Food delivery is not grocery shopping — and not mail or parcels
Briefing your helper on food delivery and takeaway orders (Singapore) is the employer process for how a live-in MDW receives or places meal deliveries and takeaways: which apps or phone numbers you allow, who pays and how (cash on hand, card you control, or your employer account — never invent fees), how the door or condo security handoff works, what to do when the order is wrong, an allergies note you provide in writing, and quiet-hours rules so late knocks do not disturb the household. Standing food preferences and grocery routines stay on #41. Grocery list + receipt handover stays on #152. Mail or parcels at your address sit on #153. This page owns meal delivery / takeaway only.
General guidance only. Soft MOM: mom.gov.sg. SmartMaid.com.sg is a marketplace for helper search. Licensed EAs place MDWs. Food-delivery apps and restaurants are not maid agencies — and SmartMaid does not process food orders. Platform ≠ agency. No invented $. Do not invent app fees, service charges, or tip amounts.
Neighbouring hubs:
- Food preferences and grocery shopping routines (unique #41)
- Grocery list and receipt handover (unique #152)
- Mail or parcels at your address (unique #153)
- Registering your helper with condo security (unique #121)
- Phone and social media boundaries (unique #31)
- Privacy boundaries for live-in helpers (unique #29)
- Written house rules sheet (unique #32)
- When co-employers disagree (unique #120)
- When helper reports a suspected scam (unique #166)
- This article: employer briefing for food delivery and takeaway orders
Step 1 — Name who may place orders — and which channel
Say aloud whether she may place orders, only receive them, or neither unless you ask that day. Name the allowed channel: your delivery app on a shared device, a restaurant phone number you write down, or “employer places; she only opens the door.” Do not leave “just order something” open — that mixes grocery habits (#41) with meal apps. If co-employers disagree on “she can order freely vs only when we approve,” align first (#120). Phone-use norms for ordering stay fair and named (#31) — this step is a meal-order channel, not a full social-media policy rewrite.
Step 2 — Fix payment before the first order — no invented amounts
Decide one payment path and write it on the house-rules sheet (#32): small cash float you top up, card that stays with you, or checkout on your employer account / saved payment method. Say who keeps receipts and how they are handed back (distinct from grocery receipt handover on #152 — meal slips vs supermarket slips). No invented $ — do not invent delivery fees, promo codes, or tip rules; use whatever the app or restaurant shows that day. If a caller or message asks her to “confirm payment” or share OTPs for an order she did not place, treat it as a suspected scam path (#166) and escalate to you — not to the restaurant alone.
Step 3 — Door, lobby, and condo-security handoff
Brief how the meal arrives: doorbell to the unit, lobby collection, or security desk. If your condo needs a named resident / helper on the visitor list for riders, keep registration habits on #121. Soft privacy still applies — she need not invite the rider into private rooms (#29). Meal bags are not mail or parcels; parcel rules stay on #153. Say whether she may leave food at the door unattended and for how long in your building’s practice.
Step 4 — Wrong order, missing items, and your allergies note
Give her a short employer-written allergies / no-go note (family names, dishes to refuse, spice level) — she does not invent medical claims. If the bag is wrong or incomplete, name the process: photograph the receipt and bag, message you first, then contact the restaurant / app only if you say so. Do not invent refund timelines or credit amounts. Standing grocery preference lists are still #41; this step is meal-order correction, not a weekly shopping brief. Quiet hours: name when late deliveries are off-limits so knocks after bedtime do not become a surprise.
Step 5 — Quiet hours, rest-day clash, and platform ≠ agency
Write quiet-hours windows on the house-rules sheet (#32) — e.g. no new orders after a named time unless you override. If a delivery lands on or squeezes her rest day, flag it early; soft framing on mom.gov.sg. Co-employers keep one payment + channel rule so she is not juggling two apps mid-evening (#120). Platform ≠ agency: browsing helpers on SmartMaid is separate from using food-delivery apps; licensed EAs place MDWs; SmartMaid does not process takeaway orders. Public-transport errands to collect food in person (if you ever use that) stay on #144 — this page stays door / app delivery. No invented $.
Soft MOM
Fair treatment, clear rest, and reasonable hours still apply when she handles meal deliveries for the household. Soft only on mom.gov.sg. App terms and restaurant commercial rules are outside MOM MDW placement rules — do not mix the two.
Checklist
- Place vs receive vs employer-only channel named aloud
- One payment path (cash float / your card / employer account) — no invented fees or tips
- Meal receipts vs grocery receipts kept distinct (#152); prefs / shopping routines stay on #41
- Door / lobby / security handoff briefed; condo registration habits on #121 if relevant
- Meal bags ≠ mail/parcels (#153); soft privacy at the door (#29)
- Employer-written allergies / no-go note provided; wrong-order photo + escalate-to-you process
- Quiet hours written (#32); co-employers aligned on channel + pay (#120)
- Suspected payment / OTP scam path pointed to #166; phone norms fair (#31)
- Platform ≠ agency; SmartMaid does not process food orders; no invented $
Scripts
To helper (first briefing): For food delivery and takeaway, you may [place on my app / only receive / wait for my order]. Payment is [cash float I top up / my account — do not use your own money]. When the rider comes, [open the unit door / collect at lobby / check with security]. If the order is wrong, photo the bag and message me before calling anyone. Allergies note is on [fridge / house-rules sheet] — use only what I wrote. No new orders after [quiet-hours time] unless I say so.
To helper (wrong order): Photo the receipt and the bag, then message me. Do not argue with the rider about money. I will decide whether to contact the restaurant or app.
To co-employer: One channel and one payment rule for meal orders so she is not balancing two apps (#120). Grocery shopping stays on #41/#152; parcels on #153; this brief is delivery / takeaway only.
To helper (suspected scam): If someone calls or texts asking for OTP, card numbers, or “confirm payment” for an order you did not place, stop and tell me (#166). Do not share codes.
Bottom line
Brief your helper on food delivery and takeaway with one channel, one payment path, a clear door or security handoff, an employer-written allergies note, a wrong-order escalate-to-you step, and quiet hours — keep grocery prefs, grocery receipts, parcels, public transport, scam reports, and phone-boundary hubs on their own pages. Browse helpers on SmartMaid; place MDWs through a licensed EA under soft MOM rules. SmartMaid does not process food orders.
