Last updated: 29 October 2026

Privacy Policy

At Ara, we respect your privacy and are committed to protecting your personal information.

This Privacy Policy explains how we collect, use, store and protect your information when you visit our website, make a reservation, enquire about an event, contact us or subscribe to our newsletter.

We handle personal information in accordance with the UK General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR), the Data Protection Act 2018 and applicable UK privacy legislation.

1. Who We Are

Amber Nar Ltd, trading as Ara Restaurant, is the data controller responsible for the personal information covered by this policy.

Ara Restaurant
1 New Drum Street
London E1 7AY
United Kingdom

Telephone: 020 4597 0116
Email: info@ararestaurant.co.uk
Website: www.ararestaurant.co.uk

If you have any questions about this policy or how we handle your information, please contact us using the details above.

2. Information We Collect

We may collect the following types of personal information:

  • Reservations and dining: Your name, email address, telephone number, booking date and time, party size, reservation history, dining preferences, special requests and dietary requirements.
  • Group dining and event enquiries: Contact details, event dates, guest numbers, menu preferences, budgets and other information you provide when enquiring about private dining or events.
  • Contact forms and enquiries: Your name, contact information and the contents of messages submitted through our website, email or other communication channels.
  • Newsletter subscriptions: Your name, email address, marketing preferences and interactions with our marketing communications.
  • Website and technical information: IP address, browser type, device information, pages visited, website interactions and information collected through cookies and similar technologies.
  • Payments and deposits: Information necessary to arrange deposits, card guarantees and payments associated with bookings or events.

We collect information directly from you, through our website, or from third-party services you use to interact with Ara.

Dietary Requirements and Allergies

If you choose to share information about allergies, dietary requirements or health-related needs, we use it to help accommodate your requirements and prepare and serve food safely.

Certain dietary information may be considered special-category personal data under UK GDPR. Where this applies, we process it only where an appropriate legal basis and additional condition under data protection law are satisfied.

3. How We Use Your Information

We use personal information to:

  • Manage restaurant reservations, confirmations, changes and cancellations.
  • Respond to general enquiries and messages submitted through our contact form.
  • Organise group dining, private hire and events.
  • Accommodate dietary requirements and provide appropriate customer service.
  • Process booking deposits, payments and applicable cancellation charges.
  • Send newsletters, restaurant news, events and special offers where you have agreed to receive marketing.
  • Understand how visitors use our website and improve its performance.
  • Measure advertising effectiveness and support relevant advertising where permitted.
  • Maintain website security and comply with legal and regulatory obligations.

Our Legal Basis for Processing

Depending on the activity, we rely on the following legal bases:

  • Contract: To manage reservations, event bookings, payments and services you request, including taking steps before entering into a contract.
  • Consent: To send marketing communications where you have opted in and to use non-essential cookies and tracking technologies where consent is required.
  • Legitimate interests: To respond to general enquiries, improve our services, maintain security and manage our business, provided these interests do not override your rights.
  • Legal obligation: To comply with applicable legal, accounting, tax and regulatory requirements.

Where we process special-category personal information, we also rely on an applicable condition under Article 9 of UK GDPR.

4. Restaurant Reservations and Payments

We use SevenRooms and OpenTable to manage restaurant reservations and guest information.

When you make a reservation, these platforms may process your contact details, booking history, dining preferences, special requests and other information relevant to your visit.

Deposits, card guarantees and applicable cancellation charges are processed through SevenRooms, OpenTable or their payment service providers, as appropriate.

Ara does not need to receive or store your full payment card details when they are handled securely by these providers.

SevenRooms and OpenTable may also process information in accordance with their own privacy policies.

Making a restaurant reservation does not automatically subscribe you to Ara’s marketing communications.

5. Contact Forms and Event Enquiries

When you contact us through our website’s contact form or group dining and events enquiry form, we collect the information you provide to respond to your request.

This may include your name, email address, telephone number, event details, preferred dates, guest numbers and any specific requirements.

We use this information to communicate with you, prepare proposals, organise bookings and provide relevant information about our services.

Submitting an enquiry does not automatically add you to our marketing mailing list.

6. Email Marketing and Newsletters

We use EmailOctopus to manage our mailing list and send newsletters, restaurant news, special offers and event updates.

We only add you to our marketing mailing list when you have agreed to receive these communications, whether through our website, reservation platforms or another sign-up method.

EmailOctopus may collect information about how you interact with our emails, including email opens and link clicks, to help us understand and improve our communications.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link in our marketing emails or contacting us at info@ararestaurant.co.uk.

Unsubscribing from marketing does not affect your restaurant reservations or essential booking communications.

7. Website Analytics and Advertising

We use analytics and advertising technologies to understand website performance and measure the effectiveness of our marketing.

Google Analytics 4 (GA4)

Google Analytics helps us understand website traffic, visitor behaviour, popular pages and how visitors interact with our website.

