FAQ’s
Orders and Subscriptions
How do I order Bismark’s Bistro?
You can use our website to order.
Bismark’s Bistro Boxes for Dogs are ordered on a subscription basis and subscriptions can be paused or restarted at any time. Select by clicking the ‘add to cart’ button, proceed to checkout, and complete your order by making payment on Payfast.
The Boxes will automatically renew for your convenience and will be delivered every four weeks (28 days).
The additional items such as Biscuits, Soups and Treats can be ordered as single products on a manual basis via Payfast of EFT from our website. These items will not auto-renew.
To change your credit card details, you will need to log into your Payfast account and change it there. We cannot see your credit card details and our website does not have acces to your payment details.
It works out too expensively to order the boxes for all the family dogs, is there a cheaper way to order the boxes for a family with several dogs?
It is more economical to combine the dog weights and to order a combined bigger box to share, then to order separate boxes for every dog. Example: If you have 3 pugs, each weighing 9 kg, it will be more economical to order a 26-27 kg box, than to order 3x 9 kg boxes. The website displays the grams of each bag in a box when you click on the weight buttons.
How does Payfast work?
To set up a profile in Payfast you will need to go to https://www.payfast.co.za/user/register which will allow you to register a free account to buy from Bismark’s Bistro.
For every order placed you will receive an order confirmation, by email, within 24 hours of placing that order with full details of products, prices and delivery details requested on that order.
Please do not hesitate to contact us if confirmation is not received within that time frame. Payments are done via Payfast and you will be redirected to the portal.
To change your credit card details, you will need to log into your Payfast account and change it there. We cannot see your credit card details and our website does not have acces to your payment details.
Do I have to create a profile and order via a subscription plan?
The Boxes are available on a subscription plan and can be paused and restarted at any time. You can do an EFT payment from the website too.
Delivery will be scheduled every 4 weeks for the Boxes. The treats, soups and biscuits are available on single weekly orders. We will contact you via WhatsApp to confirm the time on the morning of delivery. Delivery is usually on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
I would like to order continuously on a monthly basis. Do I still need to place my orders online?
The Boxes are on a subscription basis and will automatically do payment and a new order every 28 days, unless you pause the subscription. Single items such as soups, biscuits or treats need to be placed seperately every month as they do not auto-renew.
Where do you deliver to?
We deliver to homes, hospitals at vets and offices in a 25 km radius around immediate Cape Town Northern and Southern suburbs with our own driver. We also arrange deliveries via a private courier to areas such as the West Coast, Somerset West, Paarl, Stellenbosch, Hermanus and Garden Route. Please contact us via Whatsapp or email if you are not sure whether we can reach you for delivery or if your street code is not registered on our website.
How much does delivery cost?
Delivery to Cape Town’s immediate Northern and Southern suburbs are R75, while a delivery fee from R120 applies to outlying areas such as Paarl, Franschhoek, Stellenbosch and Gordons bay. West coast deliveries are from R230. Special deliveries that fall outside of our regular schedule on Wednesdays and Thursdays with our own courier for immediate Cape Town suburbs are from R200 per delivery.
How often do you deliver?
Delivery is scheduled every 28 days on the Box subscription plan or can be scheduled as soon as you re-order treats, soups or biscuits. Orders for the same week’s delivery closes on Sundays. All deliveries are done on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Orders placed from Mondays will only be delivered the next week. We service the Western Cape areas and surrounds.
What day and time will my order arrive?
Food orders will be delivered between 10 am and 6 pm on the relevant delivery day and you must be available to accept the goods within those times. Delivery with our own friendly driver is on Wednesdays and Thursdays.
If you are not available to receive the products we will contact you and advise you how you can re-arrange delivery.
Whilst we attempt to keep our charges to a minimum, if we are unable to leave the goods through no fault of our own a further standard delivery charge may be levied prior to re-arranging delivery.
My Subscription
Do I need to place an order every four weeks or will my subscription automatically run?
If you do not want to change your order, the system will automatically do payment and resend another order for your dog in 4 weeks’ time.
How do I pause my subscription?
It is very easy. You simply click the pause button on the Order page. Once you want to resume deliveries, you can click again to re-activate your account.
What if I need to cancel my order?
You can cancel your order on your profile page. All orders can be cancelled at any time up until 48 hours prior to the day of dispatch. Failure to cancel an order 48 hours before scheduled delivery time will result in full charges.
Gift Vouchers
Do you offer gift vouchers?
Yes, we can create personalised electronic vouchers, which can be used by the recipient to order our meals online. Email us at bismarksbistro@gmail.com with the amount you would like to gift.
Feeding
How do I transition my dog over to Bismark's Bistro?
Your first box will include a couple of bags or tubs marked clearly as “Transition pack”. Slowly introduce the contents of the transition packs to their existing diet over a couple of days until they are used to the products.
What if my dog cannot chew big chunks of food?
We are able to grind any of the meals for your old dog or puppy to a finer consistency at no additional cost. Just make a note on your order or send us a message.
General
Can I change any ingredients in the meal if my dog has allergies?
Yes, you can let us know what allergies your dog has, and we can exchange the ingredient for something else.
How many portions are in one box for dogs?
Boxes are available with 7, 14 and 28 bags. The products are packed according to your dog’s weight in pre-portioned amounts.
Can I freeze the bags and serve them later?
Bags can be frozen and defrosted naturally to use later on. Do not reheat the bags and do not defrost them in a microwave oven.
Should I return the cooler box?
Please return the box to our driver on your next delivery to help keep our packaging costs low and reduce our carbon footprint.
Should I give my dog any bones?
Bismark’s Bistro does not supply bones as we have witnessed that the cons outweigh the pros on this point. An emergency trip to the vet has confirmed our beliefs. Ground eggshell can be used as a calcium supplement. One large eggshell provides one teaspoon of ground eggshell, which contains 2,000 mg of calcium, so add ½ teaspoon ground eggshell for every 450 grams of food fed.