COOK AGREEMENT
Version: draft-v2 · Effective Date: not yet effective
This Cook Agreement (“Agreement”) governs your participation as a Cook on the PlatedUp marketplace, operated by PlatedUp LLC. It is a separate document from PlatedUp's Customer Terms of Service.
By accepting this Agreement, you agree to its terms. If you do not agree, do not apply to become a Cook or accept bookings through the Platform.
1.Parties and Relationship
1.1This Agreement is between PlatedUp LLC and the individual (“Cook”) applying to accept bookings through the PlatedUp marketplace.
1.2No Employment Relationship. Cooks are independent contractors, not employees, agents, or representatives of PlatedUp.
1.3No Partnership, Joint Venture, or Agency. Nothing in this Agreement creates a partnership, joint venture, or agency relationship, except where applicable law requires a specific legal characterization for a specific purpose (e.g., certain payment-processing or tax-reporting rules), which does not change the Cook's overall independent-contractor status.
1.4No Exclusivity. Cooks are not required to work exclusively for PlatedUp and may provide cooking or other services to other businesses or platforms.
1.5The independent-contractor classification described above reflects PlatedUp's intended relationship with Cooks.
2.Cook Eligibility and Onboarding
2.1Eligibility. To apply as a Cook, you must be at least 18 years old, legally capable of entering into this Agreement, and otherwise meet PlatedUp's eligibility requirements to apply.
2.2Application. Applying does not guarantee acceptance.
2.3Onboarding Sequence. Basic application → PlatedUp preliminary review → completion of setup Tasks (identity verification, background check, Food Safety Certificate, payout setup) → Final Review → Final Approve. Completing every Task does not itself activate a Cook.
2.4Active ≠ Bookable. Active marketplace status is not automatically “Bookable” — bookability separately depends on payout readiness, an eligible/current profile, set availability, and account standing (no active Review Hold, suspension, or restriction).
3.Background Screening
3.1Screening Provider. Identity Verification and background screening are performed through Checkr, a third-party screening provider.
3.2No Safety Guarantee. A completed check does not itself mean a Cook is approved, and screening does not guarantee a Cook's safety, honesty, or suitability for a specific booking; PlatedUp makes the final marketplace-eligibility decision.
3.3FCRA — Separate Process. This Agreement does not itself constitute the required FCRA disclosure/authorization. Any required background-check disclosure and authorization must be presented to the Cook as a separate process or document, apart from this Agreement, before the relevant background-check report is procured. The implementation and exact wording of that separate process remain subject to counsel review and to PlatedUp's Checkr/FCRA implementation.
4.Food Safety Certificate
Maintaining a PlatedUp-accepted Food Safety/Food Handler certification is a platform requirement for activation and continued marketplace access — a platform requirement, not a representation that it is independently mandated by Texas law for this activity.
5.Cook-Service Economics
5.1Customer-Facing Rate. The Customer Cook-service rate is $25.00/hour.
5.2Minimum Cook-Service Charge. Cook Services are subject to a minimum Cook-service charge of $25.00 per applicable Booking. This $25.00 minimum is the minimum Customer-facing Cook-service charge for a Booking — it is not a guarantee that a Cook personally receives $25.00 for that Booking. The Cook receives the applicable 80% share of eligible Cook-service charges described in Section 5.3, subject to this Agreement.
5.3Cook Share. 80% of the Cook-service charge.
5.4PlatedUp Platform Commission. 20% of the Cook-service charge.
5.5Worked Example. At the standard rate, and equally at the $25.00 minimum Cook-service charge described in Section 5.2: $25 charged → $20 to the Cook, $5 platform commission, before the Cook's own taxes.
5.6No Guaranteed Take-Home. Neither the $25/hour Customer-facing rate nor the $25.00 minimum Cook-service charge is a representation of guaranteed Cook take-home pay, wages, salary, or guaranteed hourly employment compensation; actual Cook earnings are the 80% share described in Section 5.3.
6.Grocery Pickup Compensation
6.1Fee and Recipient. Where a Customer selects Cook pickup of a prepaid grocery order: $10 fee, 100% to the Cook, $0 retained by PlatedUp; the 20% commission does not apply to this fee.
