Mehko (the "Service" or "Platform") is operated by [MEHKO LEGAL ENTITY] ("Mehko," "we," "us"). These Terms of Service (the "Terms") are a legal agreement between you and Mehko governing your use of the Mehko website at mehkomarket.com, our mobile web app, and any related services (together, the "Service").
By creating an account, placing an order, listing a kitchen, or otherwise using the Service, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.
Two roles on Mehko. These Terms apply to everyone, but some sections apply only to eaters (people who order food) and others apply only to cooks (people who prepare and sell food from a licensed home kitchen). Read the section for your role.
Mehko is a technology platform that connects eaters with independent, licensed home cooks operating under California's Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operation ("MEHKO") law (Cal. Health & Safety Code § 114367 et seq.). Mehko provides the software that lets cooks list menus and lets eaters discover, order from, and pay for food prepared by those cooks.
Mehko does not prepare, sell, or deliver food. Each cook is an independent business. When you place an order, your contract to purchase food is with the cook, not with Mehko. Mehko is not a restaurant, food vendor, caterer, food manufacturer, or food delivery service. Mehko does not set menus, cook food, handle ingredients, control food safety practices, or package meals.
Mehko does not employ cooks. Cooks on Mehko are independent operators and are solely responsible for compliance with all laws that apply to their home kitchen, including but not limited to MEHKO permit laws, food safety, taxation, labor, and insurance. Mehko provides tools; the cook runs the kitchen.
You must be at least 18 years old and able to form a binding contract to use the Service. If you are using the Service on behalf of a business, you represent that you have authority to bind that business to these Terms.
The Service is currently offered only in jurisdictions in California where the local government has adopted the MEHKO law. We may expand or restrict availability at any time.
You are responsible for:
Notify us immediately if you believe your account has been accessed without your permission. You can close your account at any time by contacting us or using the in-app option.
You agree not to:
This section applies to you if you use Mehko to discover, order, or pick up food.
When you place an order, you are buying food directly from the cook, not from Mehko. The cook is the seller of record. Mehko provides the platform; the cook prepares and sells the food.
Cooks are responsible for food preparation, not Mehko. Cooks on Mehko operate from home kitchens permitted under California's MEHKO law and are required by that law to follow food safety practices and to hold a current Food Handler Certificate. However, Mehko does not inspect individual meals, test food for safety, or verify allergen handling.
If you have food allergies or sensitivities, contact the cook directly before ordering to confirm whether a specific dish is safe for you. Home kitchens are shared-use environments and cross-contact with common allergens (including nuts, dairy, wheat, eggs, soy, shellfish, and sesame) is possible even when a dish does not list those ingredients. You order at your own risk with respect to allergens.
By placing an order, you acknowledge that food is prepared in a private home kitchen (not a commercial facility) and that you have read the cook's ingredient list and any allergen disclosures.
If something is wrong with your order — wrong item, missing item, food quality issue — contact the cook first through the Mehko app. If you can't reach a resolution, report it to Mehko at hello@mehkomarket.com within 48 hours and we'll try to help mediate. We may issue a refund or credit at our discretion, but we are not obligated to do so; the cook is the seller, and ultimate liability for the food itself is between you and the cook.
You may leave honest reviews of cooks and orders. Reviews must be based on a real transaction. Do not post defamatory, abusive, or false content. Mehko may remove reviews that violate these rules.
This section applies to you if you list a kitchen or sell food on Mehko.
You may not accept orders or sell food through Mehko unless you hold a currently valid Microenterprise Home Kitchen Operation permit issued by the county health department in the California county where your kitchen is located. By listing a kitchen on Mehko, you represent and warrant that:
Your kitchen will not be published to eaters until Mehko has verified your permit. Mehko may require re-verification annually and may remove or suspend your listing at any time if your permit status lapses, if we cannot verify your permit against county records, or if we have a reasonable good-faith concern about your compliance.
You are an independent business. You are not an employee, agent, partner, or joint venturer of Mehko. You have full control over your menu, pricing, hours, ingredients, food preparation methods, and customer interactions. You are responsible for:
You are responsible for carrying insurance appropriate to your operation, including general liability and product liability insurance. Some counties require MEHKO operators to carry liability insurance as a condition of the permit — comply with all such requirements. Mehko's insurance does not cover your operation, your food, or injuries or illness caused by your food.
Standard Mehko platform fee terms will be communicated to you at signup and may change in the future with notice. If you are enrolled in the Founding Cook program, your platform fee terms are 0% of eater payments for the duration of your account in good standing, subject to the Founding Cook terms posted at the time of your enrollment.
Payment processing fees (charged by our payment processor, Stripe) are separate from Mehko's platform fee and apply to all orders.
Payouts to cooks are processed through Stripe on a weekly or standard cadence set by Mehko. You must complete Stripe onboarding, including identity verification, before you can receive payouts. Mehko does not hold or custody funds on your behalf beyond the period required to settle payouts.
