Private Chef Services Agreement

SOYER may update these Terms, Website Terms, Privacy Policy, or Cookie Policy at any time. The version of these Booking Terms in effect at the time a booking is confirmed will continue to apply to that booking unless otherwise agreed in writing. Updated terms will be published with a revised “Last updated” date.

Definitions

In this Agreement, “SOYER” means the private chef and hospitality service provider operating under the SOYER name.

“Client” means the person, household, company, trust, estate, representative, organiser, or entity confirming, paying for, or receiving the Services.

“Agreement” means these Booking Terms, together with the Booking Confirmation, any Event Addendum, Website Terms, Privacy Policy, and Cookie Policy where applicable.

“Booking Confirmation” means the written confirmation issued by SOYER setting out the confirmed services, date, venue, pricing, deposit, guest numbers, and relevant booking details.

“Event Addendum” means any additional written terms agreed for a specific private dining, estate, corporate, event, travel, or retained-service booking.

“Services” means the private chef, menu development, private dining, estate dining, event-based hospitality, tasting menu, sourcing, preparation, service, and related hospitality services provided by SOYER.

“Venue” means the private home, estate, event location, commercial premises, hired venue, outdoor site, or other place where the Services are provided.

“Guests” means all persons attending, receiving, consuming, participating in, or otherwise present during the Services.

“Third-Party Providers” means suppliers, contractors, assistants, servers, sommeliers, bartenders, hire companies, venues, delivery providers, producers, or other external providers involved in the booking.

“Force Majeure Event” means an event outside SOYER's reasonable control that prevents, delays, limits, or materially affects the provision of Services.

Overview & Binding Agreement

These Terms govern the provision of private chef and hospitality services by SOYER within New Zealand, including private dining, estate dining, tasting menus, event-based culinary services, menu development, and related hospitality experiences.

By enquiring, confirming a booking, paying a deposit, approving a Booking Confirmation, or using SOYER services, the client (“you”) agrees to be bound by this Agreement.

A binding agreement is formed once SOYER issues written confirmation and receives the required deposit, unless SOYER expressly agrees otherwise in writing.

Acceptance may occur electronically, including by email confirmation, digital approval, payment of deposit, or written acceptance.

The person confirming the booking warrants that they are authorised to enter this Agreement on behalf of all relevant clients, guests, attendees, households, companies, trusts, estates, or entities associated with the booking.

Structure of Agreement

This Agreement operates as a layered hospitality framework consisting of:

1. Website Terms
2. Booking Terms
3. Booking Confirmation
4. Event Addendum
5. Privacy Policy
6. Cookie Policy

The Booking Confirmation and any Event Addendum form part of this Agreement.

If inconsistency arises, specific written terms agreed in an Event Addendum or Booking Confirmation override general website terms where the inconsistency exists.

If inconsistency remains, the following order applies:

1. Event Addendum
2. Booking Confirmation
3. Booking Terms
4. Website Terms
5. Privacy Policy and Cookie Policy, where relevant to privacy or website use

Services & Professional Standard

SOYER provides bespoke private chef and hospitality services including private dining, tasting menus, seasonal menu development, estate dining, and event-based culinary experiences.

All services are provided with reasonable skill, care, and culinary professionalism consistent with high-end private hospitality standards.

Nothing in this Agreement removes SOYER's obligation to provide services with reasonable skill, care, and professionalism.

SOYER retains discretion regarding ingredient sourcing, seasonal substitutions, menu refinement, plating, presentation, preparation methods, staffing, service flow, and execution.

Seasonality, ingredient quality, sourcing availability, supplier limitations, and product condition may require appropriate substitutions or modifications.

SOYER will use reasonable efforts to ensure substitutions remain consistent with the agreed menu style, quality level, and purpose of the booking.

Service timings may reasonably vary due to preparation requirements, venue conditions, guest delays, weather, supplier issues, transport disruption, or operational circumstances.

SOYER may engage assistants, contractors, servers, sommeliers, bartenders, suppliers, or third-party hospitality professionals where reasonably required for the booking.