6.2When Earned. The fee is earned upon the Cook's successful collection of the order — not before. If pickup is canceled, not performed, or blocked by a retailer/provider failure before successful collection, the fee is not owed for that instance.
6.3Partial Availability. Partial item unavailability at pickup does not reduce the fee if the Cook still completes the pickup.
6.4No Personal Funds. Cooks are not expected to front grocery funds or shop independently — pickup means collecting an order the Customer already selected and prepaid.
7.Tips
Cooks receive 100% of tips; PlatedUp deducts no share. Tips cannot be required as a condition of accepting or completing a booking and do not affect matching priority.
8.Background-Check Fee and Reimbursement
8.1Identity Verification is paid by PlatedUp.
8.2The separate criminal background-check fee is $29.99, paid by the Cook.
8.3PlatedUp reimburses the full $29.99 after 7 qualifying completed bookings — no partial reimbursement before that threshold.
8.4Not a Deposit. This fee is not a refundable deposit; it is a fee PlatedUp reimburses once the Cook reaches the qualifying-booking threshold, per the criteria published in the Help Center.
9.Payouts
9.1Payout Method. Cooks connect a bank account through PlatedUp's payout provider, Stripe Connect. Cook-service earnings, grocery pickup earnings, and tips are paid out to that connected account.
9.2Payout Timing. PlatedUp uses a weekly standard payout schedule for Cooks. The pay period runs Monday 12:00 AM through Sunday 11:59 PM, America/Chicago time. Only eligible earnings from a booking that has reached completed status, and that otherwise satisfies PlatedUp's payout eligibility requirements, are included in a given pay period's payout. PlatedUp initiates the standard payout for a pay period's eligible earnings on the following Wednesday. Wednesday is the date PlatedUp initiates the payout, not a guaranteed date of arrival in the Cook's bank account; actual availability can depend on Stripe or other payment-processor processing, the Cook's bank or financial institution, weekends, bank holidays, account verification, incomplete or incorrect payout information, compliance or review requirements, and other payment-processing conditions outside PlatedUp's reasonable control. PlatedUp does not currently offer an instant, same-day, or early-payout option; the weekly schedule described in this Section 9.2 is the only standard payout method at this time.
9.3Failed Payouts. A failed payout does not mean a Cook forfeits otherwise-eligible earnings. If a standard payout fails — for example, because of incorrect or outdated bank information, a closed account, an account-verification issue, a payment-processor failure, or a rejection by the Cook's financial institution — the affected earnings remain subject to PlatedUp's payout process rather than being forfeited merely because that transfer attempt failed. Where technically supported, PlatedUp will notify the Cook of a failed payout, and the Cook may be required to review or correct their payout information before the payout can proceed. PlatedUp or its payment processor may retry or resume a failed payout once the underlying issue is resolved; PlatedUp does not promise a specific number of retries or a specific retry interval. A failed payout is not, and must not be treated as, a successful payment.
9.4Chargebacks and Reversals. [Reserved — pending counsel input; see attorney note below.]
10.Booking Acceptance
10.1No Guaranteed Volume. Cooks choose which requests to accept; declining before acceptance is not a reliability issue. PlatedUp does not guarantee any minimum number, frequency, or value of bookings.
10.2Commitment After Acceptance. Once accepted and Confirmed, PlatedUp expects the booking to be honored absent a legitimate cancellation reason (Section 15).
11.Groceries and Service Responsibilities
11.1Customer Groceries. Customers select, arrange, and pay for their own groceries; Cooks do not purchase groceries with personal funds and are not expected to make independent purchasing decisions beyond an already-authorized substitution.
11.2Equipment and Supplies. Cooks use the equipment already in the Customer's kitchen; Cooks are not expected to supply commercial-grade equipment.
11.3Licenses and Permits. Cooks are responsible for complying with applicable law in performing bookings, including obtaining any license, permit, or certification that applicable law actually requires for that activity. Separately, and independently of any legal requirement, PlatedUp currently requires the Food Safety Certificate described in Section 4 as a condition of marketplace participation; that platform requirement exists on its own terms and is not a representation about what applicable law does or does not separately require.
