A food order’s journey: restaurant, handler, and the client’s door

The client browses open restaurants, builds a cart from the menu (with item options and notes), and sets the delivery point by searching an address or dropping a pin on the map. Before confirming, the app shows the full price:

• Items total: the menu prices.
• Delivery fee: based on the distance from the restaurant to the client (table at the end of this module).
• Service fee: My Padi’s platform fee.

Every restaurant on My Padi delivers in one of two ways, and it changes what happens after the food is ready:

Each step is tagged with the roles it involves (● Client ● Restaurant ● Rider ● Automatic) so each reader can spot the steps meant for them. Reading all of them still gives the full picture.

1. 1
   Waiting for the restaurantpending ● Client● Restaurant

   The restaurant sees the order and accepts or rejects it (rejections include a reason). The client can cancel freely while waiting.

2. 2
   Order chatnegotiation ● Client● Restaurant

   Accepting opens a chat between the client and the restaurant for availability, substitutions, and confirming details. When everything’s agreed the restaurant confirms the order and it moves to payment. The client can still cancel here.

3. 3
   Paymentawaiting payment ⏱ 10 min ● Client

   The client has 10 minutes to pay: wallet, mobile money (MTN MoMo / Orange Money), or both combined (wallet first, the gap charged to mobile money). The money goes into escrow.

   Window expires or the client cancels → the order is cancelled and anything already taken (including a partial mobile-money deposit) returns to the client’s wallet automatically.

4. 4
   Kitchen at workpreparing ⏱ prep time ● Restaurant● Client

   The prep countdown runs for the restaurant’s stated preparation time (30 minutes if none was set). The client watches it live.

   • The restaurant can extend it by +30 minutes, once.
   • The client can extend it by any number of minutes, anytime, which is useful when they’re happy to wait.

   If the prep timer expires, the order is cancelled automatically and the client refunded in full. The restaurant and any already-assigned handler are notified (the handler’s deposit is returned).

5. 5
   Finding a handler (system delivery only)finding handlers ⏱ 3 min pool ● Rider● Restaurant● Automatic

   For system-delivered orders, My Padi broadcasts the job to available handlers nearby. The search can start while food is still being prepared. Self-delivery orders skip this step entirely.

   • Handlers apply for the job during a window of up to 3 minutes (the dispatch pool).
   • If 15 handlers apply, the match happens instantly; otherwise the best-rated applicant wins when the window closes.
   • To accept, a handler must lock a security deposit equal to the order’s value from their wallet, their guarantee that the food arrives.

   No handler found? The restaurant is shown options: assign one of its own trusted drivers, switch the order to self-delivery, or cancel it, in which case the client is refunded in full.

6. 6
   Pickuphandler assigned ⏱ 15 min ● Rider● Restaurant

   The assigned handler has 15 minutes to reach the restaurant. The client can see them approach on the map.

   If they miss the deadline, their deposit is returned, they’re removed from this order (and excluded from re-applying to it), and the search restarts automatically, with no action needed from the client.

7. 7
   On the wayen route ⏱ delivery time ● Rider● Client● Restaurant

   The restaurant hands the food over and the order is marked as picked up (for self delivery, the restaurant’s own driver is the one picking up). Two things happen at that moment:

   • The food cost is released from escrow to the restaurant, as their part of the job is done.
   • The delivery countdown starts: the estimated ride time (45 minutes if no estimate). The client tracks the handler live on the map.

   Extensions while en route: the client can add any number of minutes; the restaurant +30 once; the handler +30 once.

   If the delivery timer expires, the order is cancelled and the client is made completely whole: the delivery fee comes back from escrow and the food cost is compensated from the handler’s security deposit.

8. 8
   Delivery: both sides confirmdelivered ● Rider● Client

   At the door, the handler confirms delivery (with a proof photo) and the client taps “Confirm I received my order” in the app. When both confirmations are in:

   • The handler’s security deposit is returned to their wallet.
   • The delivery fee is paid to the handler.

   Clients should only confirm once the food is actually in their hands, because that confirmation is what releases the handler’s pay and deposit.

9. 9
   Reviews● Client

   The client can rate the restaurant as soon as the handler has picked up (the restaurant’s job is done), and again on delivered or even cancelled orders. The handler gets a separate rating after delivery. Handler ratings feed directly back into matching: better-rated handlers win more order pools.

The delivery fee depends only on distance, has a minimum of 500 FCFA, and is rounded to the nearest 50: