Restaurant Partner Terms & Conditions

Published: 13 May 2025

These Terms of Use govern your use of the websites, mobile applications, and partner dashboard provided by TheTaste (Private) Limited in your capacity as a registered restaurant partner. These Terms apply exclusively to restaurant partners who have registered on the Platform to list their business and fulfil customer orders. By accessing and using the Partner Dashboard or Restaurant App, you agree that you have read, understood, and accepted these Terms.

1. About TheTaste

TheTaste is a multi-sided food technology platform that connects customers, restaurant partners, and delivery riders through a single integrated system. TheTaste operates as a marketplace and may also provide fulfilment services through its rider network. TheTaste is not itself a restaurant, food preparer, or independent logistics provider.

2. Onboarding & Registration

To list a business on TheTaste the restaurant partner must complete the full onboarding process including submission of all required business documents, owner identification, and agreement to the applicable commission tier. The restaurant's listing will not appear on the platform until all submitted documents have been reviewed and approved.

Submission of false, incomplete, or misleading information during onboarding may result in permanent rejection and legal action. The restaurant partner is responsible for ensuring that the restaurant's menu, pricing, item availability, and operating hours are accurate and up to date at all times.

Prices displayed on TheTaste must match the prices the restaurant charges customers through its own channels.

3. Order Management

3.1 Order Acceptance: Once a customer places an order the restaurant partner is expected to accept or reject it within 5 minutes. Failure to respond within this window may result in the order being automatically cancelled and a full refund issued to the customer.

3.2 Order Rejection: The restaurant partner may reject an order only for legitimate operational reasons. The restaurant must select a valid rejection reason in the Restaurant App at the time of rejection.

3.3 Item Unavailability & Substitution: If an item becomes unavailable during an active shift the restaurant must mark it as unavailable immediately through the Restaurant App. The restaurant partner may not fulfil an order by substituting items without customer consent. If a substitution is made without consent the customer is entitled to a full refund and TheTaste reserves the right to recover the refund cost from the restaurant's settlement.

3.4 Operating Hours: The restaurant's operating hours must reflect the actual hours during which the kitchen is able to accept and fulfil orders. If the restaurant needs to close temporarily outside of its scheduled hours it must mark itself as closed immediately.

4. Food Safety & Hygiene

The restaurant partner is responsible for ensuring all food prepared through the TheTaste platform meets applicable food safety and hygiene standards required by local regulatory authorities. TheTaste reserves the right to investigate any complaint related to food safety and to suspend the restaurant's listing immediately if a credible safety concern is raised.

4.1 Food Poisoning and Health Claims: The restaurant partner is solely and entirely responsible for the safety, hygiene, preparation, storage, handling, and quality of all food and beverages listed and sold through the platform. TheTaste is a technology platform and does not prepare, handle, inspect, or quality-check any food item. Where a customer makes a claim of food poisoning or health-related complaint, responsibility rests entirely with the restaurant that prepared and packaged the order.

4.2 Certifications and Repeat Complaints: The restaurant partner agrees to maintain all applicable food safety certifications and licences required under the laws of Pakistan. A restaurant that receives three (3) or more verified food safety complaints within any six (6) month period may be permanently removed from the platform.

5. Commission, Settlements & Disputes

Commission and service fees are calculated on the gross order value at the rate agreed in the restaurant partner's partnership agreement. Fees are deducted automatically at the time of settlement.

Standard default commission rates:

• Marketplace: 12%
• FullService: 20%
• Hybrid: 16%

Net settlements are processed on a weekly cycle (Monday to Sunday) and the net remittance is transferred to the restaurant's registered bank account within five (5) business days. If the restaurant partner believes a settlement figure is incorrect, a dispute may be raised within 7 days of receiving the settlement report. Disputes raised after this window will not be considered.

Each restaurant partner is solely responsible for complying with all applicable tax obligations including Sales Tax, Federal Excise Duty, and income tax under the laws of Pakistan.

6. Performance Standards

The restaurant's performance is monitored on an ongoing basis including order acceptance rate, rejection rate, preparation time, customer rating, and complaint frequency. Continued underperformance after notification may result in: reduced visibility on the platform, suspension from new order intake, or termination of the partnership agreement.

7. Prohibited Activities

Strictly prohibited activities include: false order confirmations, deliberate preparation delays to manipulate performance metrics, manipulation of ratings or customer reviews, collusion with riders to defraud customers or TheTaste, listing items at inflated prices to offset commission without prior approval, and any activity that harms customers or the integrity of the platform.

8. Account Suspension & Termination

TheTaste reserves the right to suspend or permanently remove the restaurant's listing for: fraudulent behaviour, food safety violations, repeated policy violations, or submission of false information. The restaurant partner will be notified via email and in-app notification with the reason for suspension.

The restaurant partner may appeal a suspension decision within 72 hours through the Partner Dashboard. Appeals are reviewed within 5 business days. The outcome of the appeal is final.

Either party may terminate the partnership agreement by providing 30 days written notice. TheTaste reserves the right to terminate immediately and without notice in cases of serious breach.

9. Intellectual Property

All trademarks, logos, images, and service marks displayed on the Platform are the intellectual property of TheTaste and/or authorised third parties. Restaurant partners may not use, copy, reproduce, or modify these trademarks without prior express written consent from TheTaste. Restaurant partners may not use the TheTaste name or logo to imply an endorsement or exclusive partnership beyond what is stated in the active agreement.

10. Limitation of Liability

The Platform is provided on an "as is" and "as available" basis. To the extent permitted by law, TheTaste excludes all liability for loss or damage which you or any third party may incur in connection with our Platform or Services. Restaurant partners are solely responsible for the preparation, condition, quality, and food safety of all goods sold through the Platform.

11. Governing Law

These Terms shall be governed by and construed in accordance with the laws of Pakistan. Any dispute shall first be subject to the internal appeals process. Where a dispute cannot be resolved internally, it shall be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the competent courts of Pakistan.

12. Restaurant Policy Quick Reference

13. Privacy and Personal Data

By registering as a restaurant partner, you consent to TheTaste collecting, processing, storing, and sharing your business and personal data as necessary to operate the platform, process orders, calculate settlements, and comply with applicable law.

TheTaste collects: business name, address, contact number, owner NIC, business type, premises information, uploaded verification documents, GPS coordinates, menu content, delivery profile settings, commission agreement details, and Firebase device tokens for push notifications.

Business identity, owner, and document data is retained for a minimum of five (5) years following termination. Order records and settlement data are retained for a minimum of five (5) years from the date of the transaction.

For data requests, contact: privacy@thetaste.pk

14. Rider Delays — Responsibility

TheTasteDelivery: TheTaste accepts responsibility for delays caused by rider unavailability or conduct after the food has been collected from the restaurant. TheTaste does not accept responsibility for delays caused by the restaurant's own preparation time exceeding the estimated window.

OwnDrivers: The restaurant is solely responsible for all delivery delays.

ThirdPartyProvider: Delivery responsibility is shared between the restaurant and the third-party logistics provider. TheTaste is not liable for delays caused by the third-party provider.

CollectionOnly: No delivery is involved; rider delay responsibility does not apply.