VAT on eating in
Catering is always standard rated: restaurants charge 20% VAT on everything eaten on the premises and on all hot takeaways.
Source: GOV.UK, VAT rates on different goods and servicesUnited Kingdom
TableFlow in the United Kingdom, honestly.
What we could verify about hospitality in the United Kingdom, and an honest note on what TableFlow can and cannot do there today.
What applies across the United Kingdom
tips passed to staff
Since 1 October 2024 employers must pass all tips, gratuities and service charges on to workers, without deductions.
Source: GOV.UK, tipping laws come into forcedata protection fee
Organisations that use personal information, sole traders included, must pay the ICO a data protection fee unless they are exempt.
Source: ICO, data protection feeBusy days, the next twelve months.
Public holidays and events between 16 October 2026 and 16 October 2027. Plan your rota and your deposits around them.
December 2026
- 25Fri
- 28Mon
January 2027
- 1Fri
March 2027
- 26Fri
- 29Mon
May 2027
- 3Mon
- 31Mon
August 2027
- 30Mon
How TableFlow works here.
TableFlow comes from Nijmegen in the Netherlands and runs in the founder's own ten venues.
Works
- Bookings on your own website, with the widget in six languages: Dutch, English, German, French, Spanish and Italian.
- Confirmations and other guest emails, with default texts in those same six languages.
- Guest profiles, email campaigns, quotes and guest feedback work the same everywhere.
Not yet, or different
- TableFlow only charges in euros, so deposits and gift cards in GBP aren't possible yet.
- TableFlow runs on Amsterdam time by default. You can't choose another time zone in the settings yet, so we set it for you.
- The Mollie payment page for a gift card still opens in Dutch.
Sources
- GOV.UK, VAT rates on different goods and services checked on 16 October 2026
- GOV.UK, tipping laws come into force checked on 16 October 2026
- ICO, data protection fee checked on 16 October 2026
- GOV.UK, UK bank holidays checked on 16 October 2026
- Mollie Help Center, Can I use Mollie's services in my country? checked on 16 October 2026
