Imagine this; you’re planning the perfect retreat. Everyone is excited and you can’t wait to be able to give concrete details. So you decide on a city, and start contacting venues and Personal Chefs. After all, those are the two big details right? Where you’re holding the retreat and what people will be eating!
As you start contacting Personal Chefs for quotes, it starts getting difficult.
One can’t give you a quote because you don’t have dates.
Another can’t give you a quote because you don’t know how many people you’ll be having.
A third can’t give you a quote because you’re not sure what you need. Someone on site all day from breakfast through dinner? Food for the day prepared and left in the fridge? Dinner only?
As you are planning a retreat, it can be tempting to get a quote for a Personal Chef early in the process. If you want to be efficient however, be sure to already have the following decisions made, otherwise you will end up wasting time backtracking.
What Is Your Budget?
I’ve tried to give quotes to people who refused to give me their budget. They think I get their budget, they’ve lost negotiating power, and ‘that’s how I get you’.
Nothing could be farther from the truth. Any Personal Chef worth their salt (food pun ;) will bend over backwards to wring every last drop of value from whatever your budget number is. They are insanely passionate about food AND feeding people. They want your event to be a success just as much as you do.
The best way to get an accurate quote you’ll be happy with is to either:
· Ask for two quotes for a low and higher budget, both within your range, or
· Provide a daily rate and ask to have every item listed separately so that you can delete or add things to come to a price within you budget and a menu and service you’re happy with.
Which Meals and How Will It Be Served?
Do you want breakfast, lunch, snack, and dinner? Or just breakfast and dinner?
Do you want someone there to serve meals or do you want your Personal Chef to prepare the day’s food and then leave?
If you need someone on site, do you want buffet style or are you going all out and having plated dinners, which may require additional staff?
But What About That One Guy Who Needs A Special Diet?
While accommodating special diets might seem like a huge deal, for Personal Chefs it really isn’t.
We work with clients who have a multitude of nutritional needs from minor food allergies, to specialized diets like paleo, keto, and gluten free, to severe food allergies, to people who just don’t like onions/garlic/any vegetable on the planet.
It’s not critical that you have absolutely every detail of every attendee’s personal preferences before you get a quote.
All you need is a general idea of what kind of food you want to provide. Gourmet, healthy, box lunches, power meals etc are enough to give a quote.
Will You Need Rentals?
This can have a huge impact on your budget.
Does the venue have a fully stocked dining area for the number of attendees you’ll be hosting including tables, seating, plateware, flatware, glassware, servingware, etc?
For that matter does the venue have a fully functional kitchen?
Bonus Info: What Are Your Dates?
It can be tempting to start getting quotes before you have confirmed dates.
You can get tentative proposals. The danger there is when you have a hard date the Personal Chef you fell in love with is already booked and then you have to start over with someone else.
When you start getting new quotes, you might not find someone who can do what they were doing for the same price.
If at all possible, have firm dates before contacting Personal Chefs for quotes, and be prepared to give a deposit to secure the one who is perfect for your retreat.
As always in planning events, the more information you are able to provide, the easier and faster you will be able to get quotes and secure the Personal Chef that will help make your retreat a success for you and your attendees.
Chef Shelley Blechar is a Personal Chef in the Dallas/Ft. Worth area. When she’s not cooking for clients, she helps passionate home cooks become Personal Chefs. Information on her Personal Chef services is at www.ElegantEats.net and she blogs at www.ChefintheBurbs.com.
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