About Paladar

PALADAR - GENERAL TERMS AND CONDITIONS OF USE (TOS)

1. Who are we?

The PALADAR application and website (the “Platform”) are services offered by Paladar, established in Portugal as an ENI, acting as a technology intermediary and networking platform intended to be available globally.

2. Definitions

• Chefs: designates independent culinary professionals who have an account on the PALADAR Platform and who wish to offer private dining services and gastronomic experiences to Hosts.
• Hosts: designates individuals who have an account on the PALADAR Platform and who wish to book the services of a Chef for a gastronomic experience.
• Member(s): refers to both Chefs and Hosts.
• Services: means all the networking, booking, payment facilitation, and communication services offered by Paladar on the Platform.
• Experience: means a meal or gastronomic service provided by a Chef to a Host on a specific date and time, at a location agreed between the Chef and the Host.
• Chef Space: means a location optionally offered or indicated by a Chef for hosting an Experience (where available).
• Service Fee: means any fee charged by Paladar for facilitating the digital connection between Hosts and Chefs.

3. Purpose of the general conditions and nature of the Platform

The purpose of these General Conditions is to define the rights and obligations of the Members within the framework of the use of the Services.

Paladar is strictly a technology intermediary, limited to facilitating discovery, booking, payment processing, and communication between Members. Paladar:

• is not a party to any contract or agreement formed between a Chef and a Host;
• does not act as an agent for the Chef or the Host;
• is not the employer of any Chef and does not supervise, direct, or control any Experience.
• does not have a general obligation to monitor Member content or activities, and does not guarantee the accuracy of Chef listings or menus.

4. Access to the Services

The use of the Services requires prior registration of the Member on the Platform. The Member certifies that all the data communicated are true, accurate, complete, and correct, and agrees to keep them up to date.

Registration may be made only by a natural person enjoying full legal capacity.

• Hosts must be at least 18 years of age (or the age of majority where they live) to create an account and make reservations. Minors may only participate in an Experience if booked by, and accompanied by, a responsible adult, subject to any legal, venue-specific, or safety restrictions.
• Chefs must provide accurate identity and business information and may be required to provide proof of identity and other documentation as a condition to use certain Services.
• Where required by applicable law (including the EU Digital Services Act for consumers located in the EU), Paladar may collect, verify, and make available certain Chef identification and business information, and may suspend Chef accounts that do not provide required information.

5. Methods of payment, Service Fee, and right of withdrawal

Bookings and fees are processed through the Platform using secure payment systems and payment partners (Stripe).

• Service Fee: Paladar may charge a Service Fee for facilitating the digital connection between Hosts and Chefs. Unless otherwise stated at checkout or in an applicable booking/cancellation policy, the Service Fee is non-refundable; however, Paladar may refund all or part of the Service Fee in cases of Chef cancellation depending on timing and the applicable policy, or where required by dispiute resolution or by mandatory law.
• Chef payouts (Stripe Connect): To receive payouts and be active on the Platform, Chefs must complete identity and payment verification as required by Paladar’s payment partners (such as Stripe Connect) and by applicable law. If verification is not completed or kept up to date, payouts may be delayed and the Chef’s account may be restricted or suspended.
• Right of withdrawal: Where applicable (including for consumers located in the EU), the 14-day right of withdrawal generally does not apply to catering services booked for a specific date or period of performance. By confirming a booking, the Host acknowledges that cancellation terms for the Experience itself are governed by the Chef’s cancellation policy or the Platform policy and any mandatory consumer protection rules that apply.
• Immediate performance: By confirming a booking, the Host expressly requests Paladar to start providing the intermediary service immediately. Where applicable, the Host acknowledges that they may lose the right of withdrawal once the service has been fully performed, subject to mandatory consumer protection rules and any refund rights expressly stated in the applicable fee/cancellation policy.