11.4Cook Expenses. Ordinary Cook expenses (transportation, personal equipment) are the Cook's own responsibility as an independent contractor.
12.Food Safety and Illness
12.1Cooks must follow PlatedUp's minimum food-safety practices (safe minimum cooking temperatures, cross-contamination prevention, prompt refrigeration/freezing). A Customer's acceptance of risk does not permit service below PlatedUp's minimum standard.
12.2Cooks may decline to use equipment reasonably believed unsafe, and may decline to continue an activity reasonably believed unsafe; doing so does not necessarily require ending the rest of the booking where it can safely continue.
12.3A Cook must not prepare food while experiencing symptoms of a contagious illness that could make food handling unsafe; an illness-related cancellation is treated as a safety-related, excused cancellation.
12.4Allergen/Dietary Communication. Cooks should take a Customer's disclosed allergies/dietary restrictions into account where reasonably possible; this Agreement does not require or represent a guaranteed medically safe preparation.
13.Customer Property, Access, Minors, and Confidentiality
13.1Customer Property. Cooks must respect Customer property and use only the access/instructions provided for the booked service.
13.2Customer Phone / In-App Chat. Cooks do not receive a Customer's phone number through Cook-facing systems; accepted-booking communication occurs through in-app Chat.
13.3Confidentiality. Cooks must keep Customer personal information (address, access instructions, household details, dietary/medical information) confidential, use it only to perform the booked service, and not retain or reuse it beyond that purpose. This obligation survives termination.
13.4Platform/Customer Data. Cooks may not export, sell, or independently retain Customer data obtained through the Platform outside of what is reasonably necessary to complete a specific booking.
13.5Service Location Access When the Customer Is Away. The Customer is not generally required to be present while Cook Services are performed. Subject to Section 13.6 (Minors at the Service Location), a Cook may perform a booking in an otherwise empty home where the Customer has authorized the Cook's access, has lawful authority to provide that access, has given the Cook the access information reasonably necessary to enter and leave, and has provided instructions sufficient for the agreed Cook Services. A Cook may contact the Customer through approved Platform communication channels if reasonable clarification is needed. PlatedUp does not guarantee that every booking can be completed without the Customer present; if the access or instructions provided are insufficient to safely or reasonably perform the booking, the Cook may contact PlatedUp Support rather than proceed.
13.6Minors at the Service Location. If any person under 18 remains at the service location while Cook Services are being performed, the Customer must ensure that the Customer, or another responsible adult who is at least 18 and is not the Cook, remains present for the entire period the minor remains there. A Cook does not satisfy this requirement merely by being over 18, and a Cook is not a babysitter, childcare provider, guardian, custodian, or supervisor of minors. A Cook does not accept responsibility for supervising, monitoring, or safeguarding a minor merely by performing Cook Services in the home; the Customer or the responsible adult remains responsible for that supervision, including around ordinary kitchen hazards such as heat, stovetops, ovens, knives, appliances, hot liquids, and food-preparation areas.
13.7Limited Age Verification. A Cook is not required to check identification at every booking. If a Cook reasonably and in good faith doubts whether the Customer or a required responsible adult is at least 18 years old, the Cook may request reasonable proof of age; a valid government-issued photo ID is one example of reasonable proof of age, but is not necessarily the only acceptable method. Where an ID is voluntarily shown for this limited purpose, a Cook may only visually inspect it to the extent reasonably necessary to determine whether the person is at least 18. A Cook must not photograph, screenshot, scan, photocopy, upload, retain, or otherwise copy the ID, and must not transcribe the date of birth, document number, address, or other information from it, and must not send an image of it through PlatedUp Chat or any other channel.
13.8Right to Decline, Pause, or Discontinue. If the responsible-adult requirement in Section 13.6 is not satisfied, or if a legitimate age concern exists and the required responsible adult cannot or declines to reasonably demonstrate that they are at least 18, a Cook may decline to begin, pause, or discontinue Cook Services, move to a safe stopping point where appropriate, and contact PlatedUp Support. A Cook is not required to continue performing a booking while effectively serving as the only adult present with a minor.
14.Conduct
14.1No harassment, threats, discrimination, theft, intentional property damage, dangerous conduct, or service while unfit.
