HosFin / Policies

Terms of Service

The agreement between you and HosFin when you browse, book, and host a chef-prepared meal. Plain English, no surprises, governed by UAE law.

About HosFin

HosFin is a Dubai-based booking platform that connects guests with independent chefs for Sofra (shared catering spreads) and Chef's Table (à la carte dining cooked in your home). HosFin is the trading name of HOSFIN FOR EVENTS MANAGING CO. L.L.C S.O.C, licensed by the Government of Dubai Department of Economy and Tourism — full company information is at the bottom of this page. When you use HosFin, you are agreeing to these Terms; if you do not agree, please do not use the service.

How these Terms work

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and Cancellation & Refund Policy, form a binding agreement between you and HosFin each time you reserve, book, or use the service. Where these Terms conflict with a specific written agreement we have signed with you, that signed agreement takes precedence for the matters it covers.

Eligibility and your account

You must be 18 or older and able to enter a binding contract under UAE law. Keep your phone number, email, address, and other account details accurate and up to date — we use them to confirm and coordinate your booking. You are responsible for all activity on your account. Contact us immediately if you suspect anyone else is using it. We may suspend or close accounts that breach these Terms.

Reservations and bookings

Menus, time slots, prices, and chef availability shown on the site are an invitation to book, not a binding offer. A booking is confirmed only after payment is processed and you receive a confirmation on WhatsApp or email referencing your booking ID. Until that moment, details are subject to change. If a chef is unable to honour a confirmed booking, we will offer you (a) a replacement chef of comparable standing or (b) a full refund of the amount paid — your choice.

Pricing, fees, and payment

All prices are quoted in UAE Dirhams (AED). HosFin is not currently registered for UAE Value Added Tax (VAT), so prices do not include VAT. The per-person rate shown at booking is all-inclusive: it covers the chef's service fee, our platform fee, and all ingredients sourced and brought to the session by the chef. There are no separate grocery, ingredient, or sourcing charges. By placing a booking, you authorise us (and our payment processor) to charge the payment method you provide for the full amount of your booking, including any agreed extras (for example, optional add-on dishes that you select before checkout, which are clearly priced at the time of selection).

Cancellations, refunds, and rescheduling

Cancellations and refunds are governed by our Cancellation & Refund Policy, which forms part of these Terms. Please read it before you book — it explains your refund entitlement based on how far in advance you cancel and how rescheduling works. Refunds are issued to the original payment method.

No-show and late arrival

If you (or anyone you have authorised) is not at the session address within 30 minutes of the booked start time and we cannot reach you on the contact number you provided, the chef may treat the booking as a no-show. No-shows are not eligible for a refund. If the chef is more than 30 minutes late through their own fault, you may choose to continue with a pro-rata reduction or treat the booking as cancelled by us and receive a full refund.

Your responsibilities as a host

Provide accurate session details: address with access instructions, party size, dietary requirements, and allergies. Make sure the kitchen has safe access to power, water, ventilation, and clean working surfaces, and that there is space for the chef to cook and plate. Treat the chef and any assistants with respect — we reserve the right to cancel sessions in progress and refuse future bookings where guests behave abusively, threaten safety, or are under the influence of substances in a way that prevents the session from going ahead.

Food safety, allergies, and dietary requirements

Tell us about every allergy and dietary restriction at the time of booking, and confirm them again on the day. While our chefs take reasonable care and follow UAE food safety practices, kitchens handle nuts, gluten, dairy, shellfish, and other common allergens, and we cannot guarantee an allergen-free environment. If you have a severe allergy, contact us before booking so we can confirm whether your requirements can be met safely. Any leftover food is consumed at your own risk and we recommend refrigerating it within two hours and finishing it within 24 hours.

Chefs are independent professionals

Chefs on HosFin are independent contractors, not our employees. We carry out reasonable vetting, but the cooking, service, and any direct arrangements between you and the chef remain their responsibility. Please bring any complaint about a session to HosFin first so we can investigate and resolve it before you take any other action.

