Terms & Conditions

1. Who we are

CookDoor (“CookDoor”, “we”, “us”) operates an online marketplace that lets customers discover and book independent chefs and cooks for cooking at the customer’s home or other agreed kitchen, and lets chefs offer those services. Legal name, GSTIN, and registered office of the operating entity will appear on GST invoices and can be requested at legal@cookdoor.in.

CookDoor is a technology platform. Except where we say otherwise in writing, chefs are independent service providers, not employees, agents, or joint-venture partners of CookDoor.

2. Agreement and eligibility

By using CookDoor you agree to these Terms, our Privacy Policy, and our Refund Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the platform.

• You must be at least 18 years old and able to enter a contract under Indian law.
• You must give true name, phone, email, and address details.
• One person should keep one primary account unless we allow otherwise.
• If you use CookDoor for a business or event, you confirm you are authorised to bind that organisation.

3. Accounts and security

You are responsible for your password, OTP, and device. Tell us at once if you suspect misuse. We may suspend or close accounts for fraud, abuse, chargebacks, fake KYC, or repeated no-shows. We may refuse service where required by law or risk policy.

4. The marketplace (not a restaurant)

CookDoor does not itself cook meals as a restaurant on your premises. We display chefs, availability, menus, prices, and reviews so you can contract for a home cooking visit. Food is prepared in your kitchen (or another place you name) using equipment and, unless you choose chef-sourced ingredients, supplies you provide.

Taste, hygiene at your premises, appliance condition, and guest dietary needs are shared responsibilities. You must disclose allergies, religious or medical diet rules, and kitchen hazards before the chef arrives.

5. Bookings

• A booking is an offer from you to hire the selected chef for the date, time, hours, guest count, location, and menu you confirm.
• The booking becomes a confirmed order when payment is successful (Razorpay, wallet, or another method we enable) and we show confirmed status.
• You must allow safe, lawful access to the kitchen (entry, parking notes, building rules). You remain responsible for the premises, guests, and minors on site.
• Hours start at the booked start time unless we agree a change in the app or with support.
• We may reassign a verified chef if the original chef cannot attend. If we cannot fulfil the slot, our Refund Policy applies.

6. Fees, GST, and payments

Prices shown at checkout (chef time, menu, add-ons, platform fee, chef-sourced ingredients where listed) are payable in Indian rupees. For a chef booking you pay 40% of the chef booking amount now to confirm the slot. The remaining amount is payable after the job is done. GST and invoice break-up appear on the GST invoice in your account where applicable.

Card, UPI, netbanking, and similar methods are processed by Razorpay or another licensed payment partner. We do not store full card numbers. A payment is complete only after the gateway confirms success and our systems verify it. Dummy or test keys never move real money.

Wallet credit on CookDoor is a prepaid facility on the platform, not a bank deposit. It has no cash interest. Unused wallet balances follow our Refund Policy and applicable prepaid instrument rules.

You authorise us to share necessary booking and payer details with the payment partner to complete the transaction, prevent fraud, and issue invoices.

7. Cancellations, no-shows, and refunds

Cancellation windows and fees are in the Refund Policy. A customer no-show after the chef has travelled or started prep may be treated as a completed or partially completed booking. Chargebacks opened in bad faith may lead to account suspension and recovery of gateway costs.

8. Customers — conduct

• Do not harass, discriminate against, or endanger chefs or our staff.
• Do not ask chefs to break food-safety, alcohol, or labour laws.
• Do not record the chef without consent where the law requires consent.
• Pay only through CookDoor for platform bookings. Off-platform cash deals for CookDoor-introduced jobs may lead to removal from the platform.

9. Chefs and partners — extra terms

If you register as a chef you also agree that:

• You are an independent professional. You are responsible for your own taxes, PF/ESI if applicable, insurance, and FSSAI or local licences where required for your activity.
• You will complete KYC (identity, address, and documents we reasonably request) before going live. We may use vendors for verification. Providing false documents is grounds for immediate termination and reporting to authorities.
• You will honour confirmed jobs, arrive on time, cook hygienically, and treat the customer’s home and data as confidential.
• You are solely responsible for the cooking you perform, including recipes, food safety, hygiene, allergens you are told about, timing at the stove, and any mistake, spoilage, injury, or property damage you cause at the kitchen. CookDoor is a booking platform. It does not cook the meal and does not accept that responsibility in your place.
• You will not solicit CookDoor customers to bypass the platform for jobs first arranged on CookDoor, during the booking and for a reasonable period after, except as allowed in a written partner addendum.
• Payouts are made per our chef payout schedule after successful jobs, minus agreed commissions, chargebacks, and adjustments.
• You grant CookDoor a licence to show your name, photo, bio, and menu on the platform for marketing the marketplace.

10. Reviews and content

You grant CookDoor a worldwide, royalty-free licence to use reviews, photos, and other content you post, to operate and promote the service. Do not post illegal, defamatory, or infringing content. We may remove content and reviews that break these Terms.

11. Intellectual property

CookDoor’s name, logo, software, and site design are owned by us or our licensors. You may not copy, scrape, reverse engineer, or frame the platform except as allowed by law.

12. Disclaimers

CookDoor is a technology marketplace. Except where we say otherwise in writing, chefs are independent service providers. CookDoor does not employ the chef, does not operate your kitchen, and does not prepare the food. If a chef makes a mistake in cooking, hygiene, timing, or conduct, that chef is responsible for that work. CookDoor may help with reassignment, refunds under the Refund Policy, or removing a chef from the platform. Those steps do not make CookDoor the cook or the chef’s employer.

The platform is provided on an “as available” basis. We do not warrant that a particular chef will match a professional kitchen’s output, that your appliances will work, or that no allergen will ever be present. To the fullest extent permitted by Indian law, CookDoor is not liable for indirect, special, or consequential loss, loss of profit, or loss of data, and is not liable for the chef’s independent cooking or conduct at your premises.

Nothing in these Terms limits liability for fraud, wilful misconduct, or any liability that cannot be limited under the Consumer Protection Act, 2019 or other mandatory law.

Our total liability for a booking is limited to the amount you paid CookDoor for that booking, except where the law requires a higher minimum.

13. Indemnity

You will indemnify CookDoor, its directors, and staff against claims, losses, and costs arising from your breach of these Terms, your premises or guests, false information, or your misuse of the platform, to the extent permitted by law.

14. Intermediary status

For third-party chef listings and user content, CookDoor acts as an intermediary under the Information Technology Act, 2000 and the Information Technology (Intermediary Guidelines and Digital Media Ethics Code) Rules, 2021, as applicable. We may remove unlawful content when we gain actual knowledge in the manner those Rules require.

15. Changes

We may update these Terms. The “Last updated” date will change. Continued use after the update means you accept the new Terms, except where the law requires fresh consent.

16. Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of India. Courts at Mumbai, Maharashtra, India have exclusive jurisdiction, subject to any mandatory consumer-court venue that applies to you as a consumer.

Before filing a case, please write to our grievance officer so we can try to resolve the issue.

17. Grievance officer

For complaints about the platform, content, or these Terms:

• Email: grievance@cookdoor.in
• Copy: legal@cookdoor.in and in-app Support

We aim to acknowledge grievances within 24 hours and resolve them as required under applicable IT / consumer rules (typically within 15 days where those timelines apply).

18. Contact

Support: in-app tickets or Help centre. Legal notices: legal@cookdoor.in.