Personal Chef

Aren't there any friends of yours in the area that have catering insurance and a company and you can do it under their name??? Just to cover your arse.

Call Steve Raab from Fat Angel, he is an insurance broker and sells me my insurance for catering - 1-646-823-3247.

BBQchef33 said:

thanks for the ideas.. wow, sure am glad I found this place..

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Now that's some funny chit!:lol::lol:



Good info from Strike Eagle.

The HD strangles so many good things before they even get out of the gate, it's
a wonder anyone ever gets a food service business off the ground.

One thing I found out about working with the HD and getting Serv Safe certified is
that food safety is about 5% of the subject matter........the other 95% is nothing more than liability issues.

I hate to say this but Dive had me get a million doller rider on my inshurance and i am starting the corp pappers this week... i am not going to lose everthink i oun for someones party.... and i know well hes a friend of mine. Big deal his friends art your friends and thay will sue you { i know i cant spell sue right sorry }

8 hrs min

Divemaster said:

I think 8 hours is still to short... You've got loading, transporting, cooking, and then cleaning...

I'm assuming that you would need to at least partially cook the bigger cuts... That too adds time (and costs)


I agree with Ray to a point (I'm thinking two days to your three). I do agree that you don't want them to get the meat... You could end up with chuck roasts & pork loins when you ask for Brisket & Butts...


BD, hit the nail on the head.... Figure out what you should charge and then work backwords based on friendship....

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I suggested 8 hrs as the minimum, I expect he would charge for as many hours as he works

Phil there may be a one day thingy you can get from the health department. I have only cooked for friends as a guest of their party. Getting certified up here, on water wells is very very expensive. Scott

Go , do the show and have a good time.

Divemaster said:

I think 8 hours is still to short... You've got loading, transporting, cooking, and then cleaning...

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ASUBBQ said:

I suggested 8 hrs as the minimum, I expect he would charge for as many hours as he works

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I understand that, but based on the conversation at the time he was using a flat rate...

A number of my customers want a flat rate... How much, I'll write you a check kind of thing... There are others that want to go hourly plus expenses... For them I do more of a Time and Materials not to exceed thing...

Divemaster said:

....
A number of my customers want a flat rate... How much, I'll write you a check kind of thing... There are others that want to go hourly plus expenses... For them I do more of a Time and Materials not to exceed thing...

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IME most clients want flat rate, or at least a firm estimate of what an event is going to cost. "Time and materials" billing does not give that sort of firm estimate.

I use a "fee plus" formula for billing. I give the client a firm cost for my services, and a "not to exceed" estimate on the cost of food. With 'Fee Plus' the client knows exactly how much they are paying for my services. They retain the freedom to choose the quality of menu that fits their tastes and needs. And, they can choose to upgrade the menu quality without worry about me skimping on quality in other areas to fit a preset budget. Many clients ASSUME that a 'catering service' will use a certain quality of ingredient. (Most people falsely seem to presume that a catered affair will use average quality ingredients, but not the best available.) Yet, that same client may want to ensure use a certain grade of food for their event. "Fee Plus" lets that happen without any concern that there's some sort of overpayment going on since the client gets the actual grocery bill, so they KNOW how much that Prime Beef REALLY cost.

Some Personal Chefs use an all inclusive formula for their pricing, but I don't like that method. Here's why I don't. With fixed pricing, I'm stuck with the original estimate. If there is a market shift in actual food costs, I have to find a way to adjust my costs elsewhere to keep within budget, or I end up eating the additional cost. (Often, I book events MONTHS in advance, so fluctuating ingredient prices can bite me in this way.) IMHO this is not fair to the client or to me. I would much rather my client be assured of the quality they are getting, without concern that I'm cutting corners on food quality just to stay in budget.

One last note on the two billing systems. Fee Plus service is just that; a SERVICE. And, is treated as such by the tax laws in most states. As a service company, in CA, I do NOT have to charge sales tax on the price of my service to the client. They ONLY pay tax on the grocery items that would normally be taxable in my state. The same can NOT be said for the all inclusive billing option. Since there is no way to separate out the service cost vs. the cost of food and materials, legally tax must be charged for the ENTIRE FEE billed in an all inclusive system. In my county of CA, that would cost the client an additional $200-$300 for the event we've been discussing in this thread, and no one gets any benefit from those additional dollars paid.

My goal is it give my prospects and clients the best service and food available at the best dollar value possible. For me, accurate estimates and billing clarity are, in fact, part of providing the highest quality service available.

BBQchef33 said:

ok.. step one, I have my insurance guy looking into personal chef insurance. First quote I got was $590 for 1,000,000 liability and he is writing up a policy. thanks strikeagle!

Now I check Boh to get my trailer certified. Going down next week during spring break. does anyone know if a portable handwash sink would fit the bill for the forth sinlk? or does it have to be mounted? I already have the SS 3 bay, and thats all Im missing.

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Phil,

I am sure that answer will be different county to county. Here you could get a temporary certification. Make a call to the BOH!

Oh Mighty Grand PooBah,

PM me an e-mail and I'll send you some very specific information and coverage questions you want to make SURE you get addressed with your PC insurance.

