Answers, fast.

For diners

• How do I book a chef?

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  Browse chefs in your area, pick a menu, choose a date, and place a 20% deposit to send the request. Your chef confirms within 24 hours (most reply in under 4). Until your chef accepts, the deposit is fully refundable.

• What's the 8% Servd Guarantee fee?

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  The 8% pays for the six diner protections — chef vetting, escrowed payments, day-of human support, replacement-or-refund on chef cancellations, the satisfaction reserve, and the $1M general liability coverage SERVD carries on every booking. Your chef keeps 100% of their rate; the 8% never comes out of what they earn. Full breakdown at /guarantee.

• Can I cancel?

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  Yes. Every SERVD booking is on the same universal cancellation policy, built around three windows: (1) 7+ days before your event, you get a full refund of your 20% deposit and the 80% balance is never charged. (2) Between 2 and 6 days out, the chef keeps your 20% deposit as a cancellation fee but the balance is still not charged — they've blocked the date but haven't shopped yet. (3) Within 2 days of the event you pay the full booking — 20% deposit kept + 80% balance charged on event day. The chef has bought ingredients, prepped, and turned down other bookings; they can't recover the night. If your chef cancels, you get a full refund within 24 hours plus we try to place you with a replacement chef.

• What if my chef cancels?

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  Servd finds you a qualified replacement chef. If we can't, you get a full refund — including the Servd Guarantee fee — within 24 hours.

• How does payment work?

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  You pay the 20% deposit at booking. Once your chef accepts, the 80% balance is authorized but not charged until 24 hours after the event. You can pay by card (Visa/MC/Amex, +3% processing) or by bank account (free, instant verification via Plaid). Stripe holds the funds in escrow — your chef never gets paid directly.

• Are chefs really vetted?

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  Yes — every chef passes identity verification, criminal background check (via Checkr), food handler certification (ServSafe or equivalent), and a portfolio review before their first booking. All four are required to take bookings on SERVD; we don’t publish profiles that haven’t cleared every step.

• What about dietary needs and allergies?

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  Set your dietary profile once in your account and it travels with every booking. Your chef sees the full list — diets, allergens, do-not-likes — before confirming, and again 48 hours before service when they lock the final menu.

For chefs

• What does SERVD charge me?

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  Nothing at launch. SERVD is free for chefs — no software fee, no subscription, no take rate. 0% commission on every booking. Every dollar your client pays you, you keep. The 8% Servd Guarantee fee is paid by the diner, on top of your rate; it never reduces your payout. We may add optional Pro features in the future, but joining and using SERVD will stay free for the work itself.

• When do I get paid?

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  Stripe Connect releases your payout 24 hours after the event you cooked. Funds land in your bank account within 1-2 business days after that. The deposit holds in escrow from booking through service so you never carry the risk of a no-show.

• How do I apply?

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  Go to /chef/apply and walk through the wizard — about 15 minutes. You upload your portfolio, food handler cert, and bank info (Stripe Connect onboarding happens inline). We aim for a same-day decision when we can.

• Do I have to use Menu Lab?

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  No — but Menu Lab autocompletes pricing, food cost, take-home, and grocery lists from a single menu input. Most chefs publish their first menu through Menu Lab and never look back. If you'd rather hand-craft your menus, the standalone editor is always available.

• What about insurance?

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  Two layers. SERVD carries a $1M general liability policy that extends to every booking on the platform — that's the floor. On top of that, every chef must carry their own active $1M GL policy with a food liability endorsement before their first booking. We work with Thimble and Next Insurance for fast issuance (usually under 10 minutes), verify your coverage at onboarding, and re-check on renewal. If your policy lapses, your profile auto-pauses until you're current.

• What's the cancellation policy?

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  Every SERVD booking is on the same universal policy at launch: full refund up to 3 days before the event, then the diner's 20% deposit is yours as a cancellation fee, and the 80% balance is charged on event day. This protects you once you've shopped and prepped. Per-chef tier customization (Flexible / Standard / Strict) is on the Phase 2 roadmap — when it lands you'll be able to pick a tier that fits the work you do (e.g. high-prep tasting menus → Strict).

• How does the give-back model actually work?

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  Every dinner a diner books on SERVD funds a meal for a family in need in the same city, through a vetted local partner. One night for one night. It comes from the 8% Servd Guarantee fee diners pay on top of your rate — never from your rate, never out of what you earn. Our first partner is Metro Caring in Denver; we add a partner in every city we serve. Once we've completed a full giving quarter we'll publish itemized receipts showing where every meal landed.