We are a gig platform for independent chefs

Learn how we work and apply Tips and FAQs for chefs already on the platform

How we work

1. Customers request

Giving key details like date, number of people, serving style, food preferences and a budget. We will text you about relevant opportunities jobs near you.

2. You make a proposal

You then submit a proposed menu and pricing for each opportunity that interests you. Only 5 chefs can propose on each opportunity to favor pro-active chefs.

3. Select and cook

Customers select a chef through the site and provide payment details. On the day, you go to the customers home and cook the meal, and we process payment.

1. Customer requests meal

Giving key details and a budget. We text you about gigs near you

2. You make a proposal

You submit a proposed menu and pricing for each opportunity that interests you

3. Select and cook

Customers select a chef. You cook the meal and we process payment

Types of gigs

Dinner Parties

Customers looking for a authentic restaurant quality meal experience prepared in their home. Generally party size of 2 to 10 people.

Private Cooking Lessons

Customers wanting a fun and interactive small group experience in their home. Can be anything from pasta making to how to do a good roast.

Small event catering

Vacation rental catering, Brunches, Special Celebrations, Party Canapes, BBQs. Anything where customers want a chef to prepare great cuisine on site for 2-30 people.

Types of gigs

Dinner Parties

Restaurant quality meal experience prepared in the customers home

Cooking Lessons

Fun and interactive lesson experiences in the customers home

Small event catering

BBQs, Brunches, Vacation home rental catering

What we offer

• Quality gig opportunities generated through our marketing and advertising activities that would not be feasible for a independent chef
• A independent platform to build a reputation through customer reviews and referrals, and manage all customer communications
• Management of all booking and payment administration so you can concentrate on creating amazing food experiences
• Aligned incentives – we only make $ when you make $ – our only charge to you is our 15% management fee for confirmed bookings (12% platform + 3% credit card processing)
• Flexibility – you work when you want. Your creations Your hours, Your prices
• Coverage – we currently operate in Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Diego and Washington D.C.

Application requirements

• Both professional and gourmet amateur chefs welcome – just need the ability to deliver a high quality dinner party experience and the confidence to work independently in customers homes
• Availability on Friday and Saturday nights is needed given that most customer demand is on weekends
• As a online platform, photos of your cooking are important. When applying, you will need to upload a minimum of 2 photos of nicely plated dishes you have prepared. DO NOT START YOUR APPLICATION UNTIL YOU HAVE THESE PHOTOS READY TO UPLOAD OR YOUR APPLICATION WILL BE AUTOMATICALLY REJECTED
• Successfully screened applications will be asked to telephone interview. The final step is a background check.

Apply (takes 2-5 minutes)

Tips and FAQs for approved chefs

The booking process

1. Customers place a request with us through our website – giving details like date, party size, meal type, cuisine preferences, special requirements, occasion, etc. They also set a budget for the gig
2. We text the closest available chefs about the gig, and list the gig on our FIND WORK page
3. You can read the full details of the gig on our site, including the zip code location so that you can take in to account travel time
4. If you are interested in the gig, you click on the SUBMIT PROPOSAL button and enter a menu that you would prepare. Your proposal price must be all inclusive of ingredients, and your time to travel, cook, serve and clean up. Plus, remember the 15% booking fee we charge you off this price. See our tips section below for how to write up successful menu proposals.
5. Customers review the chefs proposals they receive. If they have questions and changes, they will message you through the site. Phone contacts are only exchanged after booking
6. You can edit your menu and pricing. Customers can edit their request date, party size and budget. In general, it takes customers and chefs a few message and proposal edits back and forth to arrive at an agreed menu proposal
7. When the customer is ready to decide, they confirm the booking through our website and provide their credit card details for payment
8. Once the booking is confirmed, contacts are shared, and you must call the customer to align on any last details
9. On the day of the meal, Table at Home processes payment on your behalf. We authorize the payment several days beforehand so that you have confidence to go and buy ingredients, etc.
10. You receive payment (minus our 15% booking fee) via venmo, 2-4 business days after the meal

