Frequently Asked Questions

What is Sauce?

Sauce is a restaurant discovery and table reservation platform operating in Pakistan. You can use Sauce to find restaurants, reserve a table, and earn rewards on the money you spend when dining out.

Sauce is operated by Lionize (Private) Limited, a company incorporated in Pakistan.

Is Sauce a food delivery service?

No. Sauce does not deliver food and does not sell food. We are a reservation and discovery platform for dining in at restaurants.

Does Sauce own the restaurants listed on the Platform?

No. All restaurants listed on Sauce are independent businesses owned and operated by third parties. We refer to them as Restaurant Partners. Sauce does not prepare food, does not employ restaurant staff, and does not set menu prices or opening hours.

Which cities does Sauce operate in?

Sauce is currently launching in Islamabad. We will announce additional cities on the Platform and through our social media channels as they become available.

Do I need an account to make a reservation?

Yes. You will need to register for a Sauce account in order to make a reservation. Registration requires your name, mobile number, email address and a password.

Is there a charge for creating an account?

No. Creating a Sauce account is free. Membership, which is a separate optional paid subscription, is described in section 7 below.

What is the minimum age to use Sauce?

You must be at least 18 years of age to hold a Sauce account and make reservations.

How do I delete my account?

You may delete your account through the Platform or by contacting us at team@lionize-ai.com. Please note that deleting your account will forfeit any unused points and will cancel any active Membership. Any confirmed reservations are not automatically cancelled and should be cancelled separately.

How do I make a reservation?

Select a restaurant on the Platform, choose your date, time and party size, add any occasion or dietary requirements, and confirm. You will be shown the applicable reservation deposit before you confirm. Your reservation is confirmed once you receive confirmation in the app.

How far in advance can I book?

This varies by restaurant. Availability shown on the Platform reflects the tables a Restaurant Partner has made available to Sauce and may change at any time.

Can I book for a large group?

Yes, subject to availability at the relevant restaurant. Larger parties attract a higher reservation deposit, calculated per person and subject to a cap per table. The exact amount is shown before you confirm.

Can I request a specific table or seating area?

You may record a seating preference, for example indoor or outdoor, and we will pass it to the restaurant. Seating preferences are requests and cannot be guaranteed. Final seating decisions rest with the Restaurant Partner.

Can I add a note for the restaurant?

Yes. You may add a note when booking, for example an occasion or a special request. We pass this to the restaurant. The restaurant will use reasonable efforts to accommodate it but is not obliged to do so.

Why do I have to pay a deposit to book a table?

The deposit secures your table and guarantees that it is held for you. It protects the restaurant against empty tables caused by guests who book and do not attend, which is why partner restaurants are able to hold a table for you for a full 30 minutes.

The deposit is your own money and goes toward your own bill. It is not a fee charged by Sauce.

How much is the deposit?

The deposit is calculated per person and depends on the restaurant category. Fine dining restaurants attract a deposit of PKR 1,000 per person, capped at PKR 5,000 per table. Other restaurants attract PKR 500 per person, capped at PKR 3,500 per table. The exact amount for your booking is shown before you confirm.

What happens to my deposit when I arrive?

Your deposit is applied toward your bill at the restaurant. In some bookings the deposit is instead refunded to you and you settle the full bill at the restaurant. Which applies is disclosed to you when you book.

Some bookings show a hold on my card instead of a deposit. What is that?

For certain bookings we place a pre-authorisation hold on your card rather than taking a payment. A hold reserves credit on your card but does not charge it. When you attend, the hold is released and nothing is charged. If you do not attend, the hold may be charged in line with our no-show policy.

Do I get my deposit back if I attend?

Yes, in effect. It either comes off your bill at the table or is refunded to you. Either way you are not out of pocket for attending your reservation.

How do I cancel a reservation?

You may cancel through the Platform at any time. Please cancel through the app rather than only telephoning the restaurant, so that the cancellation is properly recorded.

Will I get my deposit back if I cancel?

If you cancel two hours or more before your reservation time, your deposit is refunded in full and any card hold is released. If you cancel less than two hours before, the deposit is forfeited.

What happens if I do not turn up?

Your table is held for 30 minutes past your booking time. If you have not arrived and have not notified the restaurant through the app within that window, the restaurant may release the table and your deposit is forfeited.

I am running late. What should I do?

Notify the restaurant through the app as soon as you can. Your table is held for 30 minutes and letting the restaurant know helps them hold it for you. If you arrive after 30 minutes and a table happens to be free, the restaurant may still seat you at its discretion.

Can I change the date, time or party size of my booking?

Yes, through the Platform, subject to availability and up to two hours before your reservation time. Your existing deposit carries over. If your party size increases you may need to pay an additional deposit. If it decreases, the difference is refunded.

The restaurant cancelled my booking. What happens?

Your deposit and any booking fee are refunded in full and any card hold is released. We will notify you as soon as we are informed.

How long does a refund take?

Sauce initiates refunds within two business days of the refund becoming payable. Your bank or card issuer then typically takes five to seven business days to process it, and up to 30 days for internationally issued cards. Card holds are released immediately by us but may take up to seven business days to disappear from your statement.