Anyone else wanting the same info can feel free to contact me as well.

To address the hand wash sink question. It's going to depend on the local HD rules in place where you are going to be. In most CA jurisdictions, you'd be fine with a portable hand wash set up. However, there are at least a couple of counties that would likely give you grief about it, given that you have mounted facilities for everything else. Metro counties in CA just seem to like to be PITAs to everyone.

Some rural counties in Calif can be a PITA also. State laws governed by counties can be a real experience from one county to the next.

First let me thank you for the education. While I'm doing this as a part time gig, the experiance of others is critical to avoid the many pit-falls that are out there. Thank you again...

StrikeEagle said:

My goal is it give my prospects and clients the best service and food available at the best dollar value possible. For me, accurate estimates and billing clarity are, in fact, part of providing the highest quality service available.

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I agree, in fact I have burned myself on price rather than give sub-par food. I, personally, think that the hardest part is the estimating (both food and cost) especially as far out as you do.

StrikeEagle said:

IME most clients want flat rate, or at least a firm estimate of what an event is going to cost. "Time and materials" billing does not give that sort of firm estimate.

I use a "fee plus" formula for billing. I give the client a firm cost for my services, and a "not to exceed" estimate on the cost of food. With 'Fee Plus' the client knows exactly how much they are paying for my services. They retain the freedom to choose the quality of menu that fits their tastes and needs. And, they can choose to upgrade the menu quality without worry about me skimping on quality in other areas to fit a preset budget. Many clients ASSUME that a 'catering service' will use a certain quality of ingredient. (Most people falsely seem to presume that a catered affair will use average quality ingredients, but not the best available.) Yet, that same client may want to ensure use a certain grade of food for their event. "Fee Plus" lets that happen without any concern that there's some sort of overpayment going on since the client gets the actual grocery bill, so they KNOW how much that Prime Beef REALLY cost.

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I too break out the quanties of each food item on my estimates. I've found that this gives my clients a chance to change any ratios of items that they have requested. It is then that I can come up not only with a per-person rate, but also a cost on each item based on the estimated quantity.

I also agree that an educated customer is often more understanding when it comes to costs. Maybe I'm unique, but if a customer has misgivings over a price, I like to break it down and explain it all to them. I had one customer that didn't understand how long it took to cook brisket... I invited him over for a cook I was doing for my neighboor; he was there from trimming to slicing... Best comment I got was "we're not paying you enough" I told him next time I would make up the difference... I since had 3 gigs with his family.

StrikeEagle said:

Some Personal Chefs use an all inclusive formula for their pricing, but I don't like that method. Here's why I don't. With fixed pricing, I'm stuck with the original estimate. If there is a market shift in actual food costs, I have to find a way to adjust my costs elsewhere to keep within budget, or I end up eating the additional cost. (Often, I book events MONTHS in advance, so fluctuating ingredient prices can bite me in this way.) IMHO this is not fair to the client or to me. I would much rather my client be assured of the quality they are getting, without concern that I'm cutting corners on food quality just to stay in budget.

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Again, I like your idea on estimating and billing on a 'Fee Plus' basis.

StrikeEagle said:

One last note on the two billing systems. Fee Plus service is just that; a SERVICE. And, is treated as such by the tax laws in most states. As a service company, in CA, I do NOT have to charge sales tax on the price of my service to the client. They ONLY pay tax on the grocery items that would normally be taxable in my state. The same can NOT be said for the all inclusive billing option. Since there is no way to separate out the service cost vs. the cost of food and materials, legally tax must be charged for the ENTIRE FEE billed in an all inclusive system. In my county of CA, that would cost the client an additional $200-$300 for the event we've been discussing in this thread, and no one gets any benefit from those additional dollars paid.

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I can see your point on the taxes.. I like the way you look out for your customers!

bbqbull said:

If I cook the food on my own property and deliver it to another site Im covered under my home owners policy.

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Thanks for that little bit there Bull. That is how I have been doing my under the table gigs, cooking at home and delivering. I need to see if my Homeowner's policy covers me on that...

BBQchef33 said:

But as far as this job goes, what I did NOT realize is that there is another graduation party going on that weekend.

Its my daughters. Shes graduating too. Oops. :redface:

It just came up while we were discussing the job, so she hasn't decided what or when her party is, but that may be a show stopper.

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With all due respect, you sir, are a dumb arse! :biggrin:

Dumb arse? HA! He'd been called worse if he had forgotten altogether.

Desert Dweller said:

Thanks for that little bit there Bull. That is how I have been doing my under the table gigs, cooking at home and delivering. I need to see if my Homeowner's policy covers me on that...

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Bo, I can all but guarantee you that your homeowners policy does NOT cover you on this. Same goes for Bull.

Unless you have it in WRITING, don't risk it. In addition to not being covered, you'll be in violation of Health Code. I know that there is NOT a single state that allows someone to cook in an un-inspected home kitchen for delivery to a remote site. And, let me tell you, once you've broken a major rule like that, you can be assured that the HD will become your shadow for quite some time.