How We Verify The Vendors Behind Your Orders on Chowdeck

Every order placed on Chowdeck begins with trust.

Customers trust that the restaurant preparing their meal is legitimate. Vendors trust that their businesses and reputations are protected. Partners trust that we operate to strong standards, at scale.

To uphold that trust, every business joining Chowdeck goes through a structured onboarding and verification process before receiving full access to our platform.

As we've grown, we've developed three commercial arrangements to support businesses at different stages — while giving customers more options to choose from.

The first is our direct partnership model: fully registered businesses operating under a formal commercial agreement with us. The second is a provisional model, which allows emerging businesses to start building their customer base while completing formal registration, under strict operational controls. Some of our most beloved vendors today began their journey on this pathway. The third is assisted fulfilment, through which we fulfil orders from popular local restaurants on behalf of customers, expanding the range of options on the platform.

For businesses joining as direct partners, verification goes deep. We review Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) registration details, Tax Identification Numbers (TIN), ownership information, operational addresses, and banking details. To strengthen accuracy and reduce risk, we work with trusted verification partners including Mono and SmileID to validate every submission against official records. Applications that trigger inconsistencies or elevated risk signals are escalated for manual review by our internal compliance and operations teams.

Verification builds the foundation. Transparency lets customers see it.

That's why we've recently introduced Vendor Badges — clear indicators that help customers understand who they're ordering from at a glance:

• Verified: An official Chowdeck partner. Fully vetted, documented, and directly integrated with our system for a seamless experience.
• Awaiting Verification: A starter business on Chowdeck whose verification is ongoing. They cannot operate fully and are placed under strict restrictions until they complete our verification process.
• Shopper: Not a direct Chowdeck vendor, but a local staple you love. A trained Chowdeck shopper, stationed around the location, purchases your items and hands them over safely to our rider.

Vendor Badges are part of a broader push to strengthen trust and safety on the platform. In recent months, we've tightened verification escalation pathways, improved our onboarding risk assessments, and expanded manual review protocols to detect impersonation, policy abuse, and fraudulent activity earlier.

Our responsibility doesn't end once a business has been onboarded. 

Compliance on Chowdeck extends well beyond onboarding. Vendors are continuously expected to meet our operational and safety standards, and reports of impersonation, unauthorised representation, or suspicious activity are reviewed by our internal teams. Where necessary, enforcement ranges from account restrictions and removal from the platform to referrals to law enforcement. We take reports from customers, vendors, and the public seriously — every concern raised about potential fraud, impersonation, or unauthorized activity is reviewed by the appropriate team.

As we continue to scale, we're investing in stronger systems, clearer standards, and better safeguards across the platform. That work spans vendor quality, food safety, and operational accountability — and it includes working openly with regulators and welcoming appropriate oversight as digital commerce continues to mature in Nigeria.

We believe that as Africa's digital commerce ecosystem grows up, platforms like ours have a real role to play in setting higher standards for accountability, reliability, and consumer protection across the industry.

Because at the end of the day, every order placed on Chowdeck is an act of trust — and that's a responsibility we take seriously.

Frequently Asked Questions (F.A.Qs)

Q: Does a Non-Verified Badge Mean the Vendor Is Unsafe?

A: No. Awaiting Verification vendors have passed initial identity checks — The badge simply means they are still working through the remaining steps of the full verification process. During that time, their activity on the platform is monitored under stricter operational controls.

Q: What Is a Chowdeck Shopper?

A: A Chowdeck Shopper is a trained member of our network who is stationed around a vendor's physical location and purchases your order on your behalf. They are a part of our fulfilment infrastructure, which means your order is still being handled with care.

Q: Can a Vendor's Badge Change Over Time?

A: Yes. Badges reflect where a vendor currently stands in their verification journey. It’s not a permanent status. When an Awaiting Verification vendor fully completes the verification process, their badge updates to Verified.

Q: How Long Does the Verification Process Take?

A: Verification timelines vary depending on how quickly a vendor submits the required documents and whether any inconsistencies are flagged during the review process. Applications with the right and complete information are processed within a few hours. Where additional manual review is required, our compliance team works as quickly as possible to reach a decision.

Q: How Do Vendors Move From Awaiting Verification To Verified?

A: Vendors are required to submit their Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) certificate, Tax Identification Number (TIN), ownership information, operational address, banking details and other key documents. All submissions must be cross-referenced against official records by our verification partners before a vendor receives full platform access and becomes fully verified.

Q: Can a Shopper Vendor Become a Direct Partner?

A: Absolutely. Any business listed under the Shopper model is welcome to apply to become a direct Chowdeck partner. Once they complete our full verification process, they will be onboarded as a formal partner, and their listing will be updated accordingly.

Q: What Do I Do If I Find My Business on Chowdeck Without My Approval?

A: If your business appears on Chowdeck without your knowledge or consent, please contact us immediately at [hello@chowdeck.com]. We take unauthorised listings seriously and will investigate and resolve them promptly.

Q: How Do I Join As a Verified Vendor on Chowdeck?

A: If you are a business owner looking to join Chowdeck as a direct partner, you can start your application at https://chowdeck.com/vendors and follow the onboarding process.