Terms & Conditions

General Terms and Conditions for Events at the Cologne Chocolate Museum

§ 1 Scope of Application

These terms and conditions apply to all agreements between Schokoladenmuseum Gastronomie GmbH (Am Schokoladenmuseum 1a, 50678 Cologne), hereinafter the “Lessor”, and the Lessee regarding the rental of event spaces at the Chocolate Museum for holding events of any kind, as well as all related further services and deliveries provided by the Lessor. The Lessee’s own terms and conditions apply only if this has been expressly agreed in advance.

§ 2 Rental Object, Scope of Rental

1. The Lessee has access to the furniture present in the rented event space. The respective furnishings can be viewed online at www.schokoladenmuseum-event.de (section “Infos” / “Generelles”).

2. The room rental is not a full-day rental but relates to the planned duration of the event.

3. The event space may be used for a duration of 7 hours. Any extension of this usage period must be agreed in advance. Each additional hour will be charged at an extra EUR 250.00/300.00 net plus VAT on top of the flat rental fee. In principle, use of the event space ends no later than 3:00 a.m.

4. Items brought in by the Lessee (e.g., sound systems) must be collected from the Chocolate Museum premises by 9:00 a.m. the following morning at the latest.

5. The Lessee is obligated to inform the Lessor, without being asked, at the time of requesting a quote, if the planned event is of a political nature or is otherwise likely to endanger the smooth operation of the business, safety, or the public reputation of the Chocolate Museum. The Lessor reserves the right to refuse to conclude the contract in such a case.

6. The Lessor holds the right of domiciliary authority (“Hausrecht”) within the Chocolate Museum during an event. The Lessor’s event manager exercises this authority over any person present. In the event of a threat to the Chocolate Museum’s facilities or the safety of those present, the event manager may, after an unsuccessful verbal warning to the Lessee, issue a ban on the person responsible or terminate the event. Should the Lessee not be present and no representative has been named in advance, the event manager may terminate the event at any time. The event manager may fully or partially suspend the serving of alcohol if guests are visibly heavily intoxicated and therefore no longer acting responsibly. The assessment of the situation and the decision on the above measures rest at all times at the discretion of the event manager.

§ 3 Rental Fee and Catering

1. Booking an event space obligates the Lessee to make use of the Chocolate Museum’s in-house catering. The catering offerings can be viewed online at www.schokoladenmuseum-event.de. No later than four to six weeks before the event date, the catering details—in particular the selection of food, beverages, and their prices—are jointly determined. The Lessee receives a binding order confirmation for this, which states, among other things, the preliminary final price for the booked number of guests. Seasonal fluctuations in food prices may occur and may therefore also affect our prices up until that point.

2. Food and beverage prices are calculated for events with at least 35 guests. For fewer participants, staffing costs are charged separately.

3. For hygiene-related reasons, it is not permitted to take uneaten food home. This is due to the EU Hygiene Regulation, under which the cold chain for perishable food must not be interrupted at any point. Adequate refrigeration of food during buffet service is only guaranteed for the duration of service. Interrupting the cold chain may pose a health risk.

4. The minimum required catering spend for use of the premises on Friday and Saturday evenings is EUR 7,500 net in the Bel Etage and EUR 12,000 net in the Restaurant or the Schokofabrik. If this minimum spend is not reached, we will invoice the resulting shortfall. Only food and beverages are taken into account when calculating the minimum catering spend.

5. Activities beyond pure catering services (for example, receiving goods or materials, decorating, storage, and table plan creation) will be charged separately.

6. In the case of beverage billing based on consumption, the Lessee is entitled at any time to review beverage consumption via the maintained tally sheet as well as empty bottles and kegs at the bar, and to photograph these at the end of the event.

7. As a general rule, the Lessee may not bring their own food and beverages to events. Exceptions require prior written agreement with the Lessor. The Lessor may make its consent contingent on charging a fee to cover overhead costs.

§ 4 Technical Facilities and Connections, Official Permits

1. The use of the Lessee’s own electrical equipment and use of the Lessor’s power supply requires the Lessor’s express consent. This consent may be made contingent on the provision of the Lessee’s own technician at the Lessee’s expense. Any faults or damage to the Lessor’s technical equipment arising from the use of such devices shall be borne by the Lessee, insofar as the Lessor is not responsible for them. The Lessor may record and charge the electricity costs arising from such use on a flat-rate basis.

2. Faults in technical or other facilities provided by the Lessor will be remedied immediately wherever possible. Payments may not be withheld or reduced insofar as the Lessor is not responsible for such faults.

3. The Lessee must obtain, in good time and at its own expense, any official permits required for the event. The Lessee is responsible for compliance with public-law requirements and other regulations.

