Terms of Service

Effective Date: July 1, 2026 Last Updated: July 1, 2026

These Terms of Service ("Terms") are a legal agreement between you and The Chef Day ("The Chef Day," "we," "us," or "our") governing your access to and use of the The Chef Day mobile application and website (together, the "Service"). By creating an account, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

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1. The Service

The Chef Day is an online marketplace that connects individuals seeking private chef services ("Users") with independent chefs who offer cooking services ("Chefs"). We are not a party to any agreement between a User and a Chef for the provision of chef services — we provide the platform that enables discovery, booking, communication, and payment.

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2. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old and able to form a binding contract to use the Service. By registering, you represent that all information you provide is accurate and that you meet these requirements.

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3. Accounts

• You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your login credentials and for all activity under your account.
• You must provide accurate, current information and keep it up to date.
• The Service supports two account types — User and Chef — each with different features and obligations, described throughout these Terms.
• We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms, provide false information, or engage in fraudulent or abusive conduct, as described in Section 17.

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4. Chef Verification

To appear in search and accept bookings, a Chef must:

1. Complete their profile (photo, location, cuisines, experience, pricing);
2. Upload a valid government-issued photo ID, a culinary training certificate, and an identity verification selfie, all of which are reviewed and must be approved by our team (the selfie is reviewed against the government-issued ID to confirm the Chef's identity);
3. Maintain an active subscription plan (see Section 8);
4. Complete payout setup (see Section 11).

We reserve the right to reject, request re-submission of, or revoke approval of any Chef document at our discretion, and to remove a Chef from search results at any time if we believe the Chef no longer meets our standards or if a subscription lapses.

Chef verification confirms identity and stated credentials — it is not a guarantee, warranty, or certification of the quality, safety, or legality of any Chef's services, and Users are encouraged to exercise their own judgment when selecting a Chef.

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5. Bookings

• Users submit booking requests specifying the date, service type, and other event details; a Chef may accept, decline, or the request may expire per the Service's booking rules.
• Users are responsible for the accuracy of the information provided in a booking request, including dietary requirements and any other information necessary for the Chef to perform the service safely.
• The Chef Day does not publish a fixed, automatic cancellation-fee schedule. If a Chef fails to arrive, or arrives significantly late, for a confirmed booking on which the advance payment has already been made, the User should contact our support team (support@thechefday.com) to request a refund. Refund requests of this kind are reviewed and issued at The Chef Day's discretion on a case-by-case basis.
• When a Chef marks that they have arrived, the User may be asked to confirm that the person who arrived matches the Chef they booked. This confirmation is a tool to help Users check identity at the door; it is not a guarantee by The Chef Day that the person present is the booked Chef. If a User reports that the person who arrived is not the Chef they booked, the booking is paused and the matter is reviewed by our support team, and any refund is handled through the discretionary, case-by-case process described above.

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6. Payments

• Bookings are paid in two parts: an advance payment at the time of booking and a final payment for the remaining balance, both processed securely through Stripe (and, where applicable, PayPal for a Chef's payout preference).
• We do not store full payment card numbers; card processing is handled entirely by Stripe.
• Advance payments are collected by The Chef Day, not paid directly to the Chef. The Chef is paid out only after the final payment is made and the booking is marked complete (see Section 11). This is what allows The Chef Day to issue a refund of the advance payment through support in situations such as a Chef not showing up for a confirmed booking (see Section 5).
• Platform fee. The Chef Day retains a commission of 5% of the total booking amount; the remaining 95% is paid out to the Chef.
• Outside of the no-show/support-reviewed refund process described in Section 5, The Chef Day does not offer a general self-service refund or cancellation flow within the app.

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7. Reviews

Users may leave a rating and written review after a completed booking. Reviews must be honest, based on an actual experience, and must not contain unlawful, defamatory, or abusive content. We reserve the right to remove reviews that violate this section.

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8. Chef Subscriptions

Chefs may subscribe to a recurring plan (e.g., monthly, quarterly, half-yearly, or yearly) purchased on our website, which is required to remain visible in User search results and to accept new bookings. Subscription terms, pricing, and renewal are as presented at the time of purchase. Purchasing a new plan while another is active replaces the prior plan; we do not prorate or refund the unused portion of a replaced plan.

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9. Chef Independent Contractor Status

Chefs are independent contractors, not employees, agents, joint venturers, or partners of The Chef Day. Chefs are solely responsible for:

• The manner, means, and quality of the chef services they provide;
• Compliance with all applicable food safety, health, licensing, and insurance requirements in their jurisdiction;
• Their own tax obligations, including reporting income earned through the Service.

Nothing in these Terms creates an employment relationship between The Chef Day and any Chef.

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10. Food Quality, Safety & Ingredients

The Chef Day is a booking and payment platform only. We do not prepare, handle, inspect, sell, or guarantee any food, ingredients, or meals provided by a Chef. All food preparation, ingredient sourcing, and food safety practices are the sole responsibility of the individual Chef — whether the Chef brings ingredients themselves, sources them at the User's home, or otherwise.

Specifically:

• Chefs are solely responsible for the quality, freshness, safety, and legality of any food or ingredients they use or bring to a booking, and for complying with all applicable food safety, handling, and licensing laws in their jurisdiction.
• The Chef Day does not test, taste, inspect, or otherwise verify any food prepared through the Service, and makes no representation about its taste, quality, nutritional content, or fitness for consumption.
• Users are responsible for clearly communicating any allergies, intolerances, or dietary restrictions to the Chef in advance of a booking (see Section 5). The Chef Day is not responsible for allergic reactions, foodborne illness, or any other harm arising from food prepared or provided by a Chef, whether or not dietary information was communicated in advance.
• Dissatisfaction with the taste, presentation, or quality of a meal is a matter between the User and the Chef. While reviews (Section 7) and our support team can help address concerns, The Chef Day does not guarantee refunds for subjective dissatisfaction with food quality.

