Pickup-first. No driver. No middleman.
Eatcircle connects neighbors who cook with neighbors who eat. You order, you walk over, you pick it up. The Cook makes it; we just handle the wire.
For Buyers
Find food cooked by neighbors, pickup-only, in your neighborhood.
- 1
Find a kitchen near you
Discover lists Cooks within walking distance. Filter by dish, dietary, hours. No delivery zones, no upcharges.
- 2
Order pickup
Pick a pickup window the Cook is open for. Pay through Stripe — same checkout as a coffee shop. You'll see exact taxes and fees before you tap order.
- 3
Walk over and pick it up
We'll text you when it's ready. Show your pickup code at the door. Most pickups are 5–15 minutes from your home.
- 4
Eat. Tip if you want. Reorder when you're hungry.
Reviews are public, optional, and you control whether your name shows. Eatcircle is pickup-only — no driver, no wait, no extra fees.
For Cooks
Earn from the kitchen you already run. Set your hours, prices, menu — we don't get in the middle.
- 1
Sign up — five minutes
Pick what you make, set your kitchen name, snap a photo, list your hours. No license verification at v1 — you self-attest to following Region of Peel public health rules.
- 2
Add a dish or two
Photo, price, dietary, allergens. Allergens are required by Ontario law — we ask for an explicit 'None' if applicable so nothing falls through.
- 3
Connect Stripe for payouts
Stripe Connect Express verifies your identity and links your bank account. ~3–5 minutes. Eatcircle never sees your bank info — Stripe handles all of it.
- 4
Cook. Mark ready. Get paid.
Buyers tap order. You accept, cook, mark ready. Money lands in your bank 48 hours after pickup — that window protects against the rare dispute. After that, it's yours.
Stripe handles the money. We handle the wire.
Eatcircle is a marketplace — we connect Buyers with independent home Cooks. We don't make the food, and we are not the merchant of record for food sales.
Buyer pays Eatcircle
Stripe charges the buyer's card at checkout — same as any restaurant or shop.
Stripe holds the funds for 48 hours
Standard dispute window. Most orders never use it — it's there for the rare 'something was wrong' case.
Stripe routes payout to the Cook's bank
Eatcircle takes a small platform fee (the rate is set per-region and disclosed at signup). Cook gets the rest, direct to their bank.
Cooks confirm every order. Here's how it works.
Eatcircle is not a vending machine — real people cook your food. Every order goes through a short confirmation window so the cook can plan their kitchen.
Same-day orders
After you place a same-day order, the cook has 15 minutes to accept it. You'll get a push notification the moment they confirm. If they don't respond in time, your payment authorization is released at zero cost — Stripe never charges an unconfirmed order.
Pre-order dishes
Some dishes are listed as pre-order — usually items that need more prep time (slow-cooked, baked-to-order, fermented, etc.). The cook has up to 24 hours to confirm. If they can't fulfill it, you're fully refunded and notified immediately. Pre-order dishes are shown with a calendar badge on the menu.
Cook acceptance rates and response times will be visible on kitchen profiles once we have enough data.
Cooks self-attest. Buyers see the "home cook" badge everywhere.
Eatcircle does not inspect kitchens. We require every Cook to attest to following local public health guidelines (Region of Peel for Ontario), and we display a prominent "home cook" badge next to their name on every buyer-facing surface. Read the full stance, why we made this call, and how allergen disclosure and the optional food handler certificate badge work.
Real questions, plain answers.
If we missed yours, info@eatcircle.com goes to a real person.
Why pickup-only? Why no delivery?▾
Two reasons. First: delivery is the most expensive part of the food-tech stack and the least margin-friendly for cooks. Removing it lets Cooks price meals at home-cook rates ($12–$22 instead of $20–$35). Second: pickup keeps the cook + buyer relationship local and personal. You meet your Cook at the door — that's the whole product.
Is the food safe?▾
Cooks self-attest to following local public health rules (Region of Peel for Ontario v1). Eatcircle does not inspect kitchens. Every Cook displays a 'home cook' badge prominently — buyers know what they're choosing. All 11 Health Canada priority allergens are required on every dish. Cooks who upload a food handler certificate get a badge on their profile. Read the full stance on our food safety page.
Where does my money go?▾
Buyer pays Eatcircle. Stripe holds the funds for 48 hours (dispute window). Then Stripe routes the bulk to the Cook — direct to their linked bank account. Eatcircle takes a small platform fee per order; the rate sits in the 6–10% band and is disclosed at Cook signup. Eatcircle is NOT the merchant of record for food sales — Stripe + the Cook handle that side.
Can I refund or cancel?▾
Until the Cook starts cooking, yes — open the order and tap Cancel. After that, message the Cook to work it out. If something goes wrong (food was off, Cook no-show, missed pickup window), tap Report on the order; refunds under $10 auto-approve, larger ones go through a quick human review.
Is this only Ontario?▾
v1 launches in Ontario (Brampton + GTA primary). v2 expands to BC and Alberta via extra-provincial registration on the federal corp. Quebec is deferred — we'll come back when we can do it properly with French-localized everything (Bill 96 / Law 25 work).
Ready to taste your block?
Browse kitchens nearby — or, if you cook, sign up to share with your neighbors.