# Contracts



## chef.esg.73 (Dec 10, 2007)

Like I've stated before I have recently started my own Personal Chef/Catering Company. I have been a word of mouth operation for sometime with steady regular clients and trust was not an issue.

Now that I am starting to grow and making new clients and contacts. I need some help with designing a Contract. I would appreciate any help with this. My page is blank on this one, I've been a food guy for 23 years starting a business is new to me. Usually the companys I've worked for are well established and have all this stuff already.

I am hoping to recieve any info on this from you guys/girls.

I would realy a appreciate it if someone could send a copy of a contract to me at one of these email addresses, not to use the exact one but have a hard copy to go by. One for Personal Chef and one for Catering.

[email protected]
[email protected]

*Thanks in advance for your help.  *


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## jjbbqguy (Jun 23, 2007)

Do you have excel? My contract is in excel so I can put all the food and extras, so everyone knows the exact number of people, what food will be served and cost. I can send it in the morning. If you like?


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## oldschool1982 (Jun 27, 2006)

Check your email


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## maryb (Mar 21, 2008)

If you do the food purchasing work in a non-refundable fee to cover food costs if they cancel. I learned that lesson the hard way(but I sold the pulled pork to friends at cost so I was only out my time).


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

If you are charging food + time/salary, I've gotten credit cards from clients with my name..store charges, their signed checks.....
amazing amount of trust. Very cool feeling leaving an interview with a key, code and check in hand.

Contracts are not just trust, it's a clarification of what you've agreed to.....
vacation time (what happens when they go on vacation, or you)
sick time
mileage (instead of raising my rates this past year I asked for mileage....and got it, this is with a parish priest so it was a viable option)
Additional food....guests
equipment
notice when either of you wants to leave the agreement, I asked for 2 weeks notice
I made it clear from the beginning that cooking to their tastes (scoville heat, cooking preference .....nuke, cold, oven as well as amounts of food) took 4-6 weeks......that alot of feedback was needed to tweek initially. 
2.5-3 hour initial meeting was standard. We'd go through likes, dislikes, eating practices, $$$amount they could expect to spend on food/me, that to refresh the herbs/spice cabinent/supply the pantry/get necessary packaging all took extra money at the beginning.

The vacation part is something that should be brought up prior to taking on any clients. My clientel would go on 4 week vacations as well as multiple ones throughout the year. 12 years ago when I started PCing and had 3 young children it was imparative that I have a steady income......filling their vacation time with paid work was just not a viable option. Just makes sense, if you are committed to showing up at their house every week then that's their time. For years I worked 4 days a week, if I needed to shift a day then Friday became the fallback.

The interview process was as important for me as them......if there was not alot of expendable income then they could not afford me for the long run.
Double surgeons, top executives of major corporations, double lawyers......
It took more energy and time to startup.....same with anything personalized really.....I wanted a long term client not one that "tried it out for 3-4 months". 
It was also really important to know who you were cooking for, if there are children that have different tastes from their parents who are you cooking for???? 

There are loads of great threads that talk about personal cheffing in the archives.


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## shroomgirl (Aug 11, 2000)

catering, 50% non refundable deposit books your date. Balance due at time of event or in the case of a wedding 7 days prior to the event date.


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## chef.esg.73 (Dec 10, 2007)

Thanks to all that haved emailed me and posted, your help is appreciated.

Please keep it coming...


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