Running orders as a home cook

A home kitchen has a limit. Taking only the orders you can cook well is the secret of a good name.

A weekly menu

Post the menu on the same day each week. Make it with the menu page maker and share the link. Say the days, the dishes and the price.

An order cut-off

Choose a time, for example 9 am for lunch the same day or 8 pm the night before. Say it at the top. Orders after the time go to the next day.

Capacity

Count how many meals you can cook and pack in the time you have, and stop at that number. Ten meals made well beat twenty made late.

Pick-up and delivery

Say the area and the charge. For delivery, group orders by route. Keep containers that are clean and tightly closed.

Payment

Ask for UPI before dispatch from new customers. Check money in your own bank app. Write each order and payment in the tiffin and subscription book.

Rules

Selling food from home may need a registration or licence, and rules on labelling and hygiene differ by place. Ask the food authority where you live before you start, and follow them.

Common questions

What if I have unsold food?

Cook a little less next time. Offer leftovers at a lower price the same day only if the food is safe, and never sell food that has been stored too long.

How do I handle a repeat customer who orders late?

Be kind but firm about the cut-off. A rule you apply to everyone is easier to keep.

Keep going

Everything a visitor types is packed into the link and nothing is stored by us; answers and replies go to the sender's WhatsApp. The UPI link opens a UPI app with the amount filled in and has not been tested with every app. Example names, prices and dates are made up. No tax, advertising or legal rule is stated: check them where you live. Checked 14 November 2026.