Terms and Conditions

1. Who we are

YesChef is a food ordering platform that connects customers with food vendors at markets, festivals, and pop-up events across South Africa. The platform is operated by YesChef Holdings (Pty) Ltd, a private company registered in South Africa, trading as YesChef (“YesChef”, “we”, “us”, or “our”).

These Terms and Conditions (“Terms”) govern your use of the YesChef platform, including the customer ordering experience and the vendor portal. By using the platform, you are entering into a legal agreement with YesChef. Please read these Terms carefully before using the platform.

If you have any questions about these Terms, you can contact us at hello@yeschefapp.co.za.

2. Acceptance of these Terms

By using the YesChef platform in any capacity, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms. If you do not agree to these Terms, you may not use the platform.

Age requirement. The YesChef platform is intended for use by persons aged 18 years or older. By using the platform, you confirm that you are at least 18 years of age. If you are under 18, you may not use the platform.

Vendors. If you are registering or operating as a vendor on the platform, these Terms apply to you in addition to the Vendor Agreement you sign with YesChef. In the event of any conflict between these Terms and the Vendor Agreement, the Vendor Agreement prevails.

3. The platform and how it works

YesChef is a mobile-first food ordering platform. It connects three groups: customers who place orders, vendors who fulfil them, and YesChef which operates the platform. No app download is required, the platform runs entirely in your phone’s browser.

How ordering works. Customers scan a QR code at a vendor’s stall, order at a vendor’s self-service kiosk, or navigate directly to the vendor’s menu URL, and browse the vendor’s menu. Orders are placed through the platform and, where the vendor takes payment online, paid for through the platform. Vendors manage and fulfil orders through the YesChef vendor portal.

Accept before pay. A customer is never charged at the point of placing an order. Payment is only taken once the vendor has accepted the order and the customer has completed payment. Declined orders, expired orders, and abandoned carts never result in a charge. The only scenario in which a refund arises is where a vendor cancels an order that has already been paid for.

Orders settled in person. Some vendors take payment in person, at the counter or on their own card machine. Walk-in orders entered by staff, and kiosk orders where the vendor has chosen in-person settlement, are handled this way. In those cases no payment is taken through the platform and the fees in Section 5 do not apply.

YesChef’s role. YesChef provides the platform through which customers and vendors transact. YesChef is not a party to the transaction between a customer and a vendor, does not prepare or supply food, and is not responsible for the quality, accuracy, or fulfilment of any order. The vendor is solely responsible for the food and the fulfilment of every order placed through their stall.

4. Customer orders

Placing an order. To place an order, scan the QR code at a vendor’s stall or navigate to the vendor’s menu URL. Select your items, set any modifiers or variants, and proceed to checkout. At checkout you will be asked for your name, mobile number, and notification preference (WhatsApp or SMS). You may also provide your email address or add a tip at this stage.

Acceptance window. Once placed, your order is sent to the vendor for review. Each vendor sets their own acceptance window; where a vendor has not set one, a platform default of 10 minutes applies. You will not be charged during this time. If the vendor does not respond within their acceptance window, your order will expire automatically and no charge will apply.

Payment window. If the vendor accepts your order and payment is taken online, you will have 5 minutes to complete payment through the platform’s payment facility. If you do not complete payment within this window, your order will expire automatically and no charge will apply.

Confirmed orders. Once payment is completed, your order is confirmed and enters the kitchen queue. You will receive a confirmation notification and a 3-character order code (for example, A73). Keep this code, you will need to show it to the vendor when collecting your order.

Collection. You will be notified via WhatsApp or SMS, your choice at checkout, when your order is ready for collection. Present your order code to the vendor at the stall to collect.

Declined and expired orders. If your order is declined by the vendor, or expires due to timeout at either the acceptance or payment stage, you will be notified on the notification channel you chose at checkout, and by email where you provided an email address. No charge will apply in either case.

Order accuracy. You are responsible for ensuring your order is correct before submitting it. Once an order has been accepted by the vendor, it cannot be amended.

