In the event of a conflict between this schedule of conditions and the terms and conditions for working with us, this schedule of conditions shall have precedence.
1. In this schedule of conditions the following words will have the meanings ascribed to them:
| Term | Meaning |
| "Establishment" | the accommodation, attraction or other business to which a Taste Our Best award has been given; or which is awaiting a Taste Our Best award visit; |
| "Operator" | the person (whether an individual or individuals, partnership, trust, company or other corporate body) carrying on the business associated with the Establishment; |
| "Scheme Year" | the period ordinarily from 1 April in any one year to 31 March of the following year; |
| "Taste Our Best" | VisitScotland’s food and drink scheme is branded under the name ‘’Taste Our Best’’. Hereinafter, referred to as the Taste Our Best Scheme; |
| ''Final Taste Our Best Scheme Year'' | the period from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025, being the year following the notification that the Taste Our Best Scheme is closing; |
| "VisitScotland'' | an Executive Non Departmental Government Body (including any subsidiaries thereof), established under the Development of Tourism Act 1969 as amended under the Tourist Boards (Scotland) Act 2006, and having its principal office at Waverley Court, 4 East Market Street, Edinburgh EH8 8BG. |
2. The Schedule of Conditions applies for the period of participation within the Taste Our Best Scheme, from the date of VisitScotland’s receipt of application and payment throughout the Scheme Year, the granting of any award that may be given until such time as:
i. the Operator voluntarily withdraws from participation in the Taste Our Best Scheme;
ii. the Taste Our Best award given ceases to have effect in accordance with the terms hereof; or
iii. VisitScotland ends the Taste Our Best Scheme.
VisitScotland reserves the right to modify this Schedule of Conditions at any time at its absolute discretion.
3.(a) The Taste Our Best award shall apply to the Operator in respect of the Establishment for the period from the date of receipt by the Operator of the award confirmation letter or e-mail from VisitScotland until the earlier of:
i. the date on which the Operator ceases to participate in the Taste Our Best; or
ii. the Taste Our Best award ceases to have effect in accordance with the terms hereof, which period is hereinafter referred to as “the relevant period”.
(b) VisitScotland may, from time to time, during the relevant period, revise the Taste Our Best award to be applicable to the Operator in respect of the Establishment. The said revised Taste Our Best award shall be the one in force and applicable to the Operator from the date of notification from VisitScotland confirming the said revised Taste Our Best award until the earlier of:
i. the date of receipt by the Operator of a letter or email from VisitScotland further revising the Taste Our Best award; or
ii. the occurrence of one of the events referred to on sub-paragraphs (i) or (ii) of paragraph (3a) of this clause.
(c) All references in this Schedule of Conditions to the “Taste Our Best award’’ shall, unless the context requires otherwise, be taken as references to the Taste Our Best award given by VisitScotland to the Operator in respect of the Establishment as revised by VisitScotland, from time to time, in accordance with the provisions of this clause.
4.(a) Initial participation in the Taste Our Best Scheme is from the date of VisitScotland’s receipt of the Operator’s application until the end of that Scheme Year, thereafter participation is renewed annually by the Operator’s payment of the annual fee as prescribed by VisitScotland and will continue until the end of the Final Taste Our Best Scheme Year.
(b) The annual fee is payable in advance, and within 30 days of invoice date. Any annual fees which remain unpaid after this time will be passed to VisitScotland’s credit control team. The fee contributes towards the continued use of the Taste Our Best award by the Operator. The fee also covers scheme administration, promotion of the Taste Our Best Scheme and award, data management and Taste Our Best visits at the discretion of VisitScotland. A Taste Our Best visit may take place in advance of VisitScotland’s receipt of payment of the invoice by the Operator.
(c) The annual participation fee is payable regardless of whether or not a Taste Our Best visit has taken place, and it will be non-refundable under any circumstances after the end of June.
5. The Taste Our Best award may be subject to such terms and conditions as VisitScotland sees fit and, in the event that the Taste Our Best award given to the Operator in respect of the Establishment is subject to terms and conditions, the Operator shall comply with them in full in the operation of the Establishment. The level of any Taste Our Best Award granted is at VisitScotland’s sole discretion.
6. The Operator agrees, as part of the Taste Our Best Scheme, that VisitScotland may at any time conduct spot checks to verify the provenance of Scottish produce on menus in use by the Operator. Failure to participate in a spot check or failure to verify Scottish sourcing at the required level, as pre-determined by VisitScotland, will result in withdrawal of the Taste Our Best award, and removal of the Operator from the Taste our Best Scheme.
7. The Operator shall be entitled to display the window sticker, and any other promotional material provided by VisitScotland in respect of the Taste Our Best award only for the duration of the relevant period and subject to the other conditions of this Schedule.
