PlateSend
BrowseSign In

Terms of Service

Effective Date: May 7, 2026 · Last Updated: May 7, 2026

PLEASE READ CAREFULLY. These Terms of Service ("Terms") constitute a binding legal agreement between you and TAMD LLC, a California limited liability company doing business as PlateSend ("PlateSend," "we," "us," or "our"). By creating an account, placing an order, or otherwise using PlateSend, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the platform.

1. About PlateSend

PlateSend is an online marketplace that connects customers ("Customers," "Eaters," "you") with independent home cooks who hold valid Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operation ("MEHKO") permits issued by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health ("Cooks"). PlateSend is registered with the California Department of Public Health as an Internet Food Service Intermediary ("IFSI").

PlateSend is not a restaurant, food vendor, caterer, ghost kitchen, or food preparation entity. PlateSend does not prepare, package, deliver, store, or handle food. PlateSend's role is limited to operating the technology platform that connects Customers and Cooks, processing payments, and providing related communication tools.

The legal sale of food occurs directly between the Cook and the Customer. Cooks are independent operators, not employees, agents, or representatives of PlateSend.

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old and have legal capacity to enter into binding contracts to use PlateSend. By using PlateSend, you represent and warrant that you meet these requirements.

You must provide accurate, current, and complete information when registering an account, including a valid phone number and physical address in the service area. You are responsible for maintaining the confidentiality of your account credentials and for all activity under your account.

3. The Platform

3.1 Customer Accounts

Customers may browse Cook profiles, place orders, communicate with Cooks regarding their orders, leave reviews after delivery, and manage their order history.

3.2 Cook Accounts

Cooks must apply through PlateSend's onboarding process and provide:

  • A valid MEHKO permit number issued by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health
  • Verifiable contact information including a real-name profile and operating address
  • Stripe Connect account information for receiving payouts
  • Truthful representations regarding food allergens, ingredients, and preparation environment

PlateSend reserves the right to approve, reject, suspend, or terminate any Cook account at its sole discretion, including for reasons related to permit status, customer complaints, repeated late or canceled orders, or any conduct that PlateSend reasonably believes may harm Customers, other Cooks, or the platform.

3.3 Permit Verification

PlateSend makes commercially reasonable efforts to verify that Cooks hold valid MEHKO permits at the time of approval. PlateSend does not warrant or guarantee the ongoing validity of any Cook's permit, the accuracy of permit information provided by Cooks, or the safety, quality, or condition of any food prepared by Cooks. Customers are encouraged to review Cook profiles, including permit numbers, before placing orders. Permit complaints may be directed to the LA County Department of Public Health.

4. Orders and Payments

4.1 Placing Orders

When a Customer places an order, the Customer makes a binding offer to purchase food directly from the Cook at the displayed price plus applicable fees. The Cook may accept or decline the order at their discretion. Once accepted, the Cook is obligated to prepare the food per their listing.

4.2 Pricing and Fees

The total amount charged to a Customer at checkout includes:

  • The Cook's stated price for the meal(s)
  • A platform service fee paid by the Customer (currently 5% of subtotal)
  • Optional gratuity selected by the Customer (paid in full to the Cook)
  • Applicable taxes, if any

PlateSend retains a commission from the Cook's portion (currently 10% of the subtotal during regular operation, and 0% during the beta launch period). The Cook receives the remainder of the subtotal plus 100% of any gratuity. Fees are subject to change with notice.

4.3 Payment Processing

All payments are processed by Stripe, Inc. and Stripe Connect. By placing an order, you agree to Stripe's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy. PlateSend does not store full payment card information on its servers.

4.4 Cancellations and Refunds

PlateSend maintains a separate Refunds & Customer Issues Policy that governs cancellations, quality complaints, allergy/safety incidents, and dispute resolution. The current version is incorporated into these Terms by reference.