Tips to get established on the platform

1. Get your proposals in straight after we text you Expand

When you start and don’t yet have any reviews, the #1 thing to give you the best chance of winning jobs is to get your proposals in quickly (within 1-4 hours after the job has been posted) and be one of the first 3 chefs to propose. You do not want to be the 4th or 5th chef to propose on a job, as if the first couple of chefs to propose have great customer reviews it will be harder to get your foot in the door. In addition, we always follow up with Customers straight after they have 2-3 proposals to try confirm the booking, so if you are one of the first 2-3 chefs you get the benefit of this follow-up. Given our site has functionality for you to copy and paste from old proposals as a base, you should be able to propose on the majority of jobs from your cell phone.

2. Submit quality proposals Expand

We have a whole set of tips for doing good proposals (see on this page), however 2 things are most critical: (1) a well written menu with mouth watering and succinct descriptions for each dish, written in a style similar to a high end restaurant menu, (2) attaching several good photos so people can visualize what their dinner will look like.

Remember, unlike a restaurant where people can look in the door and get a sense of the chefs style, the only thing customers have to go on is your proposal and profile.

Finally, make sure your proposal is specific and relevant to the customers request – no meat dishes for a vegetarian request 🙂

3. Go hard and propose on as many jobs as possible Expand

When you first start, it can take a bit of time to win your first few jobs when you don’t yet have Customer Reviews. Remember, you are in general competing against 3-4 other chefs (so a 1 in 4 to 1 in 5 chance), and your odds are a little worse when you start (expect success every 1 in 10 times you propose). Given this, the best approach is to propose on as many jobs as possible when you start, to quickly win your first 3-4 jobs and get some good customer reviews. Chefs with great Customer Reviews have a MUCH higher rate of success, so the quicker you can build a reputation the better.

4. Create a strong profile – About me and Photo portfolio Expand

A strong profile is crucial for you to be able to win work on the platform. Until you have Customer Reviews, really only 2 things matter on your profile: Your ‘About Me’ and your photo portfolio.  

Your About Me description on your profile is just as important as your photo portfolio, especially when you don’t have many Customer Reviews. It does not need to be long (2-5 paragraphs is enough) but it does need to capture 3 things: (1) your experience, (2) your cooking style and passion, and (3) a sense of who you are as a person. Try to keep it conversational and friendly, and avoid as much as possible chef cliches like ‘farm to table’ ‘seasonal’, etc. unless it is truly core to your value proposition. You want to be memorable.

Make sure your photos have good light and the food is nicely presented. As the majority of requests we get are for dinner parties, nice shots of individual plates tend to do best. Please no shots of food in take out containers or types of foods people are unlikely to request with a private chef (e.g. burgers, fries, etc.). Have a looked some of the selected photos on our home page to see the style and quality that works best.

Tips for doing winning proposals

1. Catchy menu title Expand

Give your menu a memorable and interesting title that makes the Customer want to click and learn more. Sometimes this can mean a title that relates to something specific mentioned in their request (e.g. “Girl last supper’ for a Bachelorette party) or a title that relates to the menu (e.g. Classic French Bistro for a French menu). Remember, the customers summary page for a Meal Request just shows the Title, Chef Name and Price for each proposal. If your proposal has a particularly bad title, the customer may not even click on it.

2. Well structured and descriptive menu Expand

Write up the menu in a clear and attractive manner so that Customers can easily understand and imagine what you will cook them. Specifically 3 things help: (a) A concise name for each dish, (b) A description for each dish on a separate line underneath the name of the dish, and (c) Use a row space between dishes.

