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Hotplate

E-COMM
Velocity6.3

Ecommerce platform for creators and food businesses to sell limited-drop products with scheduled sales, waitlists and payments

www.hotplate.com ↗

Hotplate turns the solo food drop into a two-chef business with automatic revenue splits.

multi-seller-commercerevenue-splitscreator-economyreferral-growthportal-rebuild
◆Current state
Since rebuilding its seller portal in March, Hotplate has shipped a steady run of merchant-side capability: payment links for manually created orders, self-issued gift cards, an iOS portal app, review replies, and a full rework of the drops flow. Collab drops, shipped this week, is the first feature that changes the shape of a transaction rather than the tooling around it — two or more chefs share one menu, one drop text, and automatic revenue splits.
◆Where it's heading
The arc runs from 'help one chef run a drop' toward 'be the operating system for a network of independent food sellers.' Gift cards and payment links pulled money movement that used to happen over Venmo and DMs into the platform; collab drops pulls the seller-to-seller relationship in too. The referral program's extension from one month to a full year of fee share, and the referral credit baked into collab invitations, show growth being wired into the product rather than run alongside it.
◆Prediction
Expect collabs to grow the surface a shared drop needs — split payouts across more than two parties, shared customer lists, and collab discovery — and for the invite-a-non-user path to become the main acquisition channel Hotplate instruments next.

◆Recent moves

  1. 13d ago

    Collab drops: shared menus with automatic revenue splits

    ⚡ SPARK

    The first release that makes a Hotplate drop a multi-party transaction: several chefs build one menu, one drop text goes to everyone's subscribers, and revenue splits settle automatically. It moves the platform past the solo-seller model that every previous feature assumed.

  2. 15d ago

    New order confirmations ✨

    Order confirmations were redesigned around the details that matter at a pickup counter, with a mobile tap opening the QR code. Pickup logistics is where drops break down in practice, so this is operational polish with real effect.

  3. 18d ago

    Drops, refreshed 🧼

    The whole drops flow was reworked: drops open front and center, pickup windows are editable while a drop is live, and inventory changes are visible per item. This is the portal rebuild reaching the feature chefs use most.

  4. 1mo ago

    Reply to reviews

    Chefs can now reply publicly to storefront reviews, with the customer notified by text. A long-requested addition that pushes the storefront further toward being a standalone shop rather than a checkout page.

  5. 2mo ago

    Hotplate Portal iOS app now on the App Store

    The seller portal arrives on the App Store with push notifications. It gives Hotplate a direct channel to chefs' phones, which matters for a business where drops sell out in minutes.

  6. 2mo ago

    Referral program pays 20% of fees for a full year

    Referral earnings expand from a referred chef's first month of fees to a full year, paid monthly. A pricing-side change that shows Hotplate betting on seller-to-seller growth — the same bet collab drops makes on the product side.