sparkplate

Terms of Service

Sparkplate

Effective date: November 2, 2026

1. The agreement and what Sparkplate is

These Terms of Service ("Terms") are an agreement between you and Sparkplate, operated by Derrick Lyons, based in Sacramento, California ("Sparkplate," "we," "us"). By creating an account or using the Sparkplate app or sparkplateapp.com, you agree to these Terms and to our Privacy Policy. If you don't agree, please don't use Sparkplate.

Sparkplate is a community platform that connects people. Cooks showcase their food, and customers discover them, message them, and arrange meals directly.

Sparkplate is not a party to any deal. We do not:

Cooks and customers agree on the dish, price, payment method, and pickup or delivery between themselves, and each is responsible for their own part of that arrangement.

2. Eligibility and accounts

You must be at least 18 years old and able to form a binding contract to use Sparkplate.

3. Cook responsibilities

Cooks are solely responsible for the food they offer and for following the law where they cook and sell.

If you offer food on Sparkplate, you agree to:

4. Customer responsibilities and messaging rules

Customers start conversations, and everyone keeps them honest, respectful, and fair.

Customers agree to:

Messaging rules for everyone:

5. Deals and reviews

When both people confirm a deal, both must review each other afterward, honestly and on time.

6. Your content and prohibited conduct

You own what you post, you give us permission to display it, and some content and conduct are not allowed.

Your content: you keep ownership of the photos, descriptions, messages, and reviews you post. You give Sparkplate a non-exclusive, worldwide, royalty-free license to host, display, and share that content to operate and promote Sparkplate, for example showing a dish photo on your profile or in app store screenshots. The license ends when you delete the content or your account, except for reviews kept in anonymous form and content others have already shared. You confirm you have the rights to everything you post.

You may not:

7. Safety, moderation, and suspension

Please take sensible precautions when meeting people, and know that we may remove content or accounts that break these Terms.

Safety: Sparkplate does not run background checks, inspect kitchens, or verify identities, except for reviewing credential documents for the Professional Chef label. When arranging a pickup or delivery:

Moderation: we may review reported content and accounts, and we may remove content, remove a cook label, limit features, or suspend or permanently close an account that breaks these Terms or puts others at risk. We usually give a warning first, but may act immediately in serious cases. If you believe we made a mistake, email support@sparkplateapp.com.

8. Fees and future upgrades

Sparkplate is currently free to use, and we may offer optional paid upgrades later.

We don't charge cooks or customers for using Sparkplate today, and we don't take a cut of any deal. In the future we may offer optional paid features, such as profile upgrades or featured placement. Paid features will be clearly labeled with their price before you buy, and purchases made in the app are handled by Apple or Google under their terms. We'll give notice before any change that would start charging for features that are currently free.

9. Disclaimers, liability, and indemnification

Sparkplate is provided as is, our liability is limited, and you are responsible for claims arising from your own conduct.

Disclaimers: Sparkplate is provided "as is" and "as available." To the fullest extent allowed by law, we make no warranties, express or implied, including about the food offered, the users you meet, or the app being uninterrupted or error-free. You use Sparkplate, eat food arranged through it, and meet other users at your own risk.

Limitation of liability: to the fullest extent allowed by law, Sparkplate will not be liable for indirect, incidental, special, or consequential damages, or for any illness, injury, loss, or damage resulting from food, deals, meetups, or other users' conduct. Our total liability for any claim related to Sparkplate is limited to the greater of the amount you paid us in the 12 months before the claim, or $100.

Indemnification: you agree to defend and hold Sparkplate harmless from claims, losses, and expenses, including reasonable legal fees, arising from your food, your deals, your content, your violation of these Terms or the law, or your interactions with other users.

Some places don't allow certain limits on liability, so some of these limits may not apply to you.

10. Disputes, changes, and contact

Users settle deal disputes with each other, disputes with us start with an email, and we'll tell you about important changes.