Cooking For Takeaway
Love Cooking for Others? Here’s How to Make Money Cooking for Take-Out
If you love cooking but don’t want to work in a restaurant or have people in your home, cooking for take-out is a great way to turn your passion into a side hustle. While national platforms are limited due to state regulations, there are still a few platforms that can help you market your home-cooked meals. Here’s where to look:
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1. Shef: Commercial Home-Cooking Platform
Shef is one of the few platforms that allows both professional and amateur chefs to make meals for local clients. You set your own menus, prices, and schedules, but you must pass a food safety certification course before listing meals.
- How it works: You upload your meals and prices, and Shef handles the customer orders and payment processing.
- Fees: Shef takes a 15% commission on each meal sale to cover marketing, payment processing, and customer support.
- Requirements: Depending on your state, you may need additional certification or registration (like in California, where home cooks must verify they are operating as a “microenterprise” or “cottage food operation”).
Why it’s great:
- No upfront cost to list meals.
- Flexible menus and schedules.
- Supports home cooks in several states.
Learn more about Shef here.
2. TaskRabbit: Market Your Cooking Services
TaskRabbit is a national platform where freelancers can offer their services and set their rates. For home cooks, this means you can offer your meals for delivery or set up hourly cooking services.
- How it works: Create a profile, list your cooking services, and set your own prices. You can offer take-out services or even cook meals on-site for clients.
- Fees: TaskRabbit only charges a site fee to customers, making it more freelancer-friendly.
Why it’s great:
- Full control over pricing and services.
- National platform with a broad reach.
Learn more about TaskRabbit here, or click here to sign up.
3. Nextdoor: Market Locally in Your Neighborhood
If national home cooking platforms aren’t available in your area, you can still promote your meals locally through Nextdoor. This neighborhood-focused platform allows for both free peer-to-peer discussions and paid neighborhood advertising.
- How it works: Post your services in local discussions or use paid ads to market your home-cooked meals to nearby customers.
- Fees: Ad rates vary based on your geographic reach, so you can control how much you spend.
Why it’s great:
- Connects you directly with local customers.
- Low-cost advertising options.
4. DishDivvy: A Southern California Option for Home Cooks
For those in Southern California, DishDivvy is a fantastic platform that lets you set your own menu, prices, and schedule. Using the DishDivvy app, customers can order meals for pick-up at the time you specify.
- How it works: Set up your meals and availability, and the app handles customer orders and directs them to your door for pick-up.
- Availability: Currently available in Southern California.
Why it’s great:
- Ideal for cooks who prefer a streamlined pick-up process.
- Completely app-based for easy customer management.
Learn more about DishDivvy here.
Which Platform Is Right for You?
Whether you’re a seasoned chef or a home cook, these platforms offer great opportunities to make money cooking for take-out. If you want a well-established platform with no upfront costs, Shef is the way to go. If you prefer more flexibility and full control over your pricing, TaskRabbit offers that freedom. For local, neighborhood-based cooking, Nextdoor is perfect, and if you’re in Southern California, DishDivvy provides a convenient app-based solution for meal pick-up.