Key points (subject to the full policy):

  • Customer cancellation before cook acceptance: full refund.
  • Customer cancellation after acceptance, before cooking starts: full refund; cook receives a $5 credit from the platform (not deducted from any party).
  • Customer cancellation mid-cook or after pickup: no refund except for legitimate quality or safety issues.
  • Quality complaints: reviewed case-by-case by PlateSend admin within 48 hours; refunds over $20 require cook consultation; per cook per calendar quarter, the 1st refund is absorbed by the platform, the 2nd is split 50/50 with the cook, and the 3rd+ is borne by the cook — with admin discretion to override in either direction.
  • Allergy or food safety incidents: full refund issued, mandatory follow-up call between admin and cook, potential reporting to LA County Department of Public Health.

Refund decisions made by PlateSend are final unless required otherwise by law. Customers should report quality complaints within 24 hours of delivery and safety incidents immediately.

5. Pickup and Delivery

PlateSend supports two fulfillment methods, configurable per Cook:

  • Pickup: Customer travels to the Cook's address (revealed after order acceptance) to retrieve the food.
  • Cook self-delivery: The Cook personally delivers the food. PlateSend does not employ, contract, or otherwise manage delivery couriers. Per California MEHKO regulations, third-party delivery is prohibited.

PlateSend is not responsible for missed pickups, late deliveries, lost orders, or any incident occurring during transport.

6. Food Safety, Allergens, and Health

6.1 Cook Responsibility

Cooks are solely responsible for the safety, ingredient accuracy, allergen disclosure, and quality of all food they prepare and deliver. Cooks are independently regulated by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health under their MEHKO permits.

6.2 Customer Responsibility

It is the Customer's responsibility to disclose any food allergies, intolerances, or dietary restrictions in the special instructions field on each order, and to confirm allergen safety directly with the Cook before consuming food. PlateSend does not warrant that any food is free of any specific allergen, ingredient, or contaminant.

If you have a severe food allergy, you accept all risks associated with consuming food prepared in a private home kitchen and acknowledge that cross-contamination is possible.

6.3 Reporting Food Safety Concerns

You may report food safety concerns directly to:

7. User Conduct

You agree not to:

  • Use PlateSend for any unlawful purpose or in violation of any applicable law or regulation
  • Impersonate any person or entity or misrepresent your identity, permit status, or affiliation
  • Post false reviews, manipulate ratings, or coordinate to harm any Cook or Customer
  • Harass, threaten, or abuse other users, Cooks, or PlateSend personnel
  • Attempt to bypass the platform to transact directly with Cooks for the purpose of avoiding fees
  • Scrape, copy, or republish any portion of PlateSend's content, listings, or user data
  • Introduce malware, attempt to gain unauthorized access, or interfere with the platform's operation
  • Use PlateSend to facilitate the sale of any prohibited substances, including alcohol (which MEHKO permits do not authorize), cannabis, tobacco, or unregulated supplements

Violation of these terms may result in account suspension, termination, refund forfeiture, and referral to law enforcement.

8. Reviews and User Content

8.1 Posting Reviews

Customers may submit reviews and ratings of Cooks after a delivered order. By submitting a review, you grant PlateSend a perpetual, royalty-free, worldwide license to use, display, modify, and distribute the review on the platform and in marketing materials.

8.2 Standards

Reviews must be honest, based on personal experience, and may not contain hate speech, threats, personal information about the Cook beyond what is publicly displayed on the platform, or content unrelated to the order. PlateSend reserves the right to remove any review at its discretion, particularly reviews that appear to be retaliatory, fake, or part of coordinated activity.

8.3 Cook Content

Cooks grant PlateSend a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to display their business names, bios, photos, meal descriptions, and other listing content on the platform and in promotional materials related to PlateSend.

9. Intellectual Property

The PlateSend name, logo, branding, software, design, and platform are the property of TAMD LLC. You may not copy, modify, distribute, or create derivative works without prior written permission. Nothing in these Terms grants you any license to PlateSend's trademarks or copyrighted material.

10. SMS Notifications

By providing a phone number and placing an order, you consent to receive SMS messages from PlateSend related to your order status, delivery, and account. Message and data rates may apply. You may opt out by replying STOP to any message; doing so may impair our ability to notify you of important order updates.

PlateSend does not send marketing SMS without separate, explicit opt-in consent.