See 2 examples below:

Winter Citrus Salad

Tangerines, Grapefruit and Oranges tossed with a Sherry and Honey Vinaigrette

OR

Appetizer

Pan Seared Diver Scallops over a Yukon Mash

 

Also – you may want to offer the customer several dish options for each course, and have them choose the one they like. You can do this, but need to have just the one price – similar to a fixed price menu in a restaurant. You could detail this as follows:

***

MAIN COURSE (choose 1)

Braised lamb shanks with winter vegetables

OR

Seared scallops with Saffron Risotto

OR

Crispy Skin Duck Breast over Dijon Mash and Buck Choy

***

 

Finally – put yourself in the customers shoes – if you expect people to spend $80 to $150 per head on a dinner, take the time and care to write up your menu nicely so that people can see the value.

Remember – unlike a restaurant where potential customers can look at what other diners are eating, in an online environment, customers rely on the description in your menus and the photos you provide. A higher level of description is required.

3. Short personal note in Additional Information section Expand

This section is open for you to give some more explanation to your menu or why they should choose you as their chef. Most successful chefs use this to introduce themselves with a short personal note covering who they are and why the customer should choose them. This could range from talking about your credentials to mentioning that one of the dishes is your specialty.

As a checklist, make sure your note covers 3 things:

(1) Introduces you, giving a brief sense of who you are as a chef, and guiding the customer to click on your profile to learn more and see what other customers have said about you in your reviews

(2) Gives your thinking behind the the menu you have proposed

(3) Mentions that you are open to changes and ideas, and that they can click on the message button to ask you any questions or discuss any changes.

4. Competitive pricing (for what you are offering) Expand

Chefs set their own prices, at least within within the customers budget. Design a menu that you can profitably deliver within the budget. This does not necessarily mean you need to have the cheapest proposal – maybe you are offering a more upmarket experience. The most consistently successful chefs, price competitively on value rather than opportunity. Sure the opportunistic chef will snag the odd job, but this is more by fluke. Value always wins over the long term, especially when you take in to account Customer Reviews.

5. Enticing photos Expand

Photos help bring your proposal to life. It is very rare that a proposal without photos is selected by a Customer. You should always add 2-5 relevant photos to your proposal. Please make sure these photos meet our quality requirements (good lighting, food nicely plated, no writing) so that they are not flagged and the proposal suspended. Proposal photos are shared with the customer over multiple channels – site, email and text.

Tips to deliver a great meal experience in a customer’s home

1. Have a alignment chat with your customer Expand

Everyone has their ideas on how the perfect meal should run. Avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings by having a alignment conversation with your Customers to agree things like who will bring the plates out, do they want you to describe each plate, and of course understand their kitchen setup.

We suggest that you have 3 key alignment conversations with a Customer:

1. A quick telephone call straight after the Customer has made the booking through the site and contacts are exchanged (this is actually a Rule)

2. Several days before the meal to check that all is OK and no plans have changed

3. When you arrive at the Customers home to quickly go over what has been agreed and how you plan to run the experience

The most common underlying reason for a Chef delivering a experience deemed unsatisfactory by a Customer (and receiving a poor review) is a lack of pre-alignment. It is the Chefs responsibility to make sure this alignment occurs.

2. Be on time Expand

This is the first impression that you will make with your customer. Make it positive and turn up at their home at the agreed time. If you will be late, let them know. It’s basic good manners and professionalism.

3. Stick to the menu you have agreed Expand

You were chosen based on the menu you proposed, so stick to it unless you have organised changes with your customer. It is up to you to manage sourcing the ingredients, so be careful with certain in season foods that may not always be readily available.

4. Be friendly and courteous with your guests Expand

No grumpy chefs please! Creating a good impression will go a long way to receiving a good review score and referral work.

5. Respect your customers kitchen and equipment Expand

Take care of your customers kitchen and equipment as if it was your own. You will not be held responsible for accidental breakages, but please no Greek plate throwing.

6. Do not ask for any extra payment or tips Expand

This is actually a rule. Payment is collected through tableathome.com so as to make the in-home experience as pleasant as possible. The price you quote needs to be the full price, including all ingredients, our fees, your travel costs, etc. You cannot ask the customer for any additional money, including tips. Lack of adherence to this will have you immediately removed from the platform.