Customer accounts. You can create an optional customer account to access your order history across sessions. You may sign in using your Google or Apple account, or with your mobile number using a one-time PIN sent to you by WhatsApp or SMS. If your mobile number is recognised from a previous order, your order history will be associated with your account automatically. You are not required to create an account to place an order, all core platform functionality is available without one. You are responsible for keeping your account credentials secure. If you believe your account has been compromised, contact us immediately at hello@yeschefapp.co.za.

Promotional codes. YesChef and vendors may, from time to time, make promotional codes available on the platform. Where offered, additional terms specific to that promotion will apply and will be displayed to you before you use the code.

5. Payments

How payments work. Payments for orders placed and paid through the YesChef platform are processed by the payment provider your vendor uses. YesChef does not process payments directly, does not store your card details, and does not have visibility into your payment information. A transaction reference is recorded against your order upon successful payment.

Accepted payment methods. Online payments are processed through Yoco Technologies (Pty) Ltd, SnapScan, iKhokha, or Zapper, depending on which providers your vendor has enabled. The methods available to you are displayed at checkout. Not all payment methods are available at all vendors.

You are not charged on placing an order. Payment is only initiated after the vendor has accepted your order and you have chosen to proceed to payment. Declined, expired, and abandoned orders never result in a charge. See Section 4 for the full order flow.

Failed payments. If your payment attempt fails, you may retry on the same order. A failed payment attempt does not result in a charge.

YesChef Fee. A flat fee of R 8,00 (the “YesChef Fee”) is added to orders that are paid online through the platform, whether you order on your own phone or at a vendor’s self-service kiosk. It is displayed as a separate line item at checkout before you confirm your order.

The YesChef Fee is not charged on orders settled in person, including walk-in orders entered by vendor staff and kiosk orders where the vendor has chosen in-person settlement. Individual vendors may have agreed a different fee arrangement with YesChef, in which case the amount shown at checkout is the amount that applies. YesChef reserves the right to adjust the YesChef Fee from time to time by giving not less than 30 calendar days’ notice. The current applicable fee will always be displayed at checkout before you confirm your order.

SMS notification fee. If you elect to receive an SMS notification when your order is ready for collection, a surcharge is added to your order total. This is R 1,00 for South African mobile numbers and R 2,00 for international mobile numbers, which cost more to reach. The surcharge is displayed at checkout. WhatsApp notifications are free of charge. YesChef reserves the right to adjust these amounts from time to time by giving not less than 30 calendar days’ notice; the current applicable amount will always be displayed at checkout before you confirm your order.

Tips. You may choose to add a tip at checkout, where the vendor has tipping enabled. Tips are voluntary, are added after all other charges, and go directly to the vendor. Tips are non-refundable once an order is confirmed, except where a vendor cancels a paid order, in which case the full tip amount is refunded together with the order total.

6. Refunds and cancellations

When refunds apply. The only scenario in which a refund is issued is where a vendor cancels an order that has already been paid for. In this case, a full refund of your order total, including the YesChef Fee and any tip, is processed automatically via the payment provider used for your order. How long the refund takes to reflect is determined by that payment provider’s own refund timeline. YesChef does not hold or process funds at any point and has no control over this timing.

When refunds do not apply. Declined or expired orders were never charged, see Section 4, so there is nothing to refund. Orders settled in person were not paid through the platform, so any refund on those orders is handled directly by the vendor.

No discretionary refunds. YesChef does not issue refunds at its own discretion. If you have a complaint about your order, for example an item was incorrect or missing, that dispute is between you and the vendor. YesChef is not a party to the transaction and is not in a position to issue refunds on a vendor’s behalf.

Refund failures. In rare cases, an automatic refund may fail to process at the payment provider. Where this happens the order is flagged for manual resolution and YesChef will make reasonable efforts to resolve the matter. You can contact us at hello@yeschefapp.co.za if you believe a refund has not been processed correctly.

7. Vendor accounts and access

Registration. To register as a vendor on the YesChef platform, you must complete the vendor onboarding process and provide all required information as set out in the Vendor Agreement. Registration is subject to approval by YesChef. YesChef reserves the right to reject any vendor application without being required to provide a reason.