When confirming a booking, Users are asked to actively acknowledge that The Chef Day does not prepare, inspect, or guarantee the food and that the User is responsible for communicating any allergies or dietary restrictions to their Chef. This acknowledgment is recorded with each booking.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, The Chef Day disclaims all liability arising from the food, ingredients, or meals provided by any Chef through the Service.

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11. Payouts

Chefs choose to receive payouts either directly to a bank account (via Stripe Connect) or via PayPal. The Chef is responsible for keeping their chosen payout method accurate and up to date; The Chef Day is not responsible for payouts misdirected due to inaccurate payout information provided by the Chef.

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12. Location Services

The Service uses location data to power nearby-chef search and, during an active confirmed booking, live location sharing between the User and Chef so each party can track arrival. You can disable location access in your device settings, but certain features will not function without it.

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13. Communications

The Service includes in-app messaging between Users and Chefs and push notifications related to bookings, payments, and account activity. You consent to receive these communications as part of using the Service; push notifications can be disabled in your device settings.

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14. Prohibited Conduct

You agree not to:

• Provide false, misleading, or fraudulent information (including identity or credential documents);
• Circumvent the Service to arrange payment or booking outside the platform;
• Harass, threaten, or discriminate against other Users or Chefs;
• Use the Service for any unlawful purpose;
• Attempt to interfere with, disrupt, or gain unauthorized access to the Service or its systems.

Reporting and moderation. We have zero tolerance for objectionable content and abusive behavior. Within the app you can report objectionable content or another user, and block a user so they can no longer contact you. We review reports and may, at our discretion and without prior notice, remove content and warn, suspend, or permanently remove any user who posts objectionable content, harasses or threatens others, attempts to defraud, or otherwise violates these Terms (see Section 17). Reported content or accounts may be restricted or removed while we review them.

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15. Disclaimers & Limitation of Liability

THE SERVICE IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE." TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE CHEF DAY DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, AND NON-INFRINGEMENT. WE DO NOT GUARANTEE THE QUALITY, SAFETY, TASTE, OR LEGALITY OF ANY CHEF SERVICES, FOOD, OR INGREDIENTS PROVIDED THROUGH THE SERVICE (SEE SECTION 10).

TO THE MAXIMUM EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, THE CHEF DAY'S TOTAL LIABILITY ARISING OUT OF OR RELATING TO THESE TERMS OR THE SERVICE WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE AMOUNT YOU PAID TO THE CHEF DAY (I.E., PLATFORM FEES, NOT THE FULL BOOKING AMOUNT PAID TO A CHEF) IN THE 12 MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM, OR (B) $100. IN NO EVENT WILL THE CHEF DAY BE LIABLE FOR INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, OR CONSEQUENTIAL DAMAGES.

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16. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless The Chef Day, its officers, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, or expenses (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from your use of the Service, your violation of these Terms, or (for Chefs) the chef services or food you provide.

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17. Termination

We may suspend or terminate your access to the Service at any time, with or without notice, for conduct that violates these Terms or is otherwise harmful to other users, us, or third parties. You may delete your account at any time through the app. Sections of these Terms that by their nature should survive termination (e.g., payment obligations already incurred, limitation of liability, dispute resolution) will survive.

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18. Dispute Resolution; Arbitration; Governing Law

Governing law. These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles.

18.1 Agreement to Arbitrate. You and The Chef Day agree that any dispute, claim, or controversy arising out of or relating to these Terms or the Service (a "Dispute") will be resolved by binding individual arbitration, and not in court, except as stated below.

18.2 Informal Resolution First. Before starting arbitration, you agree to contact us at info@thechefday.com and allow 60 days to resolve the Dispute informally. Many concerns can be resolved this way.

18.3 Arbitration Forum and Rules. The arbitration will be administered by the American Arbitration Association (AAA) under its Consumer Arbitration Rules then in effect, before a single arbitrator. The arbitration may be conducted in the county or region where you reside, and the arbitrator's award will be final and binding.

18.4 Class Action Waiver. You and The Chef Day agree that each may bring claims against the other only in an individual capacity, and not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class, collective, or representative action. The arbitrator may not consolidate more than one person's claims and may not preside over any class or representative proceeding.

18.5 Jury Trial Waiver. You and The Chef Day waive any right to a jury trial for any Dispute subject to arbitration.

18.6 Right to Opt Out. You may opt out of this arbitration agreement and class-action waiver by sending written notice to info@thechefday.com within 30 days of first accepting these Terms. Opting out will not affect any other part of these Terms.

18.7 Exceptions. Either party may still bring an individual claim in small-claims court, and either party may seek injunctive relief in court to protect intellectual property or to address unauthorized access to the Service.

18.8 Severability. If the class-action waiver in Section 18.4 is held unenforceable as to a particular claim, that claim will proceed in court while the rest of this Section 18 remains in effect.

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19. Changes to These Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. If we make material changes, we will notify you through the app and/or update the "Last Updated" date above. Continued use of the Service after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

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20. Contact Us

The Chef Day Sacramento, California, USA Email: info@thechefday.com