Booking a private chef for a group holiday: what to ask

One private-chef dinner can give everyone a night off without committing to a fully catered holiday. The catch is agreeing what “dinner included” actually means. Ingredients, service and washing up are three different questions — especially when twelve people expect a restaurant to appear in the kitchen.

Send one brief before asking for quotes

Choose the date, address, serving time and confirmed number of diners. Give a budget per person and say whether it includes drinks. Ask the rental host to approve an outside chef before paying a deposit; then send the same brief to each provider so the quotes are comparable.

• •Count adults and children separately, and ask about child menus and minimum charges.
• •Share allergies and dietary requirements before agreeing a menu; ask how cross-contact is managed.
• •Choose shared platters or plated courses, and confirm whether serving staff are included.
• •Request written terms for the deposit, final headcount deadline, cancellations and refunds.

Compare the total, not just the menu price

Ask whether ingredients, travel, tax, equipment hire, service and cleaning are included. As an illustration, a €600 dinner for 12 looks like €50 each. Add €60 travel and €120 service and it becomes €65 each before drinks. These are example figures, not a local price estimate. Agree the complete amount with the group before one person books.

Give the chef a kitchen handover

• •Send photos and details of the oven, hobs, worktop and fridge; confirm what equipment the chef brings.
• •Agree arrival and departure times, access arrangements and how much fridge space to clear.
• •Check who provides plates, glasses and cutlery for every course, and who sets the table.
• •Define cleanup: pans, dishes, worktops and rubbish. Ask how any leftovers should be stored.

Take that dinner out of the grocery shop

For a three-night stay, plan two group-cooked dinners and one chef dinner. Buy ingredients for the two meals you own, plus breakfasts and lunches; add only the drinks or extras explicitly left to you. Keep lunch simple on chef day and leave the kitchen free during preparation. Confirm the booking again before the final shop, and keep one cupboard meal available if plans change.