Do operators of service apps carry duties of employers?

SEVEN CHEFS have taken the company behind the cooking service app Good Chef to court claiming it has not honored their contracts. Changjiang Daily commented on Thursday:

All types of services can now be sourced through apps, including hiring people with particular skills.

But there is a common problem with the providing of app-based services: Who pays those who actually provide the service to the customer? The company that operates the Good Chef app said it only has cooperation relations with the seven chefs, instead of employing them as stated by the chefs.