Google Ads

Google Ads helps us measure advertising performance, including actions taken after visitors interact with our advertisements. Where enabled and permitted, it may also support remarketing.

Meta Pixel

We use Meta Pixel to measure the performance of advertising on Facebook and Instagram and understand actions visitors take on our website after interacting with our advertisements.

Where enabled and permitted, Meta Pixel may also support audience creation and remarketing.

These technologies may collect information such as IP addresses, device identifiers, browsing activity and website interactions.

We use consent controls for non-essential analytics and advertising technologies where required by law.

8. Cookies and Tracking Technologies

Our website uses cookies and similar technologies to support its functionality, understand visitor behaviour and measure advertising performance.

These may include:

  • Essential cookies: Necessary for the website to operate correctly.
  • Analytics cookies: Used to understand website usage and performance.
  • Advertising cookies: Used to measure advertising effectiveness and support relevant advertising activities.

Our website provides a cookie consent banner allowing visitors to manage their preferences.

Non-essential cookies and tracking technologies that require consent will only be activated after you have given your permission.

You can withdraw or change your consent through our website’s cookie preference controls.

You may also manage cookies through your browser settings.

Further information about the cookies and tracking technologies used on our website is available in our Cookie Policy.

9. Sharing Your Information

We do not sell your personal information.

We share relevant information with trusted service providers where necessary to operate our restaurant, website and communications.

These include:

  • SevenRooms and OpenTable: Restaurant reservations and guest management.
  • EmailOctopus: Newsletter subscriptions and email marketing.
  • Google Analytics and Google Ads: Website analytics and advertising measurement.
  • Meta: Advertising measurement and related marketing services.
  • Website hosting and technical providers: Website operation, maintenance, security and enquiry form handling.
  • Payment service providers: Processing booking deposits, payments and applicable cancellation charges.

These organisations may act as data processors or independent data controllers, depending on the services they provide.

We may also disclose personal information where required by law or where necessary to establish, exercise or defend legal claims.

10. International Data Transfers

Some of our service providers may process or store personal information outside the United Kingdom.

Where personal information is transferred internationally, we ensure that appropriate protections are in place, such as recognised adequacy arrangements or approved contractual safeguards, where required by law.

11. How Long We Keep Your Information

We retain personal information only for as long as reasonably necessary for the purposes for which it was collected.

Retention periods depend on the type of information, its purpose and our legal and operational requirements.

  • Reservation and dining information: May be retained for more than 12 months to manage guest relationships, booking history, customer service and relevant business or legal requirements.
  • Contact and event enquiries: Retained for as long as necessary to manage enquiries, bookings, contractual matters and related records.
  • Marketing information: Retained while you remain subscribed, subject to limited records needed to respect unsubscribe requests.
  • Financial and accounting information: Retained for the periods required by applicable law.
  • Website analytics information: Retained according to the configured retention periods of the relevant services.

We periodically review the information we hold and delete or anonymise personal data when it is no longer required.

12. Keeping Your Information Secure

We take appropriate technical and organisational measures to protect personal information against unauthorised access, loss, misuse, alteration or disclosure.

Access to personal information is limited to authorised staff and service providers who require it for legitimate business purposes.

Although we take reasonable precautions, no method of electronic storage or internet transmission can be guaranteed to be completely secure.

13. Your Data Protection Rights

Under UK data protection law, you may have the right to:

  • Access: Request a copy of the personal information we hold about you.
  • Correction: Ask us to correct inaccurate or incomplete information.
  • Erasure: Request deletion of your personal information in certain circumstances.
  • Restriction: Ask us to restrict how your information is processed.
  • Objection: Object to certain uses of your information, including direct marketing.
  • Data portability: Request your information in a portable format where applicable.
  • Withdraw consent: Withdraw your consent at any time where processing relies on consent.

These rights are subject to applicable legal conditions and exceptions.

To exercise your rights, please contact info@ararestaurant.co.uk.

We may ask you to verify your identity before processing a request.

We will normally respond within one month, in accordance with applicable data protection law.

14. Links to Other Websites

Our website may contain links to third-party websites, including reservation platforms, gift voucher providers and social media services.

These websites operate independently and may have their own privacy policies.

We encourage you to review their privacy policies when using their services.

15. Complaints

If you have concerns about how we handle your personal information, please contact us so we can investigate and address them.

You also have the right to complain to the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), the UK’s independent data protection regulator.

Website: www.ico.org.uk
Telephone: 0303 123 1113

16. Changes to This Policy

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time to reflect changes in our services, technology or legal requirements.

Any updates will be published on this page with a revised date.

17. Contact Us

For any questions about this Privacy Policy or how we handle your personal information, please contact:

Ara Restaurant
1 New Drum Street
London E1 7AY

Email: info@ararestaurant.co.uk
Telephone: 020 4597 0116