Chefs and caterers: booking private dinners at home

Take private dinner bookings in two steps: a short menu call that clients book online, then the dinner itself, booked by you as one slot on the agreed date once the menu, the guest count and the kitchen are settled. Ask before the call for the occasion, the number of guests and any dietary needs, set a date by which the final number is fixed, and make the dinner slot cover your time on site: arrival, preparation, service and cleaning down.

A dinner for six at home and a buffet for forty don't need the same menu, staff or equipment, and you can't price either without knowing the details. A booked call lets the client explain the occasion and lets you check the date, ask about the kitchen and propose a menu. It also keeps the date open until you've agreed what you're cooking.

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, sits within one day and has its own capacity.

Durations and prices are examples: set your own. If you price per guest, give the price per head in the description and the minimum number of guests.

The booking form takes first name, last name, email and phone, plus an optional note that reaches you in the new booking email and appears in the client's calendar file. Ask in the call description for:

Once the menu is agreed, create a slot on that date for your time on site and book the client in yourself from your calendar. First and last name are required, email and phone optional; enter the client's email so they receive a confirmation with a calendar file. With one place, the slot is full and no longer shown on your page, so the evening can't be booked twice. Add the menu and guest count to the booking note so they're in the client's calendar file too.

Guest numbers change. Say in the dinner description by when the final number must be confirmed, for example five days before, so you can shop and prep for the right count. Ask for allergies again at that point, by guest, and keep the answer with your prep list. If the number changes after your deadline, say how you handle it: you cook for the confirmed number, or charge for the guests confirmed.

An oven that doesn't hold its temperature or a kitchen with two rings can undo a menu. For a first dinner or a larger event, ask for photos of the kitchen or book a short visit. Note the oven, hobs, fridge space, plates and glasses, and whether you need to bring equipment. The kitchen visit can be its own service, booked by the client or by you after the call.

If Friday and Saturday evenings fill first for you, plan them early. Decide how many dinners you take per week and how far you'll travel, and say both in your descriptions. Book doesn't stop slots of different services from overlapping, so check your calendar before confirming two events on the same day. Shopping and prep happen outside the slot: plan them the day before and don't open slots on your prep morning.

Clients can't move or cancel online: they contact you, and you move the dinner from your bookings list, then confirm the change yourself, since Book doesn't email clients about changes. Say your cancellation rule in the dinner description, especially for food already bought. Book doesn't take payments or deposits, so say how and when the client pays. Book costs €5/month, everything included: unlimited services and bookings, no commission, no contract.