Terms of Service

You must be at least 18 years old and able to form a binding contract to use Chezly. The service is currently offered only in the Chicago, Illinois metropolitan area. By using Chezly, you represent that you meet these requirements.

Chezly is a marketplace and technology platform that helps customers find and book independent chefs, and helps chefs find work. Chezly is not a restaurant, a catering company, or a food-service provider. We do not cook, prepare, or deliver food.

Chefs on Chezly are independent. They are not employees, agents, or partners of Chezly. Chezly does not control and is not responsible for the cooking, conduct, or performance of any chef, and does not control the conduct of any customer. Any agreement to provide cooking services is directly between the customer and the chef. Chezly facilitates introductions, scheduling, and payment, but is not a party to the service itself.

You must provide accurate, current information when you create an account and keep it updated. You are responsible for safeguarding your login credentials and for all activity under your account. Notify us promptly of any unauthorized use. We may suspend or terminate accounts that violate these Terms.

Customers book a chef and a menu by selecting a service, date, time, and options. Prices, including the base service price and any add-ons such as a chef-shopping add-on or distance fee, are shown before checkout. Payments are processed through secure checkout. Chezly charges a platform fee, and the remainder is paid out to the chef.

For recurring bookings, you authorize Chezly to charge your payment method on the cadence you select until you cancel. You can manage or cancel subscriptions in your account.

Ingredients. Unless you select the optional chef-shopping add-on, you are responsible for providing the ingredients for your booking. If you select chef shopping, you agree to reimburse the documented cost of groceries in addition to the add-on fee.

Our cancellation policy is based on how far in advance you cancel, measured from the scheduled start time:

• More than 24 hours before: full refund.
• Between 4 and 24 hours before: 50% refund.
• Less than 4 hours before, or no-show: no automatic refund.

If a chef cancels or declines a confirmed booking, you receive a full refund. The applicable policy is shown at the time of booking. Refunds are processed securely to your original payment method.

Chezly's protections, including payment processing, refund handling, and trust-and-safety measures, apply only to bookings made and paid for through the platform. You agree not to use Chezly to find a chef or customer and then arrange or pay for services outside the platform to avoid fees. Soliciting or accepting off-platform bookings or payments with someone you met through Chezly is a violation of these Terms and may result in suspension or termination of your account and forfeiture of pending payouts or credits. To protect this, in-platform messaging may flag or restrict the exchange of contact and payment information.

If you provide services as a chef, you agree that you:

• Are an independent provider, responsible for your own taxes, insurance, and compliance with applicable laws;
• Will provide accurate verification information, including identity and food-safety credentials;
• Will follow safe food-handling practices and applicable health and safety laws when cooking;
• Will complete bookings you accept, communicate professionally, and treat customers and their homes with respect; and
• Will not misrepresent your experience, credentials, or identity.

If you book a chef, you agree to:

• Provide a safe, lawful, and reasonably equipped kitchen and environment for the chef to work in;
• Provide accurate address, access, dietary, and allergy information;
• Treat the chef professionally and respectfully; and
• Be responsible for disclosing any food allergies or dietary restrictions in advance.

We take reasonable steps to review chefs, which may include identity checks and review of food-safety certifications. However, we do not guarantee the conduct, skill, or safety of any user, and our review is not a warranty. You are responsible for exercising your own judgment and care when interacting with other users. Report any safety concern using the reporting tools or by contacting us.

You may submit reviews, messages, photos, and other content. You are responsible for your content and must not post anything unlawful, false, infringing, harassing, or otherwise objectionable. You grant Chezly a non-exclusive, royalty-free license to use, display, and distribute the content you submit for the purpose of operating and promoting the service. We may remove content that violates these Terms.

You agree not to:

• Violate any law or these Terms;
• Misrepresent your identity or affiliation;
• Interfere with, abuse, or attempt to circumvent the security, payment, or rate-limiting systems of the platform;
• Harass, threaten, or harm other users;
• Use the service to facilitate off-platform transactions; or
• Scrape, copy, or misuse platform data.

Chezly is provided "as is" and "as available," without warranties of any kind, whether express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. We do not warrant that the service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure, or that any chef or customer will meet your expectations. Because chefs are independent and we do not prepare food, we make no warranty regarding the food prepared through the platform.

To the fullest extent permitted by law, Chezly and its operators will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, special, consequential, or punitive damages, or for lost profits, data, or goodwill, arising from or related to your use of the service. To the fullest extent permitted by law, our total liability for any claim arising out of or relating to the service will not exceed the greater of the amount you paid to Chezly in the three months before the event giving rise to the claim, or USD $100.

You agree to indemnify and hold harmless Chezly and its operators from any claims, damages, losses, liabilities, and expenses, including reasonable legal fees, arising out of your use of the service, your content, your interactions with other users, or your violation of these Terms or applicable law.

You may stop using Chezly at any time. We may suspend or terminate your access if you violate these Terms or if we discontinue the service. Provisions that by their nature should survive termination, such as payment obligations, disclaimers, limitation of liability, and indemnification, will survive.

These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of Illinois, without regard to its conflict-of-laws rules, and you agree that disputes will be resolved in the state or federal courts located in Cook County, Illinois, unless otherwise required by applicable law.

We may update these Terms from time to time. When we do, we will revise the "Last updated" date above. Your continued use of Chezly after changes take effect constitutes acceptance of the revised Terms.

Questions about these Terms? Contact us at hello@chezly.co.