Terms of Use

Chow helps buyers find food offered by independent home cooks and arrange local cash pickup. Chow does not collect the meal price online. The cook prepares the food, describes the listing, sets the price and pickup window, and receives cash directly from the buyer at collection.

The Local Dishes guide is editorial information, not a list of food currently available to reserve.

Anyone may browse public listings, but a buyer account is required to make a new reservation. Keep account details accurate and protect your sign-in credentials. A cook must complete Chow's seller verification and receive approval before posting live listings.

Chow may limit a seller's ability to post when the account is not approved or is deactivated for an overdue platform fee. A buyer with two eligible No-shows cannot place new reservations, but can still view existing pickups and submit one appeal per No-show order within 48 hours. An appeal does not automatically restore reservations. This does not permanently ban the account.

Cooks must keep dish descriptions, main ingredients, portions, price, pickup time and location accurate. They should disclose relevant ingredients and handle food safely. Buyers with allergies should check the listing and ask the cook before reserving if anything is unclear.

Sending a reservation request does not mean it has been accepted. Wait for the cook's acceptance before travelling. Listings stop accepting new reservations when their pickup window ends and expire no later than 48 hours after creation. A later pickup window for remaining portions does not change an existing order's pickup time.

The buyer collects at the listed pickup location and pays the cook in cash. The cook should confirm handover only after collection and cash payment. Chow records a platform fee for a completed order using the fee rate captured for that order. The current rate is shown in the seller account and may change for future reservations.

An accepted order that is not marked No-show or confirmed by the cook is recorded as completed 30 minutes after its pickup window ends. Automatic completion does not prove that a handover or payment took place. The buyer or cook can ask Chow to review an incorrect outcome. See the Cancellations and No-shows policy for the timing and dispute path.

Completed-order fees are grouped by Monday–Sunday weeks. Sellers are asked to pay each week's fee by the following Wednesday at 23:59, with a four-day grace period ending Sunday at 23:59, Windhoek time. The seller account shows the amount due and where to upload payment proof. A positive unpaid balance after the grace period automatically pauses new listings and reservations. Proof submitted before suspension pauses that action while under review; proof submitted after suspension does not restore access by itself. Selling resumes after payment approval or a balance correction, if no other overdue fee remains. Existing orders and support remain available, and a separate manual admin suspension is not removed by settling a fee.

Use the order chat for the relevant pickup, not for spam or unrelated contact. Buyers can report a disputed order outcome from Your Pickups; anyone can email Chow for general help through Contact Us. An admin review may correct an order or fee, but sending a report does not automatically change either one.

Read the Privacy Policy for how account, order and support information is handled. These terms do not remove any consumer rights that applicable law provides.