Photos and social media

Chefs may take photos of food they prepare for portfolio and marketing use. They will not photograph guests or interior spaces beyond the food itself without your consent. If you would prefer no photographs at all, tell us at the time of booking. By tagging HosFin on public social media posts about your session, you grant us a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free licence to re-share that content with credit on our own channels.

Tips and gratuities

Tips are entirely optional. If you choose to tip, you may do so directly with the chef in cash or through any in-app option we make available. 100% of tips go to the chef.

Acceptable use

Do not misuse the platform — for example, by trying to book outside HosFin to avoid fees with a chef you met through us, scraping the site, attempting to access other users' accounts, reverse-engineering the service, or uploading content that is unlawful, abusive, infringing, or otherwise objectionable. We may suspend or close accounts that breach these rules and reserve our right to recover any loss caused.

Intellectual property

The HosFin name, logo, menus, photography, written content, and software are owned by HosFin or our licensors and are protected by intellectual property laws. We grant you a limited, non-exclusive, non-transferable licence to use the service for your personal, non-commercial use. You may not copy, modify, distribute, sell, or republish our content without our prior written permission.

Electronic communications and notices

By using HosFin, you consent to receive operational communications (booking confirmations, receipts, schedule changes, refund updates) from us by WhatsApp, SMS, push notification, and email at the contact details on your account. Notices to you will be sent to those details and are deemed received once delivered. Notices to us must be sent to support@hosfin.ae and are effective when we acknowledge receipt.

Liability

To the fullest extent permitted by UAE law, HosFin is not liable for indirect, incidental, special, or consequential losses, including loss of enjoyment, loss of opportunity, or loss of profit, arising from your use of the service. Our total aggregate liability for any claim arising from a booking is limited to the amount you paid for that booking. Nothing in these Terms limits liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, fraud, or any other liability that cannot be limited or excluded under applicable UAE law — including consumer rights you have under UAE Federal Law No. 15 of 2020 on Consumer Protection.

Force majeure

Neither party is liable for failure to perform caused by events beyond reasonable control — including extreme weather, fire, flood, power or telecoms outages, civil unrest, government action, public health measures, or strikes. Where a force majeure event prevents a session from going ahead, we will offer you a reschedule or a full refund.

Suspension and termination

You may close your account at any time by emailing support@hosfin.ae. We may suspend or terminate your access to HosFin where you breach these Terms, where required by law, or where continuing to provide the service would expose us, a chef, or another guest to undue risk. Sections that by their nature are intended to survive termination — including payment, liability, intellectual property, and governing law — will continue to apply.

Changes to the service or these Terms

We may update the platform, our menus, and these Terms from time to time. When changes are material, we will update the "Last updated" date below and, where appropriate, notify you by email or WhatsApp. Continuing to use HosFin after a change means you accept the updated Terms. If you do not accept them, you may close your account.

Dispute resolution

If you have a problem with a booking, contact support@hosfin.ae first — most issues can be resolved within a few business days. If we cannot resolve the matter through support, the parties will try to settle the dispute by good-faith negotiation for at least 30 days before starting any formal proceedings. After that, the dispute will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of Dubai, UAE, unless the parties agree in writing to refer the dispute to arbitration administered by the Dubai International Arbitration Centre (DIAC) under its rules in force at the time.

General

These Terms, together with our Privacy Policy and Cancellation & Refund Policy, are the entire agreement between you and HosFin concerning the service. If any provision is found unenforceable, the remaining provisions stay in effect. Failure to enforce a right is not a waiver of that right. You may not assign or transfer your rights under these Terms; we may assign them to a successor in connection with a merger, acquisition, or sale of assets. Section headings are for convenience and do not affect interpretation.

Governing law

These Terms and any dispute or claim arising out of or in connection with them or their subject matter (including non-contractual disputes or claims) are governed by the laws of the United Arab Emirates as applied in the Emirate of Dubai.