If a customer reports illness, injury, or any significant food-safety complaint related to food you prepared, you must:
Failure to report in a timely manner is a material breach of these Terms.
You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Mehko and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claim, loss, liability, damage, cost, or expense (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from or related to: (a) food you prepare, sell, or serve through Mehko; (b) your breach of the MEHKO permit requirements or any other law; (c) your breach of these Terms; or (d) any injury, illness, or property damage caused by your food or your operation. This indemnity survives termination of your account.
Payments on Mehko are processed by Stripe. When you add a payment method or complete Stripe onboarding as a cook, you also agree to the applicable Stripe terms. Mehko does not store full payment card data.
Each party is responsible for the taxes applicable to them: eaters for any applicable sales or use tax on orders; cooks for income tax, self-employment tax, and sales tax on their sales where applicable. Mehko may be required to provide tax forms (such as IRS Form 1099-K) to cooks who cross applicable reporting thresholds.
Mehko's content. The Service, including the Mehko name, logo, website design, and software, is owned by Mehko and protected by intellectual property laws. You may not copy, modify, or create derivative works without our written permission.
Your content. You retain ownership of the content you post (photos, menus, descriptions, reviews). By posting, you grant Mehko a worldwide, non-exclusive, royalty-free license to host, display, reproduce, and distribute that content in connection with operating and promoting the Service. You represent that you own or have the right to use any content you post and that it doesn't infringe anyone else's rights.
If you believe content on Mehko infringes your copyright, contact us at hello@mehkomarket.com with a DMCA-compliant notice.
Our Privacy Policy explains what information we collect, how we use it, and your rights. By using the Service you agree to the Privacy Policy.
"As is" service. The Service is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis without warranties of any kind, either express or implied, including warranties of merchantability, fitness for a particular purpose, and non-infringement. Mehko does not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or secure.
Food is prepared by cooks, not Mehko. Mehko does not warrant the quality, safety, freshness, fitness, wholesomeness, or allergen profile of any food sold through the Service. Food is prepared in private home kitchens. You use the Service and consume food ordered through it at your own risk.
Limit of liability. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Mehko will not be liable for any indirect, incidental, consequential, special, exemplary, or punitive damages, or for any loss of profits, data, or goodwill, arising out of or related to your use of the Service, even if Mehko has been advised of the possibility of such damages. Mehko's total liability to you for any claim related to the Service will not exceed the greater of (a) the amount you paid to Mehko (excluding amounts paid to cooks) in the 12 months preceding the claim, or (b) one hundred dollars ($100).
Some jurisdictions do not allow the exclusion of certain warranties or limits of liability; in those jurisdictions the above limitations apply to the fullest extent permitted by law.
You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Mehko and its officers, directors, employees, and agents from any claim, loss, liability, damage, cost, or expense (including reasonable attorneys' fees) arising from or related to (a) your use of the Service, (b) your violation of these Terms, (c) your violation of any law or the rights of any third party, or (d) any content you post on the Service. Cooks have additional indemnity obligations under Section 7.7.
We may suspend or terminate your account at any time, with or without notice, if you violate these Terms, if we believe you pose a risk to other users, if your MEHKO permit lapses (for cooks), or if we decide to discontinue the Service. You may close your account at any time. Sections that by their nature should survive (including Sections 7.7, 11, 12, and 14) survive termination.
These Terms are governed by the laws of the State of California, without regard to conflict-of-laws principles.
Informal resolution first. Before filing any formal proceeding, you agree to contact us at hello@mehkomarket.com and give us 30 days to try to resolve the dispute informally.
Binding arbitration. Any dispute that cannot be resolved informally will be resolved by binding arbitration administered by JAMS under its Streamlined Arbitration Rules, seated in San Diego County, California, before a single arbitrator. The arbitrator's decision will be final and enforceable in any court of competent jurisdiction.
Class-action waiver. You and Mehko each agree that any dispute will be brought in an individual capacity only, not as a plaintiff or class member in any purported class or representative proceeding. The arbitrator may not consolidate more than one person's claims.
Exceptions. Either party may seek injunctive relief in court for claims involving intellectual property. Either party may bring an individual action in small claims court for disputes within that court's jurisdiction.
If the arbitration or class-action-waiver provisions are found unenforceable, the dispute will be resolved in the state or federal courts located in San Diego County, California, and you consent to personal jurisdiction there.
We may update these Terms from time to time. If we make a material change, we'll update the effective date and version above and notify active users by email or in-app notice. Continued use of the Service after an update means you accept the updated Terms. If you don't agree, close your account.
Questions about these Terms? Contact us:
Mehko (operated by [MEHKO LEGAL ENTITY])
PO Box 2771, Rancho Santa Fe, CA 92014
hello@mehkomarket.com