As a shef, you can message customers who have recently placed an order with you, those who have an active or upcoming order, and any other customer who has messaged you first. You can keep track of all conversations in the "Messages" page of your Shef Dashboard.

Please remember that the Shef Terms of Service require both customers and shefs to communicate in a respectful manner and act professionally in their dealings with each other. Ensure that any message you send to another Shef user is courteous, professional and respectful. Messaging another user in a manner that the Shef team believes does not follow our Terms of Service can result in restrictions to your Shef account. If someone sends you a message that is offensive, do not engage with the user and let our support team know.

To message any customers who have upcoming orders with you, open the "My Orders" page of your Shef Dashboard. Click on ‘Send Message’ in the right-hand column to start a conversation with that customer.

To message the customers who have recently left you a review, open the "My Ratings" page of your Shef Dashboard. Click on “Send a Message” under the customer’s name to start a conversation with that customer.

Important: Please see this article for guidance on responding to a rating or review. Responding to a customer review in a manner that does not follow our Terms of Service can result in restrictions to your Shef account.

Potential customers can also start a chat conversation with you before placing an order. These customers might reach out with questions about your menu, dishes, and future availability. We highly recommend responding to these messages as soon as possible, as it might impact the customer’s decision to place an order from you!

Want to get your chat notifications in real time? Download the Shef app on your phone, and make sure to allow push notifications in your settings! You can use the Shef app to manage your Shef account, or you can continue to use the normal website.