Cancellations and No-shows

A reservation request is not a confirmed pickup until the cook accepts it. The cook may decline it. If the cook does not respond by the earlier of one hour after the request or the end of the pickup window, Chow closes the unanswered request automatically. No cash is charged through Chow.

Watch the order status in Your Pickups. Do not travel to collect food while the request still needs acceptance.

Chow does not currently provide a self-service cancellation button for an accepted order. If you cannot collect, message the cook through the order chat as soon as possible. A chat message does not itself cancel the order or guarantee that a prepared meal can be reassigned.

If the cook cannot fulfil an accepted pickup, the parties should use the order chat and Contact Chow so the outcome can be reviewed. Do not mark a handover that did not happen.

After the pickup window ends, the cook may mark an accepted order as No-show for the next 30 minutes if the buyer did not collect it. A No-show does not count as a completed sale or create a seller fee. Two eligible No-shows on a buyer account block new reservations; existing pickups and support remain available. If a No-show is incorrect, the buyer can submit one appeal for that order within 48 hours of the No-show. An appeal does not automatically remove the No-show or restore reservations.

If the cook takes neither action, Chow automatically records the accepted order as completed 30 minutes after the pickup window ends. This is an accounting rule, not proof that food was collected or cash was paid. The recorded seller fee can be corrected after review.

If an order is wrongly marked No-show or completed, open that order in Your Pickups and submit an order report. Chow can review the report and correct the order and related fee where appropriate. Chow cannot verify a cash handover from the website alone. General questions can go through Contact Us.

Buyers pay cooks directly in cash at pickup; Chow does not take an online payment for the meal or issue an automatic online refund. If you have already paid and have a problem, contact the cook and report it to Chow. Nothing here removes rights you may have under applicable law.