Where a beverage pairing is included in or added to a booking, individual pours are targeted at 55–60ml per course. Actual pour volumes may vary slightly at the Sommelier's discretion to best complement each dish and the overall progression of the menu.

Client Obligations, Venue & Safety

The client is responsible for ensuring the venue provides a safe, lawful, hygienic, and functional working environment, including reasonable access to utilities, kitchen facilities, refrigeration, ventilation, lighting, water, sanitation, waste disposal, and safe access.

SOYER is not responsible for service delays, reduced menu execution, substitutions, or modified outcomes caused by defective, unsafe, inadequate, unavailable, or unsuitable venue equipment or facilities.

The client must ensure that children, guests, pets, and unauthorised persons remain safely clear of preparation, cooking, service, knife, hot surface, and open-flame areas.

SOYER reserves the right to suspend, modify, or terminate services where staff are subjected to unsafe, abusive, threatening, discriminatory, intoxicated, unlawful, or materially disruptive conduct.

Unless separately agreed in writing, SOYER does not supply alcohol and is not responsible for alcohol licensing obligations imposed on the venue, host, client, or event organiser.

The client is responsible for loss of, or damage to, SOYER equipment, property, hired items, or third-party equipment caused by the client, guests, venue, pets, contractors, or invitees.

Dietary Requirements & Allergies

Clients must disclose all allergies, dietary restrictions, intolerances, medical conditions, religious requirements, pregnancy-related food restrictions, and food-related risks before service.

The client is responsible for ensuring that all guest dietary information provided to SOYER is accurate, complete, and current.

While SOYER will take reasonable care in menu planning, preparation, and service, cross-contamination cannot be completely eliminated in all private, residential, event, supplier, or third-party environments.

SOYER is not liable for issues arising from undisclosed allergies, inaccurate dietary information, late changes, guest failure to identify themselves, or risks outside SOYER's reasonable control.

Deposit, Payment & Enforcement

The deposit amount required to secure a booking will be specified in the Booking Confirmation.

Deposits are generally non-refundable once a booking is confirmed. Deposits compensate SOYER for reservation of service dates, menu development, preparation time, administration, supplier commitments, ingredient sourcing, declined alternative bookings, and operational allocation.

Unless otherwise stated, all pricing is in New Zealand Dollars and inclusive or exclusive of GST as specified in the Booking Confirmation.

Additional travel, transport, accommodation, staffing, equipment hire, venue access, specialty procurement, delivery, parking, or third-party costs may apply and will be outlined in the Booking Confirmation where relevant.

Unless otherwise agreed in writing:

• the remaining balance is due prior to or on the date of service;
• overdue invoices may incur contractual default interest where specified in the Booking Confirmation;
• the client is responsible for reasonable recovery costs, legal costs, debt collection costs, and enforcement expenses associated with overdue accounts where permitted by law.

Failure to make payment may result in suspension of services, cancellation of services, refusal of future bookings, or recovery action.

SOYER reserves the right to decline future bookings at its discretion.

Cancellation, Rescheduling & Force Majeure

Cancellation or rescheduling notice must be provided in writing.

• More than 30 days before service: deposit may be transferable or partially refundable less costs already incurred, supplier commitments, preparation, administration, and lost booking opportunity.
• 14–30 days before service: SOYER may retain 50% of the deposit.
• 7–14 days before service: SOYER may retain the deposit in full.
• Less than 7 days before service: SOYER may charge up to 100% of the booking value where committed labour, staffing, preparation, ingredient procurement, supplier commitments, venue allocations, or lost booking opportunities cannot reasonably be mitigated.

SOYER will take reasonable steps to mitigate avoidable losses where commercially practicable.

SOYER is not liable for delay, cancellation, modification, or inability to perform services arising from events outside its reasonable control, including severe weather, natural disaster, pandemic, illness, accident, government restriction, supplier failure, transport disruption, power outage, venue failure, unsafe premises, fire, flood, civil emergency, or other force majeure event.

