BC's August 2026 consumer contract rules: what a restaurant must tell customers before they pay

On 1 August 2026, changes to the Business Practices and Consumer Protection Act took full effect in British Columbia. They are not aimed at restaurants, but they reach a lot of what restaurants now do: take orders on a website, sell tickets or tasting menus in advance, hold a deposit for a private event, or run a coffee club. Consumer Protection BC publishes guidance for businesses, and the steps below follow it.

Does the change affect you?

The regulator says the changes likely affect a business that does any of these:

• sells goods or services online, over the phone, or by email or fax
• sells goods or services that customers do not get right away or do not pay in full upfront
• enters contracts away from its permanent place of business
• sells goods or services on a continuing basis, like a subscription

Contracts signed or renewed on or after 1 August 2026 must follow the updated law. The contract date is what matters, not when the service is provided or payment made.

Which kinds of contracts are affected?

The pre-contract disclosure rules apply to purchases made online, over the phone, by email or fax (distance sales contracts), and to contracts for goods or services delivered in the future, or where the consumer does not pay in full upfront, where the total is over 50 dollars (future performance contracts). Fitness, door-to-door and timeshare contracts, and subscriptions, have their own entries. The guidance does not list restaurants. Whether a given product of yours, such as a catering order with a deposit, a ticketed dinner or a prepaid tasting menu, falls into one of these types is a question for the regulator or a lawyer.

What must you disclose before the customer agrees?

Clearly, at no cost, before the contract. The list in the guidance includes:

• your legal name and, if different, your business name
• a detailed description of the goods or services
• delivery details if applicable, and the dates the goods or services will be provided if not at the time of the contract
• an itemized purchase price, including costs that can be determined in advance such as taxes
• the terms of payment, including the schedule and the amount of each payment
• the total price
• details of any promotional offer: eligibility, duration and what applies when it ends
• any other terms, conditions, limitations or restrictions
• return, exchange, cancellation and refund policies
• how a renewal may occur, and whether it is automatic

What if you have no refund policy?

The regulator says that even if a business has no such policies, it must disclose that in the pre-contract disclosures and in the contract itself. "No refunds" must be written, not assumed.

Can customers review the contract?

You must give customers a chance to review the full contract before the sale is complete, and give a copy promptly if they ask.

What does the contract itself have to say?

It must repeat the disclosures and also state the date the contract is entered into, so the confirmation email or booking page should hold all of it, not link to a page that may change.

What if you do not disclose?

If the required pre-purchase disclosures are not provided, or do not match the final contract, the consumer may have the right to cancel.

How do you check your forms?

1. List each thing you sell online or in advance.
2. Mark which ones the customer does not receive and pay for at the same time.
3. For each, tick off every disclosure above on the checkout page and the confirmation.
4. Write a short refund and cancellation statement, even if it says "no refunds".
5. Date-stamp your terms, and keep old versions.

Link this with your cancellation wording in cancellation and no-show policy wording for BC and Ontario and with your card terms in BC gift card rules. If you sell a regular coffee or meal plan, the renewal rules are in subscription and auto-renewal rules for restaurant clubs.

More in the Canadian guides for food businesses.