Frequently asked questions

Yes. Admission for play is paid securely online when you book (by card, Apple Pay or Google Pay). Food and drinks are paid for at the cafe.

Our cafe and play space is designed for children aged 5 and under. Older children are welcome too and will love our big kids baskets.

You book tables rather than individual seats. Each table seats up to three grown-ups. You can book more than one table if you’re coming as a bigger group, and you’ll also tell us how many children are coming.

Yes please! For hygiene and safety, all children and adults entering the play areas must wear socks at all times. Bare feet and shoes aren’t allowed in the play zones.

Only food and drink bought at The Playdate Cafe may be eaten on the premises, apart from the outside food below.

Outside food: Soft or pouched baby food may be brought into the café for babies, and formula is still welcome. Any other snacks must be agreed with a member of staff in advance so that we can consider potential choking and allergen risks.

Food brought as part of an agreed self-catering private-hire booking (such as our Make It Your Own party package) follows the rules for that booking. Parties follow the food rules in our Party Terms & Conditions.

Please keep all food and drinks at your table; they’re not allowed in the play areas.

We hold tables for a maximum of 15 minutes after your booking time. If you’re running later than this without letting us know, we may give your table to another family.

We completely understand that life with little ones can be unpredictable. Changes or moves can be made online up to 24 hours before your session, using the Manage my booking link you get when you book.

You can cancel online at any time before your session starts, even on the day. If you can’t make it, please cancel as soon as you can, so we can offer your table to another family.

If your booking is within 24 hours and you need to change it, please contact The Playdate Cafe directly.

Where these terms require you to contact the café directly, you can do so by email at info@theplaydatecafe.co.uk or through our social media channels. A member of staff will respond as soon as reasonably possible, but we cannot guarantee an immediate response.

Waiting for a reply doesn’t extend any deadline, including the 48-hour refund deadline. You can still cancel online yourself at any time before your session starts.

Cancel at least 48 hours before your session starts and your payment, less the 50p booking fee, will be refunded to the card or wallet you paid with. If you cancel online, we request the refund straight away. If you ask us to cancel for you, we’ll arrange the refund and email you once it has been refunded. Cancellations made less than 48 hours before your session are not automatically refunded.

Changing your session may change your cancellation and refund rights. The 48-hour cancellation period is calculated from the start time of your new session.

Tables are held for up to 15 minutes. If you don’t attend, or arrive more than 15 minutes late without contacting the café, we may release your table. Missed sessions are not refundable, though we may agree otherwise at our discretion.

Parties work differently: if you cancel a party, the £50 deposit is non-refundable, except where required by law or where we agree otherwise.

Event bookings work differently too: if your plans change, you can’t refund, change or cancel an Event booking yourself. If we cancel the event before it starts, we refund the affected bookings in full, booking fee included. If we materially change its date or time and you can’t reasonably attend, you can cancel for a refund. This doesn’t affect your statutory rights. If there’s a problem with your booking or you can no longer attend, please get in touch and we’ll be happy to see how we can help. Anything we can offer in that case is at our discretion and is not guaranteed.

Table bookings, Event bookings and Parties are leisure services for a specific date or period, so the statutory 14-day right to cancel a distance contract doesn’t apply. Your other statutory rights aren’t affected.

To protect our little guests, children who are unwell, or who have had sickness or diarrhoea in the last 48 hours, must not use the play area.

Send us a party enquiry using our online party enquiry form, with your preferred date and ideas, and we’ll get back to you about availability. Our party packages are listed on our Parties page.

Prefer email? You can also email us at info@theplaydatecafe.co.uk.

A £50 deposit is required to confirm your Party booking and is applied to the Party price. If you cancel, the deposit is non-refundable, except where required by law or where we agree otherwise.

Our Party Terms & Conditions explain booking, payment, cancellation and the Party food rules.

Of course! You’re welcome to take photos and videos of your own children enjoying the cafe. Please be mindful of other families and try to avoid capturing other children in your shots.

Images or videos featuring other children must not be shared online or on social media without the express permission of that child’s parent or guardian.

Yes. For safety and security, CCTV is in operation throughout the premises. Recordings are kept for a limited period and then overwritten, unless a specific clip is needed for a lawful investigation.