Policies, Guest Care & Standards

At Ola Hola, dining is curated with personal attention rather than impersonal automated queues. When you submit a table reservation via our online system, your booking is received as a provisional table request. This deliberate step guarantees that our Canterbury floor team can review room distribution, acoustic balance, and dietary parameters before final allocation.

Every request is individually verified and manually confirmed by our host sanctuary team within 24 hours of dispatch. You will receive an immediate acknowledgment receipt followed by a dedicated confirmation via electronic mail containing your personal sitting voucher and direct booking token.

We steadfastly reject the fast-casual practice of rapid table turnover and double-booking identical seats within single dinner services. To ensure your company can savor every course, sip, and conversation without disruption, all reservations at Ola Hola are granted a minimum 2-hour dedicated dining window.

For parties partaking in our evening lounge rhythms or comprehensive multi-course tasting formats, guests are warmly encouraged to linger into the later cocktail hours without concern of an incoming party waiting at their elbow.

Afro-Caribbean gastronomy celebrates intensely complex marinades, slow-simmered broths, and artisanal spices. Our culinary larder regularly processes key cultural staples including peanuts, tree nuts, whole seafood and shellfish, fresh scotch bonnets, fermented locust beans (iru), and stone-ground egusi seeds.

While our culinary brigade maintains rigorous allergen management workflows and dedicated preparation cookware, our open historical kitchen architecture cannot guarantee absolute zero cross-contact across environmental airborne particulates.

Our online Menu Preview feature is engineered to allow guests to explore culinary pairings, specify dietary requirements, and curate preferred dishes prior to arrival. Pre-orders ensure delicate slow-braised items and rare seasonal imports are reserved exclusively for your sitting.

All published tariffs, beverage pairings, and tasting rates displayed on the preview terminal are indicative prices inclusive of standard UK VAT. Final payment is never drawn digitally before your dining experience; all settlements are completed gracefully at the table at the conclusion of your visit.

• An optional, discretionary 10% hospitality contribution is applied to tables of six or more guests, distributed fully to floor and kitchen crews.
• We gladly support all major credit, debit, contactless platforms, and local Canterbury business gift cards.

Because our ingredients are sourced fresh daily and prepared from early morning stocks, late adjustments impact kitchen rhythms significantly. Should your plans alter, we respectfully request that adjustments or cancellations are submitted at least 6 hours in advance of your scheduled sitting.

Every confirmation correspondence features an encrypted, zero-friction management link formatted as /booking/[token]. Through this link, you may adjust guest counts, amend arrival times, or release your table in a single step without phone calls.

Exclusive access to the Mezzanine, the Courtyard Parlour, or the entire Burgate dining sanctuary follows our Bespoke Event Agreement. Unlike general dining, exclusive hires involve dedicated procurement, sound curation, and customized culinary runs.

Full venue buyouts and private parties above 12 attendees are confirmed upon receipt of a signed agreement and an advance hospitality deposit. Terms for full venue hire refunds and staging conditions are detailed in individual custom event agreements.