7. Clean up after yourself Expand

You must clean up after you have cooked your meal, leaving the customer’s kitchen in the same state as you found it. Remember, this is the last impression that customers will have of you, so make it a good one and don’t ruin all your good work from earlier in the night.”

Tips to build your business

1. Build out a photo portfolio of your work Expand

With countless well qualified and reviewed chefs on the platform, one of the best ways to be noticed is with great photos. Some may call it ‘food porn’, however you want to describe it, the enticing nature of mouth-watering pictures of food is hard to ignore.

2. Encourage customers to leave you a review Expand

At its core, the Table at Home experience is built on trust. One of the strongest pillars of that trust is customers trusting what other customers have to say about you. Customer reviews are a key criteria for selecting (or not selecting) a chef. Make sure that every customer gives you a review so you can build a robust profile!

3. Work on a signature style Expand

Just as in the restaurant world, the chefs on our platform that really stand out (and have work coming to them) have built a signature style. It starts with having a signature dish but can go so much farther. Build a consistent theme in your photo portfolio, showcase a signature menu, etc. It can take time to find something that resonates with customers, but when you do, your success is assured.

4. Spread the good word about Table at Home Expand

We are trying to start a food revolution with in-home chefs. By working together through Table at Home we can grow the market much more than any of us could on our own. Tell everyone what you are doing, and be happy when others join you!

5. Propose hard to build a reputation ASAP Expand

When you first start, it can take a bit of time to win your first few jobs when you don’t yet have Customer Reviews. Remember, you are in general competing against 3-4 other chefs (so a 1 in 4 to 1 in 5 chance), and your odds are a little worse when you start (expect success every 1 in 10 times you propose). Given this, the best approach is to propose on as many jobs as possible when you start, to quickly win your first 3-4 jobs and get some good customer reviews. Chefs with great Customer Reviews have a MUCH higher rate of success, so the quicker you can build a reputation the better.

Fequently asked questions

1. How do I get paid? Expand

Table at Home organizes payment on your behalf from the customer via credit card. We use a company called Braintree (part of Paypal) that charges your customers credit card then transfer the funds to you (minus our booking fee) through Venmo. Transfers generally take 2-5 business days from the date of the booking.

IMPORTANT – To ensure your Venmo account is set up correctly and payments go through smoothly, please make sure the email, full name and and date of birth you have on file with us is accurate.

2. What booking fee does Table at Home charge? Expand

Table at home charges a 15% management fee (12% booking + 3% payment processing) for all jobs based off the price being charged to the customer. There is a minimum fee of $30.

3. Can I offer the customer multiple menu options? Expand

Yes you can, but you need to just specify one price. For example, you could propose to cook either a roast lamb or baked fish for a dinner menu, however you need to propose the same price for both options (i.e. make just the one proposal with a single price).

4. Can I bring helpers to Customers homes? Expand

Yes you can, and most Chefs do bring help for bookings when the party size is greater than 8 people. However, Table at Home has 2 conditions: (1) You must always be present and leading all meal experiences, and (2) You need to include the cost of any help in your proposed price (i.e. you cannot charge extra than your quoted price for help).

5. Can I contact a Customer after submitting a proposal? Expand

Customers need to make the first move after you have sent them a proposal. After a Customer has sent you a Message, you are able to respond and follow-up with them as often as you like.

We have this ‘first move’ rule so that Customers do not receive multiple solicitations from Chefs that they are not interested in.

6. How do I change my proposal if a customer requests changes? Expand

Go to My Work, and click on the Edit button for the particular proposal. The Customer will be informed when you have updated your proposal.

Note – Only the Customer can change the date, party size or budget of their request. When a Customer edits a request that you have already proposed on, you will be informed via text that they have done this so that you can update your proposal.

7. How do I accept a customers request for one of my Set Menu Expand

You will receive a text message notification when a Customer requests one of your Set Menus. You should click on the link to see the date of the request, party size and any changes the customer may want.