6. User Conduct and Content

Members acknowledge that they are responsible for the content they make available on the Platform, which is not subject to a priori control by Paladar. Each Member undertakes to respect rules of courtesy and civility. The content provided must be truthful, and Members must respect commitments made to other Members (including schedules, menus, agreed price, and location).

7. Member obligations regarding Experiences

• Host obligations: Hosts are strictly responsible for disclosing any food allergies, dietary restrictions, intolerances, or medical conditions to the Chef promptly after booking confirmation and, in any event, before the Experience. If the Experience is to take place at a location provided by the Host, the Host must ensure the kitchen or event space is safe, sanitary, and reasonably suitable for the Chef to perform the Experience.
• Chef obligations and independent status: Before any Experience, the Host and the Chef must agree on the financial terms and the Experience details. Paladar does not interfere in defining the Chef’s pricing, menus, or operational decisions. Chefs operate as independent contractors or independent businesses.
• Experiences at a Chef Space: Where a Chef offers a Chef Space as an optional location, the Chef is solely responsible for ensuring that such space is lawful to use for the Experience and complies with applicable safety, hygiene, licensing, occupancy, and public health requirements. Paladar does not own, operate, or control any Chef Space and does not verify its compliance.
• Food safety and legal compliance: Chefs are solely responsible for the food they prepare and serve, including compliance with all applicable food safety, hygiene, licensing, and public health requirements in the jurisdiction(s) where the Experience is performed. Paladar excludes any responsibility concerning compliance by Members with their legal, fiscal, or regulatory obligations.
• Ingredients and allergen information: The Platform may allow Chefs to list ingredients or other menu details, but Paladar does not verify completeness or accuracy. Chefs remain solely responsible for providing truthful, up-to-date ingredient and allergen information to the extent required by applicable law, and for answering Host questions about allergens, cross-contamination risks, and ingredient presence.

8. Member Ratings

Hosts and Chefs expressly agree that their behavior and performance may be rated and made available to other Members. Paladar reserves the right to restrict or terminate the account of a Member who repeatedly receives poor ratings or otherwise violates these Terms.

9. Responsibility and liability

Paladar is a networking platform and acts as a simple intermediary. Members are not employees or employers of Paladar. Paladar does not guarantee the effective achievement of an Experience, the culinary quality of the Experience, the safety of any venue, or the remuneration owed between Members.

Limitation of liability: To the maximum extent permitted by applicable law, Paladar cannot be held liable for any accident, incident, illness, injury, death, or material or immaterial damage (including foodborne illnesses, allergic reactions, or property damage) suffered by Members or any third party in connection with an Experience agreed between Members.

10. Notice and action (Online Safety)

Hosts and authorities may report illegal content or unsafe profiles via the “Report an issue” button located on user profiles. Paladar will act expeditiously to remove content that violates applicable laws (including health, safety, fraud, or intellectual property rules).

11. Termination and dispute resolution

Paladar reserves the right to restrict, suspend, or terminate the account of a Member, without notice, for use of the Services contrary to law, public order, or these Terms.

In case of dispute relating to the Services, Members and Paladar will strive to seek an amicable solution.

• Governing law: These Terms are governed by the laws of Portugal, without prejudice to mandatory consumer protection laws that apply to Hosts based on their habitual residence or location.
• Jurisdiction: For B2B disputes with Chefs, the exclusive jurisdiction is the court of Lisbon, Portugal. For consumers, disputes may be brought in the courts of the consumer’s domicile to the extent required by mandatory law.
• Alternative dispute resolution (Portugal): For consumers resident in Portugal, the Host may resort to the Centro de Arbitragem de Conflitos de Consumo de Lisboa (CACCL) (www.centroarbitragemlisboa.pt).

Paladar Privacy Policy

1. Information We Collect

When you register and use Paladar, we collect personal information to facilitate bookings and connections between customers and chefs.

Identity & Profile Information

• First name, last name, profile picture, public profile names (for hosts and chefs), and biography.