14.2Circumvention. No soliciting a Customer to book or pay outside the Platform to avoid PlatedUp's commission.
14.3Account Sharing / Fraud. A Cook account may not be shared with another individual; no fraudulent booking, review, or payout activity.
14.4A booking is for cooking-related services only — not childcare, elder care, medical care, or pet-sitting, unless PlatedUp separately and explicitly offers such a service.
15.Cancellations, Lateness and Reliability
15.1Reliability review considers avoidable cancellations after acceptance, repeated significant lateness, and no-shows — not the number of requests declined before acceptance.
15.2Legitimate health/safety cancellations are handled separately and are not penalized. There is no fixed “three-strikes” rule and no monetary reliability fine disclosed at this time.
16.Reviews, Reports and Account Review
16.1Customer reports and reviews are considered as part of PlatedUp's marketplace-trust review; a report alone is not proof of wrongdoing.
16.2Review Hold. For a credible serious safety concern, PlatedUp may place a precautionary Review Hold on new bookings pending review — not itself a finding of fault.
16.3Possible Outcomes. Range from clearing the Cook to removal for serious or repeated verified issues.
16.4Reinstatement / Appeal Path. Cooks generally have an opportunity to respond before serious action and may request review of a decision affecting their account.
17.Intellectual Property and User Content
Cooks retain ownership of content they submit (profile, photos, bio) and grant PlatedUp a license to host, display, and use it to operate the Platform, on terms mirroring the Customer Terms' User Content License section. PlatedUp does not acquire ownership of a Cook's independent business name or personal brand.
18.Taxes
Cooks are independent contractors responsible for their own tax obligations. PlatedUp may provide tax reporting/documentation (e.g., Form 1099) where required by law. This Agreement is not individualized tax advice.
19.Insurance and Liability Allocation
This Agreement makes no representation that PlatedUp or any Cook is currently insured for a specific risk.
20.Indemnification
The Cook agrees to indemnify PlatedUp for claims arising from the Cook's acts or omissions in performing bookings.
21.Dispute Resolution
21.1Agreement to Arbitrate. Disputes between a Cook and PlatedUp arising out of or relating to this Agreement will be resolved through individual binding arbitration rather than in court, subject to the items below.
21.2Arbitration Provider and Rules. Arbitration will be administered by an arbitration provider under its rules then in effect, which may be different from the provider used for Customer disputes given Cooks' contractor status.
21.3Class Action Waiver. Claims must be brought on an individual basis; class, collective, and representative actions are waived to the extent enforceable by law.
21.4Opt-Out. An opt-out window and method apply, mirroring the Customer opt-out approach where appropriate.
21.5Arbitration Fees. Fee allocation between PlatedUp and the Cook will follow the arbitration provider's applicable fee rules once a provider is selected.
21.6Governing Law and Venue. Governing law and venue for a Cook dispute under this Section 21 will be specified separately from the Customer Terms' choice.
22.Termination and Survival
22.1Either party may end the relationship; PlatedUp may suspend or deactivate for safety, fraud, or Agreement violations.
22.2Survival. Confidentiality, IP, indemnification, dispute resolution, and accrued-payment obligations survive termination.
23.Electronic Acceptance
Cooks accept this Agreement separately from the general Terms of Service, through a distinct, affirmative acceptance control presented during Cook onboarding in the PlatedUp app. Viewing this Agreement, visiting PlatedUp's website, browsing PlatedUp's public pages, or completing a recruitment or waitlist form does not itself constitute acceptance of this Agreement — acceptance occurs only when a Cook affirmatively completes that onboarding acceptance control.
24.General Provisions
24.1Assignment. PlatedUp may assign this Agreement in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets.
24.2Severability. If any provision is unenforceable, the remainder stays in effect.
24.3Entire Agreement. This Agreement, together with documents it expressly incorporates, is the entire agreement between the Cook and PlatedUp on this subject.
24.4Notices. Notices may be provided electronically through the Cook's account or registered contact information.
24.5Changes to This Agreement / Re-Acceptance. PlatedUp may update this Agreement; the current version, version identifier, and effective date will be posted, with prior versions archived.
PlatedUp LLC — Support@plated-up.com