Approval. Once your registration is submitted, your account enters a pending state while YesChef reviews your application. You will be notified of the outcome once a decision has been made. Approved vendors are granted access to the vendor portal.

Commercial terms. Your use of the platform as a vendor is governed by the Vendor Agreement signed between you and YesChef, which sets out your commercial obligations including fees, billing, order management, and termination. In the event of any conflict between these Terms and the Vendor Agreement, the Vendor Agreement prevails.

Account security. You are responsible for maintaining the security of your vendor account, including your login credentials. YesChef accepts no liability for losses arising from unauthorised access to your account resulting from your failure to keep your credentials secure. If you believe your account has been compromised, contact us immediately at hello@yeschefapp.co.za.

Staff access. You may add staff members to your account and assign them roles that control their level of access to the vendor portal. You are responsible for all actions taken by staff operating under your account.

Suspension and termination. YesChef reserves the right to suspend or terminate your access to the platform in accordance with the Vendor Agreement. The grounds for immediate suspension or termination are set out in that agreement.

8. Content and conduct

Your responsibilities. All users of the YesChef platform are expected to use it honestly, lawfully, and in a manner that does not harm other users, vendors, or YesChef.

Prohibited conduct. You may not:

• Place fraudulent, false, or malicious orders
• Abuse or manipulate any promotional code or offer made available on the platform
• Impersonate another person or entity
• Use the platform to transmit unlawful, offensive, or harmful content
• Attempt to interfere with or disrupt the platform or its infrastructure
• Use automated tools to access or interact with the platform without YesChef’s prior written consent

Vendor content. Vendors are responsible for the accuracy and legality of all content they publish on the platform, including menu items, descriptions, pricing, and images. Vendor content standards are set out in the Vendor Agreement. YesChef reserves the right to remove any content that violates these standards without prior notice.

Enforcement. YesChef reserves the right to suspend or terminate access to the platform for any user who violates these conduct standards. In serious cases, YesChef may report conduct to the relevant authorities.

9. Intellectual property

YesChef’s intellectual property. The YesChef platform, including its codebase, design, branding, and all related technology, is the exclusive property of YesChef. You are granted a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use the platform solely for the purposes of placing orders or, in the case of vendors, operating your stall in accordance with the Vendor Agreement. This licence terminates immediately if your access to the platform is suspended or terminated.

Vendor content. Vendors retain ownership of all content they publish on the platform, including menu items, descriptions, images, and branding. By publishing content on the platform, vendors grant YesChef a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to use, display, and reproduce that content for the purposes of operating and promoting the platform. YesChef will not sell or transfer vendor content to third parties.

No unlicensed use. You may not copy, reproduce, modify, distribute, or create derivative works from any part of the YesChef platform without prior written consent from YesChef. You may not use YesChef’s trademarks, logos, or branding without prior written consent.

Feedback. Any feedback or suggestions you provide to YesChef about the platform may be used by YesChef without obligation or compensation to you.

10. Limitation of liability

Platform intermediary. YesChef is a platform that connects customers and vendors. YesChef is not a party to the transaction between a customer and a vendor, does not prepare or supply food, and is not responsible for the quality, accuracy, allergens, or fulfilment of any order. All disputes regarding food quality, order accuracy, or fulfilment are strictly between the customer and the vendor.

Food safety. Vendors are solely responsible for food quality, allergens, preparation, hygiene, and compliance with all applicable South African health and food safety regulations. YesChef accepts no liability whatsoever in respect of any vendor’s food safety obligations.

Age-restricted products. Where a vendor sells age-restricted products, the platform does not perform age verification. The vendor is solely responsible for verifying the age of the customer at the point of collection and for complying with all applicable licensing and age restriction laws.

Payment processing. YesChef accepts no liability for failures, delays, or unavailability of any payment provider’s services. Payment processing is handled by third-party providers outside YesChef’s control.

Platform availability. YesChef does not guarantee uninterrupted availability of the platform. YesChef accepts no liability for losses arising from platform downtime, connectivity failures, or interruptions beyond its reasonable control, including internet or cellular network unavailability at market or festival venues.

