How Much to Charge for Personal Chef Services
Personal chef work is priced two ways: dinner parties at roughly $75–$150 per guest for the service fee with a 6–10 guest minimum, and weekly meal prep at $300–$600 per session covering 4–5 meals for a household. Groceries are passed through at cost on top, travel is billed by mileage or a flat zone fee, and extra courses, serving staff, and rentals are separate lines.
The two pricing shapes
- Dinner parties — $75–$150 per guest, service fee only, 6–10 guest minimum
- Weekly meal prep — $300–$600 per session for 4–5 meals for a household
- Groceries — passed through at cost, always on top
- Travel — mileage or a flat zone fee beyond your normal radius
What moves the per-head number
- Course count — three courses versus five is a different afternoon
- Menu complexity — a braise you start at noon is not the same as seared fish
- Guest count — plate up for twenty and you need help, which is its own line
- Sourcing — specialty ingredients mean more shops and more driving
Bill your day, not your hours
Hourly pricing punishes the chef who got good at their job. A cook who plates a five-course dinner in four hours instead of six shouldn’t earn less for it. Price the event or the session, and let speed be your margin.
The add-ons that aren’t optional
- Serving or dish staff — at cost plus a coordination fee
- Rentals — plates, glassware, linens
- Specialty sourcing trip — a second store is a second hour
- Late-night finish — past a stated hour, a surcharge
The minimum is the most important number you set
Most chefs undercharge not by setting a low per-head rate but by accepting small bookings at all. A four-guest dinner still costs you a shop, a drive, a prep, and a cleanup — price it as though it were eight, or don’t take it.
Frequently asked questions
Should groceries be included in my per-head price?
No — quote the service fee and pass groceries through at cost. Bundling them means a client who wants wagyu and one who wants chicken pay the same, and you eat the difference on exactly the bookings you were most excited about.
What's a fair minimum for a dinner party?
Whatever a four-guest booking would need to be worth your day, usually a 6–10 guest equivalent. A minimum isn't greed — the shopping, prep, drive, and cleanup barely change between four guests and ten.
How do I price weekly meal prep?
Per session, by meal count and household size, not per hour. Clients buy a stocked fridge, not your afternoon, and hourly pricing punishes you for getting faster at your own job.
Should I charge more for dietary restrictions?
Charge for the ones that change the work — separate allergen prep, multiple menus for one table, or specialty sourcing. A single vegetarian at a dinner for eight isn't a surcharge; three conflicting menus is.