If you are interested in the gig, you should submit a proposal to confirm your interest and the final price after any requested changes have been incorporated.

Once the customer has accepted this proposal, you will receive a final request to confirm the booking. You then have 2 hours to confirm the booking.

8. What happens if I miss the 2 hour window to confirm a booking? Expand

When a Customer Accepts your proposal through the site, you are sent a text message to either Confirm or Decline the job.

You have a 2 hour window to Confirm the job. If you do not confirm the job within this 2 hour window, the Customer is informed that you are no longer available / interested, and the job is reopened for the Customer to select another Chefs proposal.

If for some reason you missed the 2 hour window but are still interested in the job, we suggest that you message the Customer immediately. If they have not yet chosen another Chef then you can ask them to re-accept your proposal on the site. You will then be given another 2 hour window to Confirm the job.

9. What if I need to cancel a job I confirmed? Expand

Committing to cook for a customer is a serious commitment. Imagine if you were hosting 6 guests for dinner, and at the last moment your chef cancelled. Our rules are that if you cancel more than 1 confirmed job in a 6 month period you will be removed from the platform. A no show results in immediate removal. Obviously, if there are exceptional circumstances like a serious accident or death of a family member, we will make exceptions.

10. What happens if a customer cancels a confirmed job? Expand

If a customer cancels after a booking is confirmed, there are cancellation charges – 30% of the meal price up until 3 weeks before the meal, 50% for cancellations made between 3 weeks and 48 hours before the meal, and a 100% charge for any cancellation made less than 48 hours before the meal booking time.

You will receive the funds from any cancellation charges Table at Home is able to charge the Customer, less our 15% booking fee (based off the original booking total). This is to compensate you for lost work opportunities and ingredients purchased.

11. What if the customer asks for changes (e.g. menu, date, party size) after a booking has been confirmed? Expand

Any change needs to be mutually agreed between Chef and Customer.

If the agreed changes result in either a change in the price or date of the booking, the Chef MUST inform Table at Home so that billing can be updated. Table at Home will send a booking update text to the Customer to confirm the changes.

12. What if I am running late to a customer’s home? Expand

Punctuality is a serious reflection on your professionalism as a private chef, so try not to be late. If for some reason you are running late then first contact the customer to let them know. If you are unable to reach them via phone, text or email, then please let us know so we can try to help.

13. What happens if I break something in the customer’s kitchen? Expand

Accidents can and do happen. You should not be held responsible for accidental breakages like dropped dishes, however you should of course be held responsible for any deliberate breakages resulting from misuse. If there is a dispute, Table at Home will mediate.

14. What happens if my Customer is unhappy with my services or I am unhappy with the situation a Customer has placed me in? Expand

Occasionally, a Customer will be unhappy with the experience provided by a Chef or the Chef will be unhappy with the situation the Customer has placed them in. As a first response, Customers and Chefs are instructed to raise any issue immediately with each other. It is in your best interest to proactively manage this with your Customers so as to manage your reputation.

In the event that any issues between Customer and Chef cannot be directly resolved, Table at Home can mediate upon request. All requests for mediation need to be made within 12 hours of the booking date and time, and as per our terms of service, the mediation decision of Table at Home is binding and final.

15. What if an injury occurs in the customer’s home? Expand

You are an independent contractor, and thus are responsible for any liabilities that accrue from the work you book through the Table at Home platform. Please make sure you safely operate within the law.

16. How do I get Customer Reviews? Expand

Customers Reviews are critical to your success on the platform. Both your average 5 star Review Score and Customers comments are displayed on your Profile and to Customers whenever you submit a proposal.

The day after a booking, your Customer is sent a link to provide a review of your services. It is also a good practice to gently remind your Customer to give you a review with a thank you text or email.

To give you a review, Customers either need to be click on the link in the text message we send them or log on to their booking on our site and click on the ‘Review Chef’ button.

