Terms and conditions for a bakery taking online orders

A bakery online sells goods that are baked the night before and cannot be sold to anyone else, from a tray of pastries for collection to a wedding cake ordered months ahead. The terms have to fix collection and delivery, deal with cancellation of perishable and bespoke orders, make the design of a celebration cake the customer's approved brief, and handle allergens and damage on the way home. I draft those terms for a fixed fee of £995, delivered in five working days.

Who this is for

Bakeries, patisseries and cake makers in England and Wales taking online orders for collection and local delivery, and orders for celebration, wedding and corporate cakes, from consumers and businesses.

What matters in bakery online terms

Orders, collection and delivery

The terms should say when an order is accepted, the collection window and what happens to orders not collected (disposed of after the window without refund, as perishables), and for delivery, that the customer must be in or nominate a safe place at their own risk, that delivery times are estimates, and that baked goods are at the bakery's risk until handed over. A cut-off for orders for a given day should be stated.

Perishables and cancellation

Baked goods deteriorate rapidly and are outside the fourteen-day cancellation right by regulation 28 of the Consumer Contracts (Information, Cancellation and Additional Charges) Regulations 2013, and celebration cakes are made to the customer's specification and are excluded by the same regulation. The terms should say that orders can be cancelled without charge before a stated point, that later cancellations are charged in full or on a stated scale because ingredients and time are committed, and that the customer was told before ordering.

Celebration cakes, designs and deposits

A cake order should record the size, flavour, design, wording and date as the specification, and the terms should say that the design is as approved in writing or as the bakery's reasonable interpretation of a photograph or brief, that colours and decorations may vary from images, that a deposit is taken at order with the balance before collection, and that changes after a cut-off are charged or not possible. Wedding cakes need a section on delivery to venues, set-up, and the venue's responsibility once delivered.

Allergens and dietary requests

Allergen information must be available before purchase under the Food Information Regulations 2014, with items packed on the premises before sale carrying the full ingredient labelling the Food Information (Amendment) (England) Regulations 2019 require, and the terms should say where, that products are made in a bakery handling allergens, that free-from requests are honoured as stated but cannot be guaranteed free of traces, and that the customer is responsible for telling the bakery about allergies at order. Under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 the goods must be as described, and the allergen statement is part of the description.

Quality, damage, prices and data

Goods must be of satisfactory quality on handover; the terms should say that damage after collection or delivery, in the customer's car or at the venue, is the customer's, that transport instructions are given and should be followed, and that complaints are made promptly with photographs. Prices include all mandatory charges under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024, card payments carry no surcharge, and the privacy notice governs customer data. Corporate orders can be invoiced with interest on late payment under the Late Payment of Commercial Debts (Interest) Act 1998.

What it costs

Customer or supplier terms and conditions, £995. One set of terms, customer-facing or supplier-facing, drafted for your business. Five working days.

Review of your existing terms, £495. You already have terms and want them checked and brought up to date. Returned marked up with my amendments and an explanation of the changes. Three working days.

Email me at geoffrey@caesar.co.uk with what you need and any documents, and I will confirm the scope and the fee in writing, usually the same working day.

What you get

• A full set of bespoke terms drafted for your business, reflecting the legal requirements that apply to your business and sector
• A note in plain English explaining the terms I have drafted for you
• Liability, payment, termination and IP provisions that protect your position and are drafted to withstand scrutiny from the other side
• Guidance on how to incorporate the terms properly
• Your questions and comments answered by email or phone
• One round of amendments to finalise the terms ready for use

What is not included

• Negotiating your terms with individual customers (I am happy to quote for this as an additional service if required)
• Sector-specific regulatory compliance beyond the contract terms themselves
• Website privacy notice and cookie compliance, which I quote separately
• Terms governed by the law of another country
• Tax advice

Questions I am often asked

A customer cancelled a birthday cake the day before. Can we charge?

If the terms set a cut-off after which cancellations are charged and the customer was told before ordering, yes, in full or on the stated scale. The cake was made for one person on one day.

The cake was damaged in the customer's car. Do we replace it?

If the terms say damage after handover is the customer's and transport instructions were given, no. A replacement at a price is your choice.

Can we guarantee a nut-free cake?

Only if you can, and most bakeries cannot. The terms should say free-from requests are honoured as stated but traces cannot be guaranteed in a bakery handling allergens, and the allergen information should say the same.

Related guidance and services

• Terms and conditions drafting, £995, the service this page describes
• Contract review, £495
• Terms and conditions for a cake maker
• Terms and conditions for a food producer selling online

This page is general guidance for businesses in England and Wales, not advice on your own circumstances. Last reviewed: September 2026. Email geoffrey@caesar.co.uk.