CANCELLATION AND REFUND POLICY
Issued by FirstDine Private Limited
This Cancellation & Refund Policy (“Policy”) forms an integral part of the FirstDine Terms & Conditions. By making a booking on the Platform, the customer and Restaurant agree to be bound by this Policy.
FirstDine operates strictly as a technology intermediary marketplace platform.
1. SCOPE
This Policy applies to:
- Table reservations made via the Platform
- Pre-booked food orders
- Bookings on the Platform are generally accompanied by pre-ordered menu items placed during the reservation process.
- Advance payments under the tiered pilot model
- Full advance payments under the 100% collection model
- Promotional or discounted bookings
This Policy applies uniformly across all partner Restaurants unless otherwise expressly stated.
2. PAYMENT MODELS
Pilot Model (Tiered)
- Tiered advance (10%/40%/70%) collected at booking
- Remaining balance at Restaurant
2.2 Full Advance Model
- Up to 100% of total booking value collected at booking.
3. CUSTOMER CANCELLATION POLICY
3.1 Free Cancellation Window
Cancellation is permitted only if BOTH conditions are satisfied:
- Cancellation is made at least one (1) hour prior to scheduled reservation time.
- If eligible, refund shall be processed as per Section 5.
3.2 Non-Refundable Window
Refund shall not be provided if:
- Cancellation occurs less than one (1) hour before reservation time;
- Food preparation has commenced;
- Customer fails to arrive at reserved time (No-Show);
- Customer provides incorrect contact details;
- Customer engages in abusive, fraudulent, or policy-manipulative behavior.
Once food preparation begins, booking becomes irrevocable and non-refundable.
4. RESTAURANT CANCELLATION
If a Restaurant cancels a confirmed booking without valid reason:
- Customer refund shall be processed;
- Amount may be recovered from Restaurant settlement;
- Repeated cancellations may result in penalty, downgrade, suspension, or termination.
FirstDine shall not be liable for any indirect loss arising from such cancellation.
5. REFUND STRUCTURE
5.1 Under Tiered Pilot Model
If cancelled within permitted window:
- Advance payment refunded,
- Less non-refundable components (if disclosed).
If cancelled outside permitted window:
- Advance forfeited.
5.2 Under Full Advance Model
If cancelled within permitted window:
Refund processed after deduction of:
- ✔ Convenience fees;
- ✔ Platform service charges;
- ✔ Payment gateway charges;
- ✔ Promotional benefits already consumed;
- ✔ Any disclosed cancellation charge.
If cancelled outside permitted window:
- Entire booking amount may be forfeited.
FirstDine retains sole discretion to determine refund eligibility.
5.3. Restaurant Loss Compensation (Pilot Phase)
During the pilot phase, if a customer cancels late or fails to appear and the advance amount collected is insufficient to cover reasonable food preparation costs incurred by the Restaurant, FirstDine may, at its sole discretion, compensate the Restaurant for verified losses. Such compensation, if provided, shall be determined by FirstDine based on available records and shall not create any obligation for future compensation.
6. REFUND PROCESSING
- Approved refunds initiated within 3–5 business days.
- Credit reflection timeline depends on bank/payment provider.
- Refunds processed only to original mode of payment.
- FirstDine is not liable for banking or gateway delays.
7. NO-SHOW POLICY
If a customer:
- Fails to arrive at scheduled time; AND
- Does not cancel within permitted window,
The booking amount (advance or full) shall be forfeited.
Restaurants may release reserved tables after reasonable waiting period.
8. FOOD PREPARATION TRIGGER
Food preparation shall be deemed to have commenced when:
- Restaurant confirms preparation via platform system; OR
- Platform-defined automated preparation trigger activates.
Once triggered, cancellation eligibility automatically terminates. FirstDine's system record shall be final for determining preparation time.
9. EXCEPTIONAL CIRCUMSTANCES
Refund outside permitted window may be considered solely at FirstDine’s discretion in cases such as:
- Duplicate payment;
- Proven technical failure;
- Documented medical emergency;
- Government-imposed restriction;
- Force majeure event.
Approval is not guaranteed and shall be final and binding.
10. NON-REFUNDABLE COMPONENTS
The following components may be non-refundable unless required by applicable law:
- Convenience fee;
- Platform service fee;
- Payment gateway charge;
- Processing charge;
- Applied promotional discount value;
- Reward points redeemed.
All non-refundable components shall be disclosed before payment confirmation.
11. FRAUD & CHARGEBACK PROTECTION
If a customer initiates:
- Chargeback,
- Payment reversal,
- Fraud claim,
FirstDine reserves the right to:
- Suspend the customer account;
- Block future bookings;
- Recover associated losses;
- Withhold amounts from Restaurant settlement where applicable.
Fraudulent activity may result in permanent suspension.
