Private chef bookings: menu call first, one date per client
A dinner party, a birthday, a weekend in a villa: how private chefs can take a menu call first, then book the event date and keep each date for one client.
6 min read
Let clients book a short menu call online, then book the event itself yourself once the menu, the number of guests and the price are agreed. A private dinner is too personal to sell as a click-and-book slot: you need to know the guests' allergies, the kitchen you'll cook in and the style of evening before you commit. Keep each event date for one client by booking it as soon as it's confirmed, so it disappears from your page and no second client can ask for the same evening.
Step 1: the menu call
On Book, each service has a name, a price and an optional description shown on your public page, and each slot belongs to one service with its own start and end. Make the menu call a short service clients can book online, by phone or video:
| Service | Example slot | Example price | Who books it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Menu call | 30 min | (no price shown) | Clients, online |
| Tasting for a large event | 60 min | €60 | Clients, after the menu call |
| Private dinner, evening | 6 h | €450 | You, once the menu is agreed |
| Cooking class at home | 3 h | €250 | Clients or you |
Lengths and prices are examples: set your own. If the menu call is free, leave its price empty: an empty price isn't shown on your page, while a price of zero is displayed as €0.00. The dinner slot covers the whole evening: arriving, setting up, cooking, serving and cleaning.
What to ask when they book the call
- the date and the occasion;
- number of guests and any children;
- allergies and diets: vegetarian, gluten-free, no pork, no alcohol;
- the address and the kitchen: oven, hob type, space, dishes;
- a budget per person, if they have one in mind.
The public booking form asks for first name, last name, email and phone, and has an optional note for these details. You get it in your new-booking email and can prepare menu ideas before the call.
Step 2: booking the event date
Once the menu and price are agreed, create the event slot on that date and book it yourself from your calendar. First and last name are required, email and phone optional; add the client's email so they get a confirmation and a calendar file, and write the essentials in the note, such as "8 guests, 1 vegetarian, nut allergy, induction hob". The booked slot is full and doesn't show on your public page.
Book slots sit within one day. For a weekend at a villa, create one slot per day, and book each for the same client.
One date, one client
A private chef can only cook one dinner an evening. If you don't open dinner slots publicly, and only create them when you confirm an event, no one can book the same evening twice. If you do show free evenings on your page, a booked evening disappears as soon as you confirm it. Book doesn't stop slots of different services from overlapping, so check your calendar before accepting a cooking class on a dinner day.
Changes and cancellations
Guest numbers change and events move. Clients can't move bookings online: they contact you, and you move or cancel from your bookings list. Book doesn't email clients about changes, so confirm the new date yourself. Book doesn't take payments, so explain your deposit and balance in the menu-call description. Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no contract.