If your customer is finding it hard to give you a review, we have instructions you can share with them at https://staging.tableathome.com/2018/05/table-home-submit-review-chef/

17. Do I have to declare the income I make from bookings through Table at Home? Expand

Yes, is is your duty as an independent private chef to declare this income to the government. You can also generally declare the expenses you had in making this income (ingredients purchased, travel costs, etc.) as a tax deduction. So, save those receipts!

In addition – please note – gigs booked through the Table at Home platform are a direct contract between you (the chef) and the Customer. Table at Home does not collect or pay any taxes on your behalf.

18. Am I employed by Table at Home? Expand

No – you are not employed in any way by Table at Home. We act as a communication and booking platform for you to find gigs as Private Chef. Bookings made through the Table at Home platform are a direct contract between yourself (the chef) and the customer. Table at Home charges you a fee (our 15% booking fee) for providing the platform for you to find and manage these gigs.

Please note – Table at Home – as a communication and booking platform, does not collect or pay any taxes on your behalf.

19. What if my Customer asks for a receipt? Expand

All gigs booked through Table at Home are a direct contract between yourself (the Chef) and your Customer. As such, you are responsible for providing a receipt if the Customer requests it.

20. Can I accept payment directly from customers? Expand

Absolutely not. All payments should be done through the platform. Any instances discovered of direct payments made for jobs booked through the platform will result in your immediate removal from the platform.

Rules for chefs

1. The price you quote needs to be the full price, including all ingredients, cooking, service, cleanup, our fees, your travel costs, etc. Expand

You cannot ask the customer for any additional money, including tips. Lack of adherence to this will have you immediately removed from the platform.

2. You must contact your Customer within 24 hours of them booking you Expand

For most Customers, choosing a Private Chef solely through online interaction is a big deal. Often a quick re-assuring call from the Chef after the booking has been confirmed (and phone contacts exchanged) puts their mind at ease.

For this reason, it is a rule that Chefs reach out to Customers via telephone within 24 hours of a booking being confirmed. This call is a good time to learn about their kitchen setup, and align any last details to ensure expectations are aligned for a great meal experience.

3. You cannot cancel a confirmed job Expand

If you cancel more than 1 job in a 6-month period you will be removed from the platform. If you are a no show, you are immediately removed.

4. You must inform Table at Home of any agreed changes to a booking (both date and price) Expand

You must inform us of any changes to a booking agreed between you and the Customer after the original booking confirmation. This includes both date and price changes. We will update the billing to reflect this and message a confirmation to the Customer.

5. You must cook the menu that you agreed with the customer at the scheduled time and date Expand It is up to you to manage sourcing the ingredients, so be careful with certain in season foods that may not always be readily available.
You also need to arrive at the customers home on time to serve the meal at the scheduled and agreed time. 6. You cannot direct customers off the platform Expand

We continue to invest a lot in building Table at Home as a active and fair marketplace for Chefs to find gigs to work as a Private Chef. We are protective of our baby 🙂

As a result, Chefs are not allowed to direct Customers off the Table at Home platform or complete bookings outside of the platform where Table at Home has provided the introduction.

Specifically:

• Chefs cannot reference their external websites or catering businesses or provide emails or phone numbers in their profile, proposals, set menus or messages
• Chefs cannot accept bookings or accept payments from customers outside of the platform where Table at Home has provided the introduction

Chefs who do not adhere to these rules will be removed from the platform.

7. As an independent contractor, it is your duty to cook in a safe and hygienic manner Expand

You must handle ingredients and cook in a safe and hygienic manner that meets or exceeds local requirements. Above all else, don’t let your reputation be ruined by poor standards.

8. You must clean up after you have cooked your meal, leaving the customer’s kitchen in the same state as you found it Expand

Remember, this is the last impression that customers will have of you, so make it a good one and don’t ruin all your good work from earlier in the night.

9. You need to maintain a minimum activity level of 5 proposals per month Expand

Table at Home is only interested in supporting chefs who actively propose on the opportunities we send them. Reflecting this, we require a minimum activity level of 5 proposals per month to stay on the platform.

For our full terms of service click here