Non-Personal Chefs Offering Cheap Services.....

[LorrieP]

Hey Folks!

I was wondering if any of you were having troubles with people offering PC services at way way low prices?

As a new personal chef I have already adjusted my prices for my market and area and believe them to be fair an affordable. But I constantly see others coming in with way way low prices. I could not keep up with my licensed business charging these prices. Even worse I see people offering to cook out of their homes all the time...ewew!

Just curious if any of you were having a bumpy ride like this? And how you've been dealing with it?

Have A Great Day!
Lorrie

(I market towards families, and retired folks)

[Bubba Shlub]

Try pushing the quality of your food. The customer gets what they pay for. Make sure they know that. Tell them that nobody can stay in business offering good quality food at such low prices. It isn't possible.

[Derek Cooks]

There is ALWAYS someone willing to work for less. You, on the other hand, only work for more. More quality. More service. More Safety. More courtesy. More timely. More money. More perfection.

If you are selling on price you're dead already. Talk about what you can do for them, not about what it costs.

[Bubba Shlub]

Yeah. What he said.

[Fincher]

Try competing against the "church ladies" theres a group here that will do full dinner service with salad choice entree, and dessert for $13 dollars a person!!!!!!!!!! They do weddings and all sorts of functions.

They all volunteer and the money goes to their church fund. Thats hard to compete against.

Yeah as Derek says, push your quality angle.

[cooknride]

Hi all
I'm new to the forums here. Been a professional chef/cook for many years. Mostly restaurant, but have done a bunch of outside work too, catering, banquets, etc.
I'm pretty sure the question has already been answered somewhere here on the forums, (direct me there please if you want....) but when someone asks you for the first time to do a dinner party and how much do you want, where do you start?
Well, I started with what they want. Caesar salad, Chicken Saltimbocca with pot&veg, Shrimp Scampi with angel hair, dinner rolls. No dessert. It's an employee party for 16 in a house, and they will take care of the booze and serving it.
They wanted to know if I could just make it and bring it in a foil pan. I'm saying no I can't do that that's not the way I wanna present my food. They are familiar with my food anyways, and I'm sure they want it the same way I can do it in the restaurant.
So anyways, talking up the quality he agreed to having me finish cooking it there and plate it.
So the questions are:
Where should my food% be?
And/or should I offer him a per plate price based on the actual cost of food plus an hourly rate to cover shopping, prep, and service? I'm thinking my services are worth 50./hr....Is this a good PC rate? I don't wanna lo-ball myself rightoff.....
I would like to get into PC to try and get away from blowing my brains out everynight on the line......

BTW, I am also a volunteer for several(biking and non-)organizations and have run plenty of those cheap concessions(read:hamburger stands) for fund-raising events etc. and for the church too. My guess is that those that only spend 13/pp catered in their home can't spend more anyways and are mainly giving back to their church or whatever, so it's really a different market share.

But like I said, I'm not a PC, yet, and glad to have found this resource that may take me in that direction.
SteveC

[JewelsQ]

Dang, Derek! That was so good I turned it into a radio commercial!

[LorrieP]

Hi Cooknride!
You are right this is a great forum! You can easily find information on general questions down to not so general.

I also have come from a restaurant background over 16 years working the kitchens can eventually get to you hahah! I moved on to PCing because it gives me more creativity, and lets face it--- a life back.

The party you are doing is more on the catering side of PCing
(I do this too). I charge an hourly chef fee, cost of food and any rentals or other stuff that will be required, including extra staff. In my area, I charge 45/hr with a 4 hour min.

Just a couple of words of advice that someone gave to me:
Make sure you have some sort of liability insurance in place before cooking for anyone. And most States and counties require you to cook from a commercial kitchen that has been licensed from your county health department. Cooking from a facility 'other then the clients kitchen' is against the law.

Congrats on your party, and welcome aboard being a PC!

Have A Great Day!
Lorrie

[thecooktoo]

For those of you new to the PC business, or considering going into the PC business...keep this in mind. YOU ARE NOT SELLING FOOD...YOU ARE IMPROVING YOUR CLIENTS LIFESTYLE.

If you forget that, you will fail. Remember, your client can buy food anywhere, but no restaurant, carryout or easy prep meal place can change the way they eat at home, give them the extra time that they really want or change their lilves for the better like a personal chef can.

Jim

[Candy Wallace]

This is a terrific topic, and possibly an opportunity "in disguise" for some of the newer personal chefs and potential personal chefs out there.

How you present your skills and professional services is critical to your success. Jim Davis and I have been hammering this home in our seminars for nearly 15 years.

It isn't just about the food.

The flowered apron ladies and folks cooking from their homes can provide food (such as it is), but what YOU are offering to your clients is a level of PROFESSIONALISM that separates you from the rest of the herd.

As a professional personal chef you are providing culinary services, certainly, but you are offering Peace of Mind, stress reduction, a guarantee that the meals are being prepared from FRESH ingredients that have been customized to the clients needs and desires and a level of scrupulous personal service and commitment to the clients' well being and quality of life that cannot be provided by non-professionals. As a professional personal chef you have gone proactive to provide your clients with the peace of mind they need in order to invite you into their homes for that first cook date, and that means a valid municipal business license, a legitimately registered business name and format, comprehensive personal chef specific general liability insurance coverage and valid certification for safe food handling. Membership in a national personal chef trade association can provide credibility, as well as professional personal chef certification which is available through an accredited third-party organization like ACF.

Walk tall and be the professional you are. You earn every dime you charge, and the folks who are offering casual "from home" service or low-ball their prices will not retain long term clients and will not be in business for long. This is, first and foremost, A BUSINESS, not a cooking club.
Set up your business like a business, act like the pro that you are and be proud of what you are offering your clients.
They will feel safe in your hands, love your food and appreciate the contribution you make to their wellbeing.
It's a partnership.
Keep it personal!
Candy Wallace

[Chef Terry]

Hear hear, I can tell you from experience they do not last. In London Ontario a friend of mine started his PC business, and on the same day a cut price pc advertised on the radio, he phoned me panicking that he was to expensive, 'calm down' I kept telling him, she will not last 6 weeks at those prices, and I guarantee she is not using fresh top ingredients. To cut a long story short, a year later he is booming........the other pc is nowhere to be seen