Where a force majeure event occurs, SOYER may reasonably modify, postpone, reschedule, or cancel services. Any refund, credit, transfer, or additional charge will be assessed by reference to work already performed, committed costs, third-party charges, and the extent to which losses can reasonably be mitigated.

Media, Confidentiality & Privacy

SOYER recognises that private dining and hospitality services frequently occur within personal, family, residential, professional, or commercially sensitive environments.

Discretion, confidentiality, and respect for client privacy form part of SOYER's operational standards.

Unless expressly authorised in writing:

• no identifiable guest imagery will be used;
• no children will be photographed;
• no private documents or sensitive materials will be captured;
• no residential addresses, security systems, or sensitive interior details will be disclosed;
• no commercially sensitive or confidential client information will be published.

SOYER may use non-identifiable imagery of food, ingredients, table settings, equipment, or service details for portfolio, website, editorial, or marketing purposes unless the client requests otherwise in writing.

Clients agree not to publicly misrepresent, commercially exploit, record, reproduce, disclose, or publish SOYER's confidential operational methods, pricing structures, internal communications, proprietary materials, recipes, concepts, or service documents without written consent.

Personal information is handled in accordance with SOYER's Privacy Policy and the Privacy Act 2020 where applicable.

Intellectual Property

All menus, recipes, concepts, written materials, service documents, photographs, branding, presentation formats, creative materials, and culinary development materials remain the intellectual property of SOYER unless otherwise agreed in writing.

Payment for services does not transfer ownership of SOYER's intellectual property, recipes, methods, systems, menu structures, written materials, or brand assets.

Clients may use menus and related materials supplied for the private purpose of the relevant booking, but may not copy, reproduce, publish, sell, adapt, or commercially exploit them without SOYER's written consent.

Liability & Consumer Law

Nothing in this Agreement excludes, restricts, or modifies any right, remedy, guarantee, or protection that cannot lawfully be excluded under New Zealand law.

Where services are supplied to a consumer, the Consumer Guarantees Act 1993 may apply, including guarantees that services will be provided with reasonable care and skill.

Where services are acquired for business purposes, the parties agree that, to the fullest extent permitted by law, applicable consumer guarantees are excluded where it is fair and reasonable to do so.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, SOYER is not liable for indirect loss, consequential loss, loss of profit, loss of opportunity, reputational loss, emotional distress, third-party acts or omissions, venue failures, guest conduct, supplier failures, or matters outside SOYER's reasonable control.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, SOYER's total aggregate liability in connection with a booking is limited to the amount paid by the client to SOYER for that booking.

This limitation does not exclude liability for fraud, wilful misconduct, or any liability that cannot lawfully be excluded or limited.

Disputes & Governing Law

The parties agree to first attempt good-faith resolution through direct written communication before commencing formal proceedings where practicable.

This Agreement is governed by the laws of New Zealand.

The parties submit to the non-exclusive jurisdiction of the New Zealand courts and tribunals.

General Terms

SOYER provides services as an independent contractor. Nothing in this Agreement creates an employment relationship, partnership, joint venture, agency relationship, or fiduciary relationship between SOYER and the client.

Bookings may not be assigned, transferred, resold, or passed to another person, household, venue, company, trust, estate, or entity without SOYER's written consent.

If any provision of this Agreement is held invalid, unlawful, or unenforceable, the remaining provisions continue in full force to the fullest extent permitted by law.

A failure or delay by SOYER to enforce any provision of this Agreement does not operate as a waiver of SOYER's rights or prevent later enforcement.

Amendments

SOYER may update its Website Terms, Privacy Policy, Cookie Policy, and these Terms from time to time.

Updated terms will be published on the SOYER website with a revised “Last updated” date.

Amendments do not retrospectively alter confirmed bookings unless agreed in writing by both parties.

The version of these Booking Terms in effect at the time a booking is confirmed will continue to apply to that booking unless otherwise agreed in writing.