How to quote a private chef event: the complete checklist

What a private chef quote actually is

A quote is not a menu with numbers next to it. It is the document that tells the client exactly what they get, what it costs, what happens if things change, and what you need from them to lock the date. A good quote sells the job for you — a vague one loses it to the next chef who replied faster.

The quote lives between the inquiry and the deposit. Get the details at the inquiry, turn them into a real price, send the quote, collect the deposit, then lock the menu. In that order.

The quoting checklist: every line

A complete private chef quote covers all of these — not just the food:

• Food cost for the full menu, every course
• Rentals and equipment you don't own (plates, glassware, linens, chafing dishes)
• Round-trip travel and mileage at the IRS rate
• Your prep and service hours, including any assistants or servers
• A service fee covering planning, packing, cleanup, and overhead
• Clear deposit and cancellation terms, in writing, on the quote

What to confirm before you quote

Before a single number goes on the page, get these from the client: the date, the guest count, the location, the occasion, dietary restrictions and allergies, and the kitchen situation — oven size, burner count, fridge space, and whether they own basics like sheet trays and a large pot. Never assume a home kitchen is equipped like a restaurant.

Get the allergies in writing at the inquiry stage, not the day of. Plan separate utensils and boards for allergen-free dishes. That conversation is part of the quote.

The two numbers on every quote

There are two numbers and the client only ever sees one of them. The client-facing quote shows the bottom line and the menu — what they're paying and what they're getting. Your private numbers — food cost, margins, your hourly breakdown — stay on your side of the sheet. Clients never see your internal costs.

Send the quote as a clean branded PDF, never a screenshot or a photo of a screen. Include the deposit terms and what the quote covers directly on the document. Name the file consistently (ClientName, date, document type) so you can find it when they rebook next year.

Deposit, menu lock, and the timeline

Collect a deposit — 25 to 50 percent — before you shop. Then lock the final menu and the final guest count in writing, with a deadline for changes. Many chefs set the final count 3 to 5 days out. Say what happens if the count changes after the deadline.

After the quote is accepted: shopping about 2 days before the event, prep about 1 day before, pack against a packing list, confirm the arrival window with the client, then work the service. Settlement closes it out — your actual hours, receipts, and mileage reconciled into the final bill while it's fresh.

Why most quotes lose money

The quote that loses money is the one that priced the groceries and forgot the rest. The rentals. The drive. The hours you spent planning and packing. The cleanup at midnight. Those are the devious, easy-to-miss details hiding in every quote, and they're the difference between a job that pays and a job that costs you.

That is exactly what the Quote Calculator is built to catch. It walks every line — food, rentals, travel, your time, the fee — so nothing slips, and it produces the client-ready quote next to your private numbers in one pass. A finished quote becomes the job: the playbook and the settlement start from those numbers instead of retyping them.