Consultancy Agreement Template for Hospitality Businesses (UK 2025)
Last updated: February 2025
Why Hospitality Businesses Need a Consultancy Agreement
Hospitality consultancy agreements engage specialists for restaurant concept development, menu engineering, operational efficiency, food safety compliance advisory, and hospitality technology implementation. These cover expert advisory input rather than ongoing operational services, helping hospitality businesses improve their concepts, operations, and compliance. The agreement must address the consultant's access to recipes and concept details, operational data, and the important question of confidentiality in an industry where consultants commonly work with multiple operators.
Key Clauses for Hospitality
- Advisory scope covering concept, operations, or compliance focus areas
- Recipe and concept confidentiality with industry-specific protections
- Operational data access and confidentiality controls
- Competitor and sector restrictions during the engagement
Common Mistakes
- Not including specific recipe and concept confidentiality provisions adapted to the hospitality industry
- Allowing the consultant unrestricted access to operational data when their advisory scope only requires specific metrics
Template Sections
- Advisory scope and engagement focus areas
- Recipe and concept confidentiality provisions
- Operational data access and control schedule
FAQ
Can a hospitality consultant advise competing restaurants?
Unless restricted, yes. For concept development or menu engineering engagements where the consultant accesses proprietary recipes and unique concepts, include a restriction on advising direct competitors in the same market area for the engagement duration plus typically 6 months. For general operational or compliance advisory, competitor restrictions may be unnecessary and difficult to enforce.
How should a hospitality consultancy agreement protect recipe confidentiality?
Include a specific recipe confidentiality clause covering all recipes, flavour profiles, sourcing arrangements, and preparation techniques shared during the engagement. Require the consultant to return or destroy all recipe documentation upon completion. Include a prohibition on the consultant using or sharing recipes with other clients, with a liquidated damages provision for breach given the difficulty of proving loss from recipe disclosure.
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Get Started FreeThis is guidance for UK businesses, not legal advice. Templates are illustrative. Consult a solicitor for complex matters.
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