensions of their day. 

The Ribble Valley Group Ltd also requests full details regarding a set up schedule (for example dates/times of marquee erection, table/chair installation) and reserve the right to make an additional charge of £150 should our team have to return to site for our set up due to other equipment not being in place at the advised time, causing us delays/return journeys/extra time on site.

The Ribble Valley Group Ltd requires a catering tent to be provided for all marquee/outdoor events (unless our own catering tent is hired by the client) which should be a minimum size of 6m by 3m, with 4 trestle tables for the kitchen team.

Access to running water is required along with access to power, a minimum of 3 x 13 amp plug sockets for the kitchen team.

Clear lighting within the catering tent and outside of the catering tent for loading is also required.

Any access issues for events are to be advised to The Ribble Valley Group Ltd in advance of the event.

Set up details will be confirmed in advance with the client and will either be on the day of the event, or in advance if agreed. A set up charge will be outlined on each quote, and this is subject to change should a set up the day prior be required/requested.

Damage or loss, plus items left behind

The client is responsible for any damage, breakages, or loss of any property belonging to both The Ribble Valley Group Ltd, or any property hired for the clients function, however caused, and will be charged at the full replacement value. This applies to the period between delivery and collection. The client will report any damage to any equipment or structure to a representative of The Ribble Valley Group Ltd as soon as possible.

A linen deposit is required to cover any damage to linen at an event and The Ribble Valley Group Ltd reserve the right to keep that fee if any damage occurs. Should no damage occur, this deposit will be refunded upon request and confirmation that no damage has occurred. Naked flames and felt tip pens are not permitted to be used on any linen. The Ribble Valley Group Ltd reserves the right to charge additional costs to the clients should substantial damage occur to any linen product over and above the £100 deposit – evidence of damage will be provided, an invoice raised and payment is due within 7 days of receipt.

Waste

The Ribble Valley Group Ltd will remove all waste from site which has been created by The RVG team only and is not responsible for any other waste created by other suppliers.

Staffing

All service staff will be fully trained and in the correct The Ribble Valley Group Ltd branded uniform. The number of staff required for each event will be detailed on each quote and we work from standard ratios for this allocation. For each wedding/event we will allocate a chef and Event Manager or Supervisor free of charge.

The Ribble valley Group Ltd do not hire out catering or bar staff solely, without us providing any food or drink.

Data Protection

The Ribble Valley group Ltd strictly adheres to all current GDPR regulations and all data collated from each client or enquiry will be stored in the correct manner and not disclosed to any other party.

Force Majeure

The Ribble Valley Group Ltd will accept no liability for the failure to perform any obligations due to strike, lockout, hostilities or any other circumstances beyond our control.

No liability is accepted for loss, damage or consequential loss caused by any failure to perform our obligations (whether due to negligence by us, our employees or sub-contractors, or other due causes), but this does not exclude liability for death or personal injury as required by law.

Liability

The client is responsible for all loses, damages and expenses at any venue we are required to cater at, arising from the behaviour or actions of either themselves or their guests, along with any contractors bought onto site etc.

The Ribble Valley Group Ltd will not be responsible for, and the client will indemnify the company, against all claims for injury to persons or loss of, or damage to the property and any of the garden areas howsoever caused, unless it is proven that such injury or damage be caused by faulty material or workmanship, or negligence by the company.

Should damage occur to client property caused by a member of the Ribble Valley Group team, this should be reported immediately and followed up in writing, for our management team to discuss and review, potentially undertaking a full investigation.

Intellectual Property Rights

All patents, utility models, rights to inventions, copyright and neighbouring and related rights, moral rights, trademarks and service marks, business names and domain names, rights in get-up and trade dress, goodwill and the right to sue for passing off or unfair competition, rights in designs, rights in computer software, database rights, rights to use, and protect the confidentiality of, confidential information (including know-how and trade secrets) and all other intellectual property rights, in each case whether registered or unregistered and including all applications and rights to apply for and be granted, renewals or extensions of, and rights to claim priority from, such rights and all similar or equivalent rights or forms of protection which subsist or will subsist now or in the future in any part of the world.

Complaints

In the unlikely event of a complaint, the client should raise this in writing to The Ribble Valley Group Ltd with a full explanation of the issue, within 7 days of the event. This will be acknowledged within 24 hours and an estimated timescale for any investigation will be provided at this point.

The Ribble Valley Group Ltd reserve the right to amend and update these Terms and Conditions periodically.