Terms of Service

These Terms of Service (“Terms”) form a binding agreement between you and Livora Limited (“Livora”, “we”, “us”) governing your use of our websites and services, including the Cook4Me chef marketplace (“Cook4Me” or the “Platform”).

By creating an account or using the Platform you accept these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Platform.

1. Who we are and what we do

Livora Limited is a company registered in England & Wales, registered office: 20 Wenlock Road, London N1 7GU.

Cook4Me is an agent marketplacethat connects independent African chefs (“Chefs”) with customers (“Customers”) wanting authentic home-cooked African cuisine. We facilitate matching, communication, payment escrow, and dispute resolution. Chefs are independent self-employed contractors, not employees of Livora.

2. Eligibility and account registration

• You must be 18 or older and legally able to enter contracts.
• You must provide accurate registration information and keep it up to date.
• You are responsible for keeping your password secure and for all activity under your account.
• One account per person; multiple accounts may be suspended.

3. Customer terms

• You may search the Platform, message Chefs, and make bookings.
• Booking prices include the Chef's food price, a 5% Service Fee payable to Livora, and any delivery fee.
• Payment is taken in full at booking and held in escrow. Payment is released to the Chef when you confirm delivery, or automatically 48 hours after the scheduled delivery time if you do not respond.
• You agree to be present at the booked address for delivery and to provide accurate dietary, allergy, and access information.
• Refunds are governed by our Refund & Cancellation Policy.

4. Chef terms

If you register as a Chef, you additionally agree that:

• You are self-employed and solely responsible for your own taxes, National Insurance, insurance, and compliance with food-safety law.
• You must hold and maintain valid documentation appropriate to your operating type — government ID, proof of address, Level 2 Food Hygiene certificate, public liability insurance, council food business registration, and (for commercial kitchen operators) a kitchen agreement and DBS check where relevant.
• Livora collects a 10% Commission on the food price of each completed booking. Service Fees and delivery margins are retained by Livora.
• Payouts are processed after the customer confirms delivery. Standard processing is 1–3 business days from release.
• You must accurately declare allergens for every menu item. Menu items without declared allergens cannot be sold to customers.
• You must communicate with customers only through the Platform. Off-platform contact attempts (sharing phone numbers, social media, payment details) are prohibited and detected automatically; repeated breaches result in suspension.
• You must respond to booking requests within 24 hours and notify the customer immediately of any cancellation, with as much notice as possible.
• Livora may suspend or remove your account for serious breaches, customer complaints upheld after investigation, expired compliance documents, or repeated cancellations.

5. Fees and payments

• Service Fee: 5% of food price, charged to the Customer at booking.
• Commission: 10% of food price, deducted from the Chef's payout.
• Delivery: charged to the Customer; the difference between the delivery fee charged and the actual courier cost is retained by Livora as “delivery margin”.
• VAT: where applicable, VAT is charged on Livora's revenue (commission, service fee, delivery margin), not on the full booking value.
• All amounts are in pounds sterling (GBP) unless explicitly stated otherwise. Cross-border bookings may carry currency conversion at the rate Stripe applies on the day.

6. Acceptable use

You agree not to:

• Use the Platform for any unlawful purpose or in breach of these Terms.
• Harass, threaten, or discriminate against any user.
• Post false, misleading, defamatory, or infringing content.
• Circumvent the Platform to take bookings, payments, or communications off-platform.
• Attempt to access another user's account, scrape Platform data at scale, or interfere with Platform infrastructure.

7. Reviews

Customers may leave a star rating and written review after a Completed booking. Reviews must be honest, factual, and free of personal attacks or unlawful content. Livora may hide reviews that breach these Terms — the underlying booking record is retained even when a review is hidden.

8. Suspension and termination

We may suspend or terminate your account if you breach these Terms, fail to maintain required documents (Chefs), or pose a safety risk to other users. We will tell you why, unless we are legally prevented from doing so. You may close your account at any time from your account settings; outstanding bookings, payouts, and disputes must first be resolved.

9. Liability

Cook4Me is a marketplace; the cooking service is provided by independent Chefs. Livora is not responsible for the quality, safety, or legality of meals prepared by Chefs, beyond our role in vetting compliance documents. Chefs are responsible for their own food safety, allergen accuracy, and insurance.

To the maximum extent permitted by law, Livora's aggregate liability to any user is limited to the total fees paid to Livora by that user in the 12 months preceding the claim. Nothing in these Terms excludes liability for death or personal injury caused by negligence, fraud, or any other liability that cannot be excluded by law.

10. Intellectual property

Livora owns the Platform's software, branding, and content. You retain ownership of content you upload (photos, menu descriptions, reviews) but grant Livora a worldwide, royalty-free licence to use that content as needed to operate and promote the Platform.

11. Changes to the Platform and these Terms

We may change the Platform and these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be notified by email at least 14 days before they take effect. Continued use after the effective date means you accept the new Terms.

12. Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. The courts of England and Wales have exclusive jurisdiction over any disputes, except where mandatory consumer protection laws give you the right to bring a claim in your country of residence.

13. Contact

Questions about these Terms? Email contactus@livoralimited.com.