Confused as how to price your services as a personal chef? This course goes will walk you through how to create a pricing strategy that works for you.

1. How to Price your Services
As A Personal Chef
Personal Chef Business Academy
How to Price your Services as a Personal Chef

2. By the end of this class, you will know:
● How to figure out a pricing formula that works for you -
because this is different for everybody
● Exactly what you need to think about when
determining prices
● Why you should never charge by the hour
● How I determine my own pricing formula

3. Dealing with Pricing Anxiety
Let’s face it: Pricing is hard. Every client and situation is different. Some jobs
take you more time than others, and some jobs are more of a pain in the butt
than others. And some clients have more money than others.
Do you charge per job, per hour, per meal? What about when a client asks for
something you have no idea how to price, like a bridal shower cooking demo
for 20? Or a brunch for 6 that even at $50 per person might not be worth your
while?
As personal chefs and creatives, we ALL go through pricing anxiety. Here’s
how to help alleviate some of the stress that comes from being unsure of how
to price our services at the sweet spot that people will pay and that we feel
good about.

4. Determining your Pricing Strategy
Markets differ. Your prices in New York City where the cost of life is absurd is
going to differ from a personal chef in Kansas where the median income is
lower, and the cost of life is a fraction of the price.
Some important questions to ask yourself:
● Where do you live and what can people realistically afford where you are?
● What are other personal chefs charging in your area?
● What are your key services?
● What is your level of experience?

5. What are other chefs charging in your area?
Do your research. It’s crucial to know what other chefs in your area are
charging. It does not mean you have to undercut the competition. As chefs, we
don’t want to compete on price - you can use other marketing tools, like
branding, positioning and marketing to reach the clients willing to pay your
prices.
Don’t offer discounts and don’t lower your rates unless your goal is to get
experience.

6. Here’s what other chefs are charging around the US

7. Determine Key
Services
Find your niche and create
services that highlight what
you do
● How much food do you want
to prepare in one day?
● How do you want to spend
your energy? Catering for
100, or cooking for 10?
● Paleo? Vegan? Love to do
cleanses? Offer these services
clearly on your website.

8. As the business
owner, you can
decide.
What services do you WANT to
offer?
● Want to cook 3 entrees only?
● Focus on events?
● Do private cooking classes?
● Do public cooking classes?
YOU CHOOSE. But it’s important
to highlight what you most what
to offer first, because that’s the
first thing people will see.

9. Example of Developing a Key Service
In 2015 my company, White Apron Chef, implemented a new service called
Whole 30 Reset.
As a result, we’ve attracted clients outside of the personal chef market - clients
who would have never previously considered trying a personal chef.
A select few of the Whole 30 Clients, after their 30 days of weekly meals is
over, have elected to stay on the program or become weekly clients.
The program has generated thousands in revenue and could easily be scaled
into a business model.

10. Should Experience Play a Role in Pricing?
It depends. But it doesn’t have to.
Using things like branding - communicating value through your website and
marketing materials, you can reflect quality if you don’t have a cooking degree
or fancy restaurant experience.
If you feel uneasy about charging high prices starting out, charge what you
think is fair. But PLEASE do it only to get experience. Being a personal chef is
hard work either way. You need to be compensated for your time and energy.
It’s easy to devalue your services but if you can learn this lesson early

11. Charging per hour vs. Charging per set fee
Pros
● The more hours you work, the more
money you make
● You’re not sure how much you’re going
to make in one day
● Your income depends on the number of
hours you work in a week
● Clients may take advantage of your lack
of “pre-determined services” and ask
you do more during the hours yo
Cons
● As you work for the same clients, you’ll
start to get faster and the job will take
you less time. Less hours, less money.
● You know exactly how much you are
going to make for the day
● Your income depends on how you
determine your service and fee
structure
● You set the tone for what your services
you are willing to provide

12. What we charge at White Apron Chef for services
We offer between 3 and 5 entrees, ranging between $300 and $400 per cook
date, not including groceries.
Dinner parties start at $125 per person, and this does include groceries.
Private cooking classes are $300 for a 1-2 person class, otherwise $100 per
person, not including groceries.
We list the range of prices on the website.

13. Have an Earning
Plan
Answer these questions to
determine how much you
need to make.
How much money do you need to
make per month to cover your
bills?
How much money do you need to
make per week?
Per day?
Doing this exercise should help
you come up with a number to
price your services.

14. When you’re not sure what to charge for a job...
When a client asks for a job you’re not sure how to price, find your sweet spot.
Ask yourself:
How much money do I need to make to feel
good about this? Charge that, and no less.

15. Some last things to
consider
Simple tips that help with
pricing
● To make your life less
complicated, charge a set fee
and the groceries separate
● Always have a minimum set
fee (What are you willing to
get out of bed for in the
morning? $200? $300?
● Put your prices on your
website to deter cheapskates

16. Now to get that first (or 5th) client
Being a personal chef is 50% cooking skills and 50% marketing.
We’re not all born marketers. It’s a learned skill. The good news is, you can
learn it. You have to be willing to do the work. You have to implement the
strategies you learn. You have to be willing to get help when you feel stuck.
My name is Brigitte Theriault and I teach a course on how to get more clients
as a personal chef. I teach my clients strategies to earn more money, get more
clients and have more ease in your business. I’ve been a successful personal
chef for 10+ years in the NYC and SF market, and I know what it takes to run a
business. You can learn more by visiting the Personal Chef Business
Academy page here.