11. Disclaimers

THE PLATESEND PLATFORM AND ALL FOOD ORDERED THROUGH IT ARE PROVIDED ON AN "AS IS" AND "AS AVAILABLE" BASIS. TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, PLATESEND DISCLAIMS ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, NON-INFRINGEMENT, AND ANY WARRANTIES ARISING OUT OF COURSE OF DEALING OR USAGE OF TRADE.

PlateSend does not warrant:

  • That the platform will be uninterrupted, secure, or error-free
  • That food prepared by Cooks will be free of allergens, contaminants, or safety hazards
  • That Cooks' MEHKO permits remain valid at all times
  • That delivery times, prices, or availability will be as estimated
  • The accuracy of any Cook-provided content, including ingredient lists or allergen information

12. Limitation of Liability

TO THE FULLEST EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW, PLATESEND, ITS OFFICERS, MEMBERS, EMPLOYEES, AND AGENTS WILL NOT BE LIABLE FOR ANY INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR PUNITIVE DAMAGES, INCLUDING LOST PROFITS, LOST DATA, OR PERSONAL INJURY, ARISING OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH YOUR USE OF THE PLATFORM OR ANY FOOD ORDERED THROUGH IT, REGARDLESS OF THE LEGAL THEORY UNDER WHICH SUCH DAMAGES ARE SOUGHT.

PLATESEND'S TOTAL CUMULATIVE LIABILITY TO YOU FOR ALL CLAIMS ARISING FROM OR RELATED TO THE PLATFORM OR THESE TERMS WILL NOT EXCEED THE GREATER OF (A) THE TOTAL AMOUNT YOU PAID TO PLATESEND IN THE 12 MONTHS PRECEDING THE CLAIM, OR (B) ONE HUNDRED DOLLARS ($100).

Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion or limitation of certain damages. In such jurisdictions, the limitations above apply only to the fullest extent permitted by law.

13. Indemnification

You agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless TAMD LLC, its officers, members, employees, and agents from any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, and expenses (including attorneys' fees) arising from:

  • Your use of the platform
  • Your violation of these Terms
  • Your violation of any third-party right, including any intellectual property, privacy, or food safety regulation
  • Any food you prepare or sell on the platform (if you are a Cook)
  • Any content you submit, including reviews

14. Dispute Resolution

14.1 Informal Resolution

Before filing any formal dispute, you agree to first contact PlateSend at platesend@gmail.com and attempt in good faith to resolve the matter informally for at least 30 days.

14.2 Governing Law

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

14.3 Venue

Any unresolved dispute will be brought exclusively in the state or federal courts located in Los Angeles County, California. You consent to personal jurisdiction in those courts.

14.4 No Class Actions

You agree to bring any dispute against PlateSend only on an individual basis, not as part of any class, consolidated, or representative action.

15. Termination

PlateSend may suspend or terminate your account at any time, with or without notice, for any reason, including violation of these Terms. You may delete your account at any time by contacting platesend@gmail.com. Termination does not affect any obligations that, by their nature, survive termination, including payment obligations, indemnification, disclaimers, and limitation of liability.

16. Modifications to These Terms

PlateSend may modify these Terms at any time by posting the updated version on the platform with a new "Last Updated" date. Material changes will be communicated via email or platform notification. Continued use of the platform after the effective date constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms. If you do not agree to the modifications, you must stop using the platform.

17. Miscellaneous

  • Entire Agreement: These Terms, together with the Privacy Policy and Refunds Policy, constitute the entire agreement between you and PlateSend regarding the platform.
  • Severability: If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions remain in effect.
  • No Waiver: Failure to enforce any provision is not a waiver of future enforcement.
  • Assignment: You may not assign these Terms. PlateSend may assign these Terms in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.
  • Force Majeure: PlateSend is not liable for failure to perform due to causes beyond its reasonable control.
  • Notices: Legal notices must be sent to platesend@gmail.com with a copy by certified mail to the registered agent of TAMD LLC.

18. Contact

TAMD LLC d/b/a PlateSend

Email: platesend@gmail.com

Subject line for legal/ToS matters: "Legal Notice — PlateSend"