8. VisitScotland may, from time to time, or in its absolute discretion, alter, amend, replace or vary the criteria and/or method by which the Taste Our Best award is established, and any reference herein to the “Taste Our Best criteria” shall be taken as being a reference to the said criteria and/or method by which the Taste Our Best assessment of the Establishment is made.
9. The Operator shall be entitled to refer to, or advertise, the Taste Our Best award given only for the duration of the relevant period.
10. The Operator shall, for the duration of the relevant period, be bound to maintain the Establishment, or where applicable ensures that a third party operator maintains the Establishment, so as to continuously comply with the Taste Our Best criteria.
11. The Taste Our Best award, brown tourist signage, and any promotional items acquired by the Operator may not be assigned by the Operator by any means whatsoever.
12. The Operator shall immediately inform VisitScotland of any proposals to sell, lease or otherwise dispose of the Establishment.
13. As there is no annual fee due for the Final Taste Our Best Scheme Year, no refunds will be payable during the Final Taste Our Best Scheme Year.
14. The Operator shall inform any person to whom they intend to sell, lease or otherwise dispose of the Establishment as aforesaid prior to such sale, lease or disposal, that any Taste Our Best award given by VisitScotland in respect of the Establishment shall cease to apply immediately upon the transfer of the Establishment by the Operator whether by sale, lease or otherwise to the said person.
15. Without prejudice to Condition 3 hereof, the Taste Our Best award given will cease to apply with immediate effect in the event that during the relevant period any of the following occur:
i. the Operator sells, leases or otherwise disposes of the Establishment or the business associated therewith;
ii. the Operator fails to comply with the relevant Taste Our Best Scheme criteria for the Establishment;
iii. any information, including information available on the visitscotland.com website, given to VisitScotland by or on behalf of the Operator and whether or not in connection with the application for Taste Our Best or during any visit to the Establishment, is found to be false or misleading, or where it is found that there has been a failure to disclose any material fact that would have had a bearing on VisitScotland’s award;
iv. the Operator displays or allows to be displayed at the Establishment, or refers or allows reference to be made in any form whatsoever, to a Taste Our Best award differing from that which has been awarded by VisitScotland to the Operator in respect of the relevant period; and/or
v. VisitScotland ends the Taste Our Best Scheme.
16. The Operator shall be bound at the end of the relevant period or on the earlier cessation of the Taste Our Best award given in terms of any of the conditions of this Schedule, forthwith to remove from the Establishment all promotional material pertaining to the Taste Our Best award provided by VisitScotland and any other advertisement pertaining thereto and any promotional items acquired by the Operator. The Operator shall also delete or cause to be deleted any reference to the Taste Our Best award whether then in force or otherwise, which appears anywhere in the Establishment or in any advertising or business material pertaining thereto.
17. The Operator shall indemnify VisitScotland against all claims for compensation including any expenses arising from or in respect of such claims arising out of or in connection with the failure by the Operator to maintain the Establishment in accordance with the Taste Our Best criteria upon which the award to the Operator was based during the relevant period.
18. VisitScotland reserves the right to withdraw any Operator from the Taste our Best Scheme where:
i. it has received three or more written complaints within one Scheme Year/12 month period;
ii. the business has failed to achieve an award;
iii. where access to the Establishment by VisitScotland for the purposes of the Taste Our Best assessment visit has been refused or denied by the Operator on more than two occasions and, in the sole opinion of VisitScotland, such refusal or denial of access is being used to frustrate the efforts of VisitScotland to grade the Establishment;
iv. there has been a breach by the Operator of any of these conditions; or
v. the Operator fails to pay the annual fee within the specified period of the award.
19.
i. VisitScotland reserves the right to end the Taste Our Best Scheme at any time on giving notice to Operators. Where VisitScotland ends the Taste Our Best Scheme, the Scheme Year following notification of such closure shall be the Final Taste Our Best Scheme Year. No fee shall be payable for continued participation in the Taste Our Best Scheme during the Final Taste Our Best Scheme Year. Operators shall maintain the Taste our Best award awarded at their last grading until the Taste Our Best Scheme ends, unless they choose to withdraw from the Taste Our Best Scheme. VisitScotland will not conduct Taste Our Best visits which would have otherwise been scheduled to be carried out within the Final Taste Our Best Scheme Year. VisitScotland may at its discretion perform Taste Our Best visits where such visits are overdue from a previous Scheme Year due to the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic.
ii. When the Taste Our Best Scheme comes to an end following the Final Taste Our Best Scheme Year, Operators will be responsible for removing from the Establishment all promotional material pertaining to the Taste Our Best award provided by VisitScotland and any other advertisement pertaining thereto at their own expense within such reasonable time frame to be indicated by VisitScotland on closure of the Taste Our Best Scheme and Quality Assurance Scheme.
For the avoidance of doubt, the relevant period will end at the end of the Final Quality Assurance Scheme Year.