12. PLATFORM DISCRETION
All refund and cancellation decisions shall be made by FirstDine in good faith based on available records. Platform logs, timestamps, and system records shall be deemed conclusive evidence.
13. LIMITATION OF LIABILITY
FirstDine shall not be liable for:
- Loss of opportunity;
- Emotional distress;
- Travel costs;
- Indirect or consequential damages;
- Service dissatisfaction arising from Restaurant operations.
14. BOOKING MODIFICATION POLICY
14.1 Modification Window
Customers may request modifications to their confirmed booking up to one (1) hour prior to the scheduled reservation time, unless otherwise specified by the Restaurant.
14.2 Permitted Modifications
Permitted modifications may include:
- Change of reservation date
- Change of reservation time
14.3 Non-Permitted Modifications
The following modifications are not permitted once a booking is confirmed:
- Change in the number of guests
- Change in booking party size
- Conversion of reservation type or promotional package
14.4 Restaurant Approval
All modification requests shall be subject to approval by the Restaurant and may be accepted or rejected based on:
- Table availability
- Restaurant operational capacity
- Restaurant-specific booking policies
FirstDine does not guarantee that modification requests will be accepted.
15. RESTAURANT BOOKING CONFIRMATION
15.1 Confirmation Time
Upon receiving a booking request through the Platform, the Restaurant shall confirm or reject the request within ten (10) minutes.
15.2 Auto-Rejection
If the Restaurant does not respond within the specified confirmation period, the Platform may automatically reject the booking request.
Such auto-rejection shall not constitute a confirmed reservation.
16. REFUND FOR AUTO-REJECTED BOOKINGS
If a booking request is automatically rejected by the Platform or rejected by the Restaurant prior to confirmation:
- Any payment collected shall be refunded to the Customer;
- Refunds shall be processed through the original payment method;
- Platform convenience fees may be refunded at FirstDine’s discretion.
Refund timelines shall be subject to payment provider processing cycles.
16.1 PAYMENT SUCCESSFUL BUT BOOKING REJECTED
If a Customer payment is successfully processed but the Restaurant subsequently rejects the booking request:
- The collected payment shall be refunded to the Customer;
- Refunds shall be processed to the original payment method;
- Payment gateway or transaction processing charges may be deducted where applicable.
17. RESTAURANT CAPACITY LIMITATIONS
Restaurants may reject or cancel booking requests in situations including but not limited to:
- Full seating capacity;
- Operational constraints;
- Unexpected service disruptions;
- Special events or private bookings.
Restaurants may also temporarily disable bookings on the Platform during peak demand or operational limitations. FirstDine shall not be responsible for such operational decisions taken by Restaurants.
18. RESTAURANT OPERATING HOURS & OFF-TIME BOOKINGS
Restaurants may define their own operational parameters including:
- Opening and closing hours
- Kitchen operating hours
- Temporary closure periods
- Booking cut-off times
If a booking request is submitted during restaurant off-time:
- The booking shall remain pending until reviewed by the Restaurant;
- Confirmation shall occur only after the Restaurant accepts the request.
19. BOOKINGS NEAR KITCHEN CLOSING TIME
Booking requests submitted close to the Restaurant’s kitchen closing time may be rejected at the discretion of the Restaurant based on operational feasibility.
FirstDine does not guarantee order acceptance during such periods.
20. RESTAURANT CUT-OFF TIME
Restaurants may define a daily booking cut-off time beyond which bookings may not be accepted for the same day.
Booking requests submitted after such cut-off time may be automatically rejected or scheduled for the next available slot.
21. TEMPORARY RESTAURANT CLOSURES
Restaurants may occasionally remain closed due to:
- Maintenance
- Private events
- Operational reasons
- Regulatory restrictions
- Force majeure events
In such situations:
- Booking requests may remain pending;
- The Restaurant may confirm or reject the request once operations resume.
22. LATE ARRIVAL POLICY
Customers are expected to arrive at the Restaurant at the scheduled reservation time. Restaurants may hold reserved tables for a maximum grace period of fifteen (15) minutes after the reservation time.
If the Customer arrives after the grace period:
- The Restaurant may release the table to other guests;
- The reservation may be treated as a no-show under this Policy.
FirstDine does not guarantee table availability after the grace period.
23. DUPLICATE BOOKINGS
In cases where duplicate bookings are identified:
- FirstDine support may contact the Customer for clarification;
- Customers may cancel or modify one of the bookings within the permitted cancellation window.
If duplicate bookings are cancelled outside the permitted cancellation window, refund eligibility shall be determined according to this Policy.
24. POLICY MODIFICATIONS
FirstDine reserves the right to modify this Policy at any time.
Updated versions shall be effective upon publication on the Platform.
Continued use of the Platform constitutes acceptance of revised terms.