How is a refund paid to me?

Refunds are always credited to the same payment method used for the original payment. We do not issue refunds in cash or to any third party account.

Where can I read the full refund rules?

Our Refund and Exchange Policy is published on the Platform and sets out every case in full.

How do I check in when I arrive?

Check in through the app when you arrive, and the restaurant confirms your arrival on their end. Once both sides confirm, your booking is locked as attended and your deposit is applied to your bill.

How do I pay my bill?

You pay your bill directly to the restaurant using whatever payment method the restaurant accepts. Sauce does not process or collect your restaurant bill. Your deposit is deducted from the bill at the table.

I have a food allergy. Does Sauce tell the restaurant?

You may record allergies on your profile or with a booking and we pass this to the restaurant so the kitchen and your host are aware before you sit.

This is a convenience and not a guarantee. If you have an allergy you must tell the restaurant directly, before you order, on every visit. Sauce cannot verify that the information was received, read or acted upon, and has no control over ingredients, preparation or cross-contamination at a restaurant.

The menu or price on Sauce was different from the restaurant. Why?

Menus and prices are supplied by the restaurant or compiled from public sources and change without notice. The restaurant’s own menu and prices always take precedence over anything shown on the Platform.

How do rewards work?

You earn points on qualifying reservations and can unlock savings as you move through membership tiers. Points have no cash value, cannot be transferred or sold, and are forfeited if your account is closed or suspended.

What is Sauce Membership?

Membership is an optional paid monthly subscription that unlocks additional rewards, access to limited-time table offers, creator campaign offers and priority booking. Details and the current price are shown on the Platform.

How do I cancel my Membership?

You may cancel at any time through the Platform. Your Membership continues until the end of the month you have already paid for and then does not renew. Membership fees are not refunded on a part-month basis.

What is a Flash Table?

A Flash Table is a limited-time offer from a restaurant that wants to give its diners a great deal. These are exclusive to Sauce members and are available in limited numbers on a first-come basis.

Can I use a bank card discount and a Sauce reward on the same booking?

No. Offers cannot be combined. If you choose to use a discount offered by your bank, Sauce rewards will not apply to that same booking. You will be shown which applies when you book.

The bank discount was less than I expected. Can Sauce help?

Bank discounts are provided by the bank and the restaurant, not by Sauce. Their eligibility rules, discount caps and availability are set entirely by the bank and the restaurant. We display them for your convenience but cannot vary or guarantee them.

What payment methods can I use?

The payment methods available are shown at checkout on the Platform and may include debit and credit cards, mobile wallets and instant bank transfer. We may add or remove payment methods from time to time.

Does Sauce store my card details?

No. Sauce does not store your full card number. Card details are captured and held by our licensed third party payment service provider. We hold only the last four digits and the card type so that you can recognise your own card.

Is my payment secure?

Payments are processed by a licensed payment service provider using industry standard encryption. Data is encrypted in transit and at rest, and internal access is restricted on a need-to-know basis.

I do not recognise a charge from Sauce on my statement.

Please contact us at team@lionize-ai.com before raising a dispute with your bank. Most such queries relate to a reservation deposit or a Membership renewal and are resolved quickly.

Who can see my personal information?

The restaurant you have booked is given your first name and last initial, party size, occasion, any dietary requirements, and your history at that restaurant. A restaurant does not see your contact details. Full details are in our Privacy Policy.

How can my restaurant join Sauce?

Please contact us through the Platform. Partner restaurants are onboarded under a written partnership agreement and must hold a valid National Tax Number.

What does it cost a restaurant to be on Sauce?

Commercial terms are agreed individually with each Restaurant Partner under a written partnership agreement.

Do restaurants get access to Sauce diner data?

A restaurant sees information relating to its own guests only. Sauce does not provide its diner database to any restaurant. Where a restaurant runs a promotional campaign, Sauce delivers the campaign within the Platform and the restaurant receives only aggregate results, never contact details.

How do creators work with Sauce?

Creators are engaged under a written agreement and are paid on results, namely diners who book through their code and attend, and members they introduce. Creators do not receive any information identifying individual diners.

I had a bad experience at a restaurant. What should I do?

Please raise it with the restaurant first, as they are best placed to resolve it and are responsible for the food and the service.

Please also tell us through the Platform. We record complaints against partner restaurants and raise them with the owner. A restaurant that repeatedly falls short may be removed from the Platform.

Will Sauce refund my meal if the food or service was poor?

No. Sauce does not collect your restaurant bill and cannot refund it. Restaurants are solely responsible for the quality of their food and service. Any refund of your bill is a matter for the restaurant.

Sauce may, at its discretion and without admission of liability, issue points or a goodwill credit in respect of a poor experience.

Something went wrong with the app or my booking failed.

Please contact us at team@lionize-ai.com with your booking reference and we will investigate. Where the fault is ours we will put it right, including refunding any amount incorrectly charged.

How do I contact Sauce?

Via email at team@lionize-ai.com or through the Sauce app. We aim to acknowledge queries within ten business days.