Bottle Service Packages in London: Package or Minimum Spend?

Bottle service packages in London are fixed-price bundles: you pay one agreed figure and receive a set list of bottles, mixers and a table for a stated group size. They sit alongside the more common minimum spend model, where the table comes with a spending target and you choose bottles from the menu until you reach it. The better choice depends on how your group drinks, how many people are coming and how much certainty you want about the final bill. This guide explains how each model works, how to compare them on equal terms, and the questions worth asking before you pay a deposit.

Two ways a London club prices a table

Most London clubs that sell tables use a minimum spend. The table is held for your group and you commit to spending a set amount on drinks over the night. As of October 2026, our club table prices page lists standard floor tables at the main West End venues from around £1,000 minimum spend, with premium tables from £2,000 to £3,000. Everything you order counts towards that figure, and if the group finishes under it, the difference is usually still payable. Our guide to how minimum spend works covers that billing in detail.

A package turns the same arrangement into a fixed product. Instead of a spending target, the venue or the booking desk quotes a price for a defined bundle: a named number of bottles of a stated grade, the standard mixers, and the table for a stated number of guests. You know exactly what will arrive at the table before the night begins.

Some venues offer both, some offer only one, and the terms change by night and by season. Treat any package as a quote for a specific date rather than a standing item on the menu.

What a package usually includes

A typical package is built from four parts:

• The bottles. A fixed count, and usually a fixed grade or a short list of brands to choose from. The grade matters more than the count.
• Mixers, ice and glassware. These are normally part of any table booking, package or not.
• The table. Held for a stated maximum number of guests, sometimes with entry for that group if they arrive within an agreed window.
• Presentation. Some venues include sparklers or a delivery moment for the first bottle.

What a package normally does not include is anything outside the list. A third bottle, a round of shots or a switch to a different brand is typically charged at the normal menu price on top of the package figure. Packages built around a celebration often add extras such as a cake or an announcement. Those extras are priced in whether or not your group wants them.

Package or minimum spend: how they compare

Neither model is automatically cheaper. A package is often assembled from the same menu prices, simply bundled, so the real comparison is what each option gets your group for the same money.

Reading the small print: what the headline figure covers

The number on a package quote is not always the number on the bill. The most common gap is the service charge. Many London clubs add one to the final bill, and whether a package price already includes it changes the real cost noticeably. Ask directly and get the answer in writing. Our explainer on service charge on bottle service sets out how it is calculated and why it sits on top of a minimum spend rather than counting towards it.

Since the Employment (Allocation of Tips) Act came into force on 1 October 2024, tips and service charges paid by customers must be passed in full to workers, as the BBC reported when the law took effect. That does not change what you pay, but it does mean the service charge on a package goes to the staff rather than serving as extra margin for the venue.

UK consumer law has also tightened on headline prices. Drip pricing, where unavoidable fees only appear late in the buying process, was banned in 2025, and the Competition and Markets Authority has since ordered refunds and imposed fines over hidden mandatory fees, as BBC News reported on the StubHub case. For anything booked online, mandatory fees should now be in the price you see first. Whatever the channel, it is reasonable to ask for a single all-in figure for the package, service charge included, before you pay a deposit.

Doing the per-head maths

Compare the two per guest, then check what each guest actually gets.

Using the floor-table starting point above, a £1,000 minimum spend shared by eight people is £125 each before any service charge, as of October 2026. A package quoted at the same £1,000 for the same eight people costs the same per head, so the deciding question becomes what is in the bottles. Three things are worth checking:

1. Bottle size. A 1 litre spirit bottle holds about 43 per cent more than a 70cl bottle, so two litres and two 70cl bottles are not the same order. Our guide to champagne bottle sizes explains the larger formats, which are priced for the presentation rather than as a saving.
2. Grade. A package of house-pour spirits and one of premium labels can carry the same bottle count and very different value.
3. Guest cap. If the package covers eight guests and ten arrive, ask whether the extra two pay entry or whether the table has to be upgraded.

Collecting each person's share before the night avoids awkward sums at the end. Our guide to splitting the cost of a club table walks through the common methods.

Questions to ask before you pay for a package

Put these to the venue or booking desk before you commit:

• Is the service charge included in the package price, and if not, what is the rate?
• Which brands and bottle sizes are included, and can any be swapped?
• How many guests does the package cover, and is entry included for all of them?
• Is there an arrival time by which the group must be seated?
• What is charged if the group orders beyond the package, and at what prices?
• How much is the deposit, and what happens to it if the numbers change or the booking is cancelled?

Packages are often paid for at least partly in advance, so the deposit terms matter. Our guide to bottle service deposits and payments covers the usual terms and cancellation windows.

When each model makes sense

A package suits a group that already agrees on what it drinks, wants to fix the cost in advance and is unlikely to order much beyond the list. Organisers collecting money from a large group often prefer it, because the per-head figure is settled before anyone arrives.

A minimum spend suits groups with mixed tastes, groups who want to start on champagne and move to spirits later, and anyone who prefers to decide on the night. It also tends to suit smaller tables, where a fixed bundle can include more than the group will realistically drink.

If the two options are quoted at the same figure, the minimum spend is usually the more flexible choice. A package earns its place when it includes what you would have ordered anyway at a better combined price, or when certainty about the final number is worth more to you than choice.

Packages are not available at every venue or on every night, and the details shift through the season. If you would like a package and a minimum spend compared for a specific date and group size, message the team on WhatsApp with your date, numbers and budget, and we will set out the options with the all-in figure for each.