Contact Information

• Email address, telephone number, and postal/event address.

Verification Documents

• For Chefs, we may collect ID verification, food hygiene certificates, and liability insurance documents. (Note: Paladar does not validate the authenticity of external documents).

Dietary & Health Data

• We may collect information regarding allergies, dietary restrictions, specific menus and preferences.

Payment Information

• We use secure third-party providers like Stripe to process payments. We do not store your actual credit card numbers on our servers, but we may store non-sensitive identifiers related to your payment methods.

Account & Preference Information

• Unique user identifiers, account status, whether you act as a chef or host, country of origin, languages you speak, your preferred language, and default currency so that we can personalize content, communications, and pricing.

Public Profile & Reputation Data

• Profile names, display names, biographies, profile photos, public user identifiers, average ratings, review counts, and the reviews you write or receive. Some of this information is visible to other users on the platform.

Invoicing & Tax Information

• Your invoicing country, invoicing name, address, postal code, city, VAT or tax identification number, and any validation status that we must store to issue compliant invoices and comply with tax and accounting laws.

Platform Activity & Content

• Wishlist items, host spaces and related location details you choose to publish, notifications related to your activity, and invoice records associated with your bookings and payouts.

Connected Payment Account Information (Chefs)

• Identifiers and status information relating to your connected payment account (for example, your Stripe connected account ID, country, and whether charges and payouts are enabled). We do not store your bank account or full card numbers.

Security & Compliance Information

• Password hashes, account status and associated reasons (for example, if an account is suspended or banned), timestamps, and capability flags (such as whether you can log in, book, chat, receive payouts, or publish live listings), which we use to keep the platform safe and to enforce our terms.

2. How We Use Your Information

We use your information to provide our services, process payments, localize content and pricing, generate invoices, enable communication between customers and chefs, searching and recomendation capabilities and ensure platform security. We use your profile and public information to create your host or chef profile and to display relevant information (such as your profile name, photos, and reviews) to other users. We use invoicing and tax details and connected payment account identifiers to route payments and payouts and to comply with our tax, accounting, and financial reporting obligations. We use account status, capability, and security information to prevent fraud, investigate misuse, and enforce our terms of service. Crucially, we share your location address with the members of a reservation strictly for the purpose of fulfilling your booking. We never sell your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

3. Legal Basis and Your Rights (GDPR & CCPA)

We process your data based on contractual necessity, legitimate interests (such as fraud prevention), legal obligations, and your consent. In particular, we process invoicing and tax information to comply with tax and accounting laws and to keep records of your payments and payouts.

You have the right to access, rectify, restrict, or request the erasure of your personal data. To exercise your rights, please contact us at [support@paladar.app].

4. Data Security & Retention

We implement industry-standard encryption (SSL/TLS) and comply with PCI-DSS requirements for payments. We retain your personal data for as long as necessary to provide our services, comply with legal/tax obligations, and resolve disputes. Some categories of data, such as invoicing and tax records, may be retained for longer periods where required by applicable law, even after you close your account.

LEGAL TERMS

Information Regarding the Company

Paladar is a digital platform that connects independent chefs and professional cooks with customers seeking private and personalized gastronomic experiences.

• Company Name: Paladar
• Registered Office: Portugal
• Registration Number / NIF: 225586517
• Email: legal@paladar.app

Information Regarding Paladar's Website and Application

• Hosting Provider: The Paladar platform is hosted by Google Cloud Platform (GCP).
• Publication Director: João Pacheco

Information Regarding Intellectual and Industrial Property Rights

All elements of the Paladar platform (registered brands, domain names, texts, graphics, logos, sounds, photos, and animations) are the exclusive property of Paladar. The protection of this platform and its elements is ensured by national and international intellectual property legislations. Any reproduction, distribution, or use of these elements without explicit prior authorization from Paladar is strictly forbidden and may constitute an act of infringement engaging civil and penal responsibilities.