Consequential loss. YesChef expressly excludes all liability for any indirect or consequential loss or damage, including but not limited to loss of revenue, loss of profit, loss of data, or loss of opportunity, regardless of the cause of such loss.

Platform discontinuation. YesChef reserves the right to discontinue the platform or any part of it at any time. Where reasonably practicable, YesChef will provide not less than 30 calendar days’ notice to registered vendors and will display a notice to customers before any discontinuation that materially affects their use of the platform. Outstanding orders at the time of discontinuation will be handled in accordance with the refund process set out in Section 6.

Consumer Protection Act. Nothing in these Terms limits any rights you may have under the Consumer Protection Act 68 of 2008 or any other applicable South African consumer protection legislation that cannot be excluded by agreement.

11. Third-party services

Third-party providers. The YesChef platform integrates with a number of third-party service providers to deliver its functionality. These include payment processors, communication providers, infrastructure and hosting providers, and analytics and advertising providers. A full list of the third-party providers we use is set out in our Privacy Policy.

No liability for third-party services. YesChef accepts no liability for the availability, performance, or conduct of any third-party service provider. Each provider operates under its own terms of service and privacy policy, which govern your interaction with their services through our platform. We encourage you to review the terms and privacy policies of any third-party provider you interact with.

Payment providers. When you pay online through the platform, your payment is processed by your vendor’s payment provider. YesChef does not store your card details at any point. If a payment provider is unavailable, you may not be able to complete an order, and YesChef accepts no liability for losses arising from payment provider unavailability.

Links and integrations. The platform may contain links to or integrations with third-party websites or services. YesChef is not responsible for the content, accuracy, or privacy practices of any third-party website or service, and the inclusion of a link or integration does not constitute an endorsement by YesChef.

12. Privacy

Privacy Policy. YesChef’s collection, use, and handling of your personal information is governed by our Privacy Policy, which is incorporated into these Terms by reference. By using the platform, you acknowledge that you have read and agree to the Privacy Policy.

Cookies. Our use of cookies and similar technologies, including the analytics and marketing categories you can accept or reject, is set out in our Cookie Policy. You can change your cookie choices at any time using the Cookie Settings link in our footer.

POPIA. YesChef processes personal information in accordance with the Protection of Personal Information Act 4 of 2013 (POPIA). Your rights in respect of your personal information, including your right of access, correction, deletion, and complaint, are set out in full in the Privacy Policy.

13. Changes to these Terms

Our right to update. YesChef may update these Terms from time to time to reflect changes in our business, the platform, or applicable law. The most current version of these Terms will always be available on our website.

Material changes. Where we make a material change to these Terms, for example a change to fees, your rights, or our liability, we will notify vendors by direct email to the address registered to the vendor account not less than 30 calendar days before the change takes effect, and will display a notice on the platform for customers the next time they use it before the change takes effect.

Non-material changes. For minor or administrative changes that do not affect your rights, such as clarifications, corrections, or formatting updates, we will update these Terms without individual notification. The version and updated date at the top of these Terms reflect when the most recent change was made.

Continued use. Your continued use of the platform after any change to these Terms takes effect constitutes your acceptance of the updated Terms. If you do not agree with any change, you should stop using the platform and, if you are a vendor, serve notice of termination in accordance with the Vendor Agreement.

14. Governing law and contact

Governing law. These Terms are governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of the Republic of South Africa.

Dispute resolution. In the event of a dispute arising out of or in connection with these Terms, we encourage you to contact us in the first instance at hello@yeschefapp.co.za. We will make reasonable efforts to resolve any complaint or dispute promptly and fairly.

ECT Act disclosure. In accordance with section 43(1) of the Electronic Communications and Transactions Act 25 of 2002, the following information is provided:

Full legal name: YesChef Holdings (Pty) Ltd
Registration number: 2026/596253/07
Physical address: 17 Warren Street, Tamboerskloof, Cape Town, 8001
Email address: hello@yeschefapp.co.za
Website: yeschefapp.co.za