Restaurant Booking Conditions
Allergies
All of our food may contain traces of all 14 notifiable food allergens which are used daily, everywhere in our building. We are unable to accommodate the dietary needs of any guest with a serious or life-threatening allergy to any food, including but not limited to Buckwheat, Celery, Gluten, Eggs, Fish, Lentils, Lupin, Cow, goat & Sheep Milk, Molluscs, Mustard, Peanuts, Peas, Sesame seeds, Shellfish, Soya, Sulphites, All nuts, tree nuts & seeds. Please check with your guests before confirming your booking.
Pre-Payments
All bookings are required to pay a £10 per person non-refundable pre-payment (unless pre-payment is required in full, see below regarding special promotions) and to authorise the capture of valid credit card details. Pre-payments are redeemable against the final food and drink bill for the corresponding table booking only, provided any amendments or cancellations have been made in accordance with our terms and conditions. Your card details are securely held by our PCI Compliant Payment Gateway
Bookings of up to 8 people
Cancellations or amendments: must be made with at least 48 hrs notice
In the event of a late cancellation, no-show or if your party drops in number with short notice, a £10 per person charge will apply. Tardiness longer than 20 minutes may result in the cancellation of your booking, where the late cancellation policy will be enforced.
If you wish to cancel your booking in accordance with our terms, your pre-payment can be carried over to a new booking up to 1 additional time. It is not possible to refund a pre-payment at any time for any reason.
Bookings over 8 people, private dining room & pre-order parties
Please note your booking may qualify for more than one of the following:
Booking times: In order to give you and our other tables the best possible service, it is very important that large bookings stay on schedule. Your reservation time is the time we expect to serve your first course. If you would like to enjoy a drink with your guests beforehand, please communicate to them an arrival time of at least 30 minutes prior to your reservation in order to allow for this.
Cancellations: In the event of a no show or cancellation, pre-payments will not be refunded or transferred. Tardiness in excess of 20 minutes may result in the cancellation of your booking, where the late cancellation policy will be enforced.
Amendments: Final numbers for large bookings are due at least 1 week in advance of your arrival. If your party drops in number with short notice, a £10 per person charge will apply and cannot be used as a credit towards the corresponding booking’s final bill.
Private Dining Room: If you have specifically requested the use of our private dining room, this requires a pre-order menu at a minimum price of £75 per person for 8 people or above. If you have not requested the private dining room but your party is larger than 8 people, we may be required to seat your table in the private room due to maximum table capacity restrictions in the bar/restautant.
Pre orders: Any booking over 8 people may require a pre-order. Orders for food choices and any dietary requirements must be made 1 week in advance. All pre-ordered food must be paid in one full transaction, via BACS transfer, no later than 1 week in advance. If you party drops in number with short notice, any payment already made for pre-ordered food cannot be used as a credit towards the corresponding booking’s final bill.
Parties over 16 people
Requirements in addition to the above will be communicated to you individually.
Service Charge
We include a discretionary 15% service charge on all restaurant bills. By handling service separately, we’re able to maintain menu prices at a lower baseline rather than building labour costs into food and drink prices, where they would also incur VAT and other overheads.
The service charge is distributed among our team through a tronc system, in accordance with UK government guidelines.
If you ever feel that your experience has not met expectations, please let us know — we will remove or adjust the charge immediately.
Special Promotions
At times we offer set menus or special events for which pre-payment in full is required (including but not limited to: Valentine’s Day, New Year’s Eve, etc.). For these bookings, no refunds or transfers of pre-payment can be accommodated.
Corkage
Guests are welcome to supply up to 2 bottles of their own wine per booking, for which corkage will be charged at £30 per 350ml-750ml bottle of still wine and £50 per 350ml-750ml bottle of sparkling wine.
Cakeage
Please let us know in advance if you intend to bring an occasion cake to your booking. Should you wish to consume outside food/cake as a substitute to purchasing our desserts, a charge of £12 per person will be incurred for the whole table.
Garden reservations
Additional space in the restaurant will not be reserved for tables booked in the garden should the weather prohibit dining outside.
Charitable Donations
We add a discretionary £1 charge to each bill to support the work of a local charity chosen by our team.
Sparklers and Fireworks
For the safety and comfort of all guests, staff, and the historic fabric of The Red Lion, sparklers, roman candles, fireworks or any similar pyrotechnic devices are strictly prohibited on the premises — including inside the building, on balconies, in gardens, and on car park areas. This applies to all private celebrations, group bookings, and functions. We kindly ask that you respect this policy; failure to comply will result in additional charges.
Gift Vouchers
Booking is essential. Please contact us on 01980 671 124 to make your reservation.
Vouchers may be redeemed against room bookings or food and beverage purchases at The Red Lion restaurant.
To redeem a voucher against a room booking, please contact us directly at redlion@eastchisenbury.com or on 01980 671 124.
The original voucher must be presented on arrival at The Red Lion for validation. Failure to present the voucher may result in full payment being required.
Vouchers are valid for 12 months from the date of purchase. Expired vouchers cannot be redeemed or extended.
Gift vouchers are non-refundable and may not be exchanged for cash, in whole or in part.
If the total bill exceeds the value of the voucher, the balance must be paid in full at the time of redemption.
If the total bill is less than the value of the voucher, the remaining balance will remain on the voucher until expiry (no cash change will be given).
Vouchers may not be used in conjunction with special offers, promotional discounts, or third-party booking platforms unless expressly stated otherwise.
A discretionary service charge of 15% will be added to all restaurant bills.
All bookings remain subject to availability and our standard booking and cancellation policies.
Disaster Disclaimer
The proprietors shall accept no liability for all actual or alleged loss, liability, damage, compensation, injury, sickness, disease, death, medical payment, defence cost, cost, expense or any other amount, directly or indirectly and regardless of any other cause contributing concurrently or in any sequence, originating from, caused by, arising out of, contributed to by, resulting from, or otherwise in connection with a Communicable Disease or the fear or threat (whether actual or perceived) of a Communicable Disease.
February 2026