§ 5 Payment Terms, Right of Retention

1. Upon booking confirmation, the Lessee receives a rental invoice, which must be paid into the Lessor’s account within 10 days.

2. After the event, the Lessor issues the Lessee a statement for the catering services, itemizing the food, beverage package or individual drinks, and any additional services.

3. The Lessor reserves the right to charge an advance payment of up to 100% of the expected catering spend. This applies in particular in the case of a large number of guests, a foreign billing address for the Lessee, or payment delays prior to the event.

4. If the Lessee fails to pay the rental fee or the advance payment on time, the Lessor has the unilateral right to terminate the rental agreement.

§ 6 Withdrawal by the Lessee (Cancellation) or Reduction of the Registered Number of Guests

1. If the Lessee cancels the event up to 3 months before the event start date, no compensation is due for lost catering revenue. However, the obligation to pay the room rental fee remains in place.

2. If the Lessee cancels the event up to 8 days before the event date, the Lessee must pay the full room rental fee plus compensation of EUR 25.00 net per registered guest.

3. If the Lessee cancels less than 8 days before the event date, the room rental fee and the agreed catering services must be paid in full at the preliminary final price stated in the order confirmation.

4. If a reduction in the registered number of guests is communicated in writing no later than 8 days before the event date, no catering costs will be charged for a shortfall of up to 10% of no-show guests. For a shortfall of more than 10%, compensation of EUR 15.00 net must be paid for each additional no-show guest.

5. A reduction in guest numbers reported less than 8 days before the event can no longer be taken into account; the full preliminary final price stated in the order confirmation must be paid.

6. The Lessor will make efforts to keep any resulting loss to a minimum. In all of the aforementioned cases, the Lessee retains the right to prove that the Lessor incurred a lower loss than the compensation amount.

§ 7 Withdrawal by the Lessor

1. The Lessor is entitled to withdraw from the contract for good cause. This applies in particular in cases of force majeure or other circumstances beyond the Lessor’s control that make performance of the contract impossible.

2. This also applies to an event booked on the basis of misleading or false information, or the concealment of facts material to the contract. Facts material to the contract may include the Lessee’s identity, solvency, or the purpose of the event.

3. The Lessor is further entitled to withdraw from the contract for good cause if it has reasonable grounds to believe that the event may endanger the smooth operation of the business, safety, or the public reputation of the Chocolate Museum. This applies in particular to social, religious, or political positions that are inconsistent with the mission statement or social positions of the Chocolate Museum.

4. Furthermore, the Lessor may withdraw from the contract for good cause if the purpose or occasion of the event is unlawful, or if the Lessee has violated its duty to inform under § 2 No. 5.

§ 8 Claims for Defects and Liability

1. Complaints/notices of defects must be reported to the Lessor or its authorized representative immediately and in a timely manner during the event, in order to give the Lessor the opportunity to remedy them.

2. The Lessee is liable for all damage culpably caused by the Lessee itself, its vicarious agents, guests, or third parties. Where the Lessee is liable under this provision, it must indemnify the Lessor against any claims by third parties. This liability of the Lessee also extends to increased cleaning costs resulting from heavy soiling of the spaces used (e.g., due to confetti) and to costs incurred for fire department call-outs triggered by the use of fog machines, open flames, fireworks, etc. The Lessee is obligated to notify the Lessor immediately of any damage to the rental property caused by the Lessee.

3. The Lessor is liable for intent and gross negligence. For simple negligence, the Lessor is liable only in the event of a breach of material contractual obligations. These are obligations whose fulfillment makes the proper performance of the contract possible in the first place and on whose observance the Lessee may regularly rely. Liability for culpably caused damage to life, body, or health remains unaffected by this limitation of liability.

4. Exhibition items or other objects, including personal items, brought onto the premises remain there at the Lessee’s own risk. The Lessor assumes no liability for loss, destruction, or damage, including for financial losses, except in cases of gross negligence or intent on the part of the Lessor.

5. Decorative materials and other items brought in by the Lessee must comply with fire safety requirements and other official regulations. The Lessor is entitled to demand official proof of compliance. If such proof is not provided, the Lessor is entitled to remove any materials already brought in at the Lessee’s expense. Due to the risk of damage, the placement and installation of items must be coordinated with the Lessor in advance.

§ 9 Written Form, Severability, Place of Performance and Jurisdiction

1. Verbal agreements are not binding until confirmed in writing. Subsequent amendments and additions to this contract require written form. Any amendment to this written form requirement likewise requires written form.

2. Should individual provisions of this contract be or become (partially) invalid, the validity of the remaining provisions and of the contract as a whole shall remain unaffected.

3. German law applies, excluding the UN Convention on Contracts for the International Sale of Goods (CISG). The place of performance is Cologne.

4. The place of jurisdiction for both parties is Cologne.

As of: January 2026