Terms of Service

Last updated: April 13, 2026 · Effective upon launch

Welcome to Kitse. These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your use of the Kitse platform, including the website at kitse.co, any subdomains, and related services (collectively, the "Service"). By using the Service, you agree to these Terms.

1. What Kitse is — and isn't

Kitse is a marketplace that connects home-based chefs ("Sellers") with customers ("Buyers") who want to order their food. Kitse itself does not prepare, package, inspect, cook, deliver, or handle any food. We are a technology platform that facilitates discovery, ordering, and payment between independent Sellers and Buyers.

      Important: Kitse is not a restaurant, a commercial food processor, a delivery company, or a licensed food establishment. Each Seller operates as an independent small business under their own state or local cottage-food, MEHKO, Limited Food Establishment, or similar permit — or, in states that don't require one, under that state's cottage-food exemption. Sellers are solely responsible for food safety, labeling, allergen disclosure, and compliance with their local laws.
    

2. Eligibility

You must be at least 18 years old to use the Service. By creating an account you represent that you are at least 18 and that all information you provide is accurate and current.

3. Account Registration

You can browse some of Kitse anonymously. To place an order, list products, or claim a Seller profile, you must create an account using phone-based one-time-password verification (via Twilio) or Google sign-in. You agree to:

Provide accurate information
Keep your credentials and session cookie confidential
Be responsible for all activity on your account
Notify us immediately at support@kitse.co if you believe your account has been compromised

4. Sellers — permits, food safety, and your responsibility

If you list items for sale on Kitse, you are responsible for every step of producing, packaging, and delivering those items. By creating a Seller account you represent and warrant that:

You hold any permit, license, registration, food-handler card, home-inspection approval, or other authorization your state, county, or city requires to sell home-prepared food.
You have not had a food-handling permit suspended or revoked in any jurisdiction.
You will label every product with the ingredient list, allergen disclosure, your name and address, and any state-required cottage-food disclaimer (for example, California's "Made in a Home Kitchen" disclaimer or Texas's DSHS label).
You will not sell products outside the category list allowed by your state (e.g., no refrigerated / Time-and-Temperature-Control-for-Safety items in states that prohibit them).
You will honor the delivery and pickup commitments you configure on your profile.
You will respond to Buyer communication in a reasonable timeframe and resolve disputes in good faith.

Verification. Kitse may display permit numbers or food-handler certificate numbers on your profile based on what you self-report. We do not independently verify each permit on a live basis. If you display false information we may suspend your account immediately. Buyers should not rely solely on Kitse-displayed badges — confirm directly with the Seller or the issuing agency if in doubt.

5. Buyers — what you're buying

When you place an order on Kitse, you are buying food directly from an independent Seller. Kitse is a technology intermediary only. By placing an order you acknowledge that:

The food was prepared in a private home, not a commercial kitchen.
It may not have been inspected by a state or local health department.
You are responsible for reviewing ingredient lists and allergen disclosures before consuming any item.
If you have a severe food allergy, you should contact the Seller directly before ordering.
Pregnant, immunocompromised, elderly, or very young consumers should exercise additional caution with home-prepared food.

6. Payments and fees

Payments are processed by Stripe, Inc. Kitse does not store payment-card details on our servers. When you place an order, you are charged the full amount (product subtotal + delivery fee, if any) at the time of checkout.

Kitse acts as the merchant of record and collects a platform commission from each Seller's product subtotal. The delivery fee, if any, passes through to the Seller in full. The current commission rate is disclosed on the Seller dashboard and may be changed with 30 days' notice.

Sellers are paid out through periodic manual or automated payouts via the Kitse admin. Minimum payout amounts, frequency, and payment method are disclosed in your Seller dashboard.

7. Refunds and cancellations

If a Seller cancels an order before it is delivered, Kitse will refund the full amount (product + delivery) to the original payment method via Stripe. Refunds may take 5–10 business days to appear depending on your bank.

If you are dissatisfied with an order, contact the Seller first. If you cannot resolve it, email support@kitse.co within 48 hours of delivery with photos and a description of the issue. Kitse will mediate in good faith but makes no guarantee of refunds for items that were delivered as described.

8. Acceptable use

You agree not to:

List prohibited items (alcohol, cannabis products, raw milk, or any item banned by your state's cottage-food law)
Misrepresent ingredients, allergens, or sourcing
Impersonate another Seller or claim permits you do not hold
Scrape, reverse-engineer, or automatically query the Service beyond what's required for normal use
Upload images or text that are illegal, infringing, hateful, or sexually explicit
Attempt to bypass the platform to circumvent fees after making initial contact through Kitse

9. Privacy

Our handling of your data is described in the Privacy Policy. In brief: we store your account, order, and profile data on our servers, share payment details only with Stripe, and share phone-number verification only with Twilio. You can request a copy or deletion of your data at any time from your seller dashboard or by emailing privacy@kitse.co.

10. Intellectual property

You retain ownership of any photos, descriptions, or content you upload. By uploading you grant Kitse a non-exclusive, worldwide license to host and display that content within the Service for the purpose of operating the marketplace.

The Kitse name, logo, design system, and all software are the property of Kitse and may not be copied or reused without permission.

11. Public profiles sourced from government records

Some profiles on Kitse are generated from publicly available cottage-food and Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operation (MEHKO) permit records. If you are a chef whose profile was created this way, you can claim it at any time by visiting your profile page and clicking "Claim this profile." You can also request removal by emailing privacy@kitse.co. Unclaimed profiles are not accepting orders and cannot receive money through Kitse.

12. Liability

To the maximum extent allowed by law, Kitse disclaims all warranties for food quality, safety, freshness, and fitness for a particular purpose. Our total liability to you for any claim arising from your use of the Service is limited to the greater of (a) the total fees you have paid to Kitse in the 12 months preceding the claim, or (b) $100. We are not liable for consequential, incidental, or punitive damages.

13. Dispute resolution

If you have a complaint, please contact support@kitse.co first so we can try to resolve it directly. Any dispute not resolved through support will be handled under the laws of the State of California, in the courts of Los Angeles County, unless a different venue is required by law.

14. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms from time to time. Material changes will be posted with an updated "Last updated" date and, for significant changes, communicated via email. Continued use of the Service after changes become effective means you accept the updated Terms.

15. Contact

Questions, legal notices, or requests: support@kitse.co