Should a private chef charge per person or a flat fee?

Either works, but calculate it the same way: total cost plus margin. Quote per person for larger groups and a flat fee for small dinners, where your hours dominate the cost.

Are groceries included in a private chef’s price?

Many chefs include them in a per-person price; others bill groceries at cost plus a service fee. Both are fine as long as your time, staff and overhead are covered.

What profit margin should a private chef aim for?

A common target is 25–35% after paying yourself an hourly wage. Below about 15% there is little room for a price rise at the store or a job that runs long.

How much should a private chef charge? A simple pricing method

Most private chefs price from the grocery bill and a gut feeling. Here is a method that covers every cost first, so the price you quote always pays you.

Why “3× the groceries” doesn’t work

The old rule of charging three times your food cost comes from restaurants, where rent and staff are spread over hundreds of covers a night. A private dinner is different: your time is the biggest cost, and it barely changes whether the menu is pasta or wagyu. Price from the groceries and a cheap menu can leave you working for almost nothing.

The method in five steps

Groceries. Price the shopping list, not the recipe. Trimming and peeling mean you buy more than you serve (2 lb of trimmed asparagus means buying about 3.6 lb), and stores sell whole packs.
Your hours. Count everything: menu planning, shopping, travel, prep, cooking, service and clean-up. Multiply by the hourly rate you want to earn.
Staff. Assistants or servers: people × hours × rate.
Direct costs and overhead. Parking, transport, rentals, plus your share of insurance, kitchen, phone, software and marketing for each job.
Add your margin. Price = total cost ÷ (1 − margin). A 30% margin means 30% of the price is profit after every cost.

Worked example: dinner for 8

Groceries	$320
Chef: 8 hours × $50	$400
Assistant: 5 hours × $25	$125
Transport & parking	$40
Overhead share	$60
Total cost (break-even)	$945
Price at 30% margin: $945 ÷ 0.70	$1,350

That is about $169 per guest, $405 profit on top of your $400 wage, and a food cost of 24%. The “3× groceries” rule would have quoted $960 and left $15 of profit.

What private chef dinners cost

Published examples: about $145–$200 per guest nationally with groceries and service included (Take a Chef, via Zarla, Sept 2026), and $90–$175 per guest all-inclusive for Los Angeles and San Diego (Platesfull, Sept 2026). Small tables cost more per guest. Use these as a check, not a target: your own costs come first. The private chef calculator compares your price with your state.

Keep the numbers private

Clients should see the menu, what’s included and one clear price, with a deposit to cover groceries. An itemized cost sheet invites haggling line by line.

Run your own numbers

ChefCents does this math for you: menu, shopping list with yield and whole packs, every cost, and a price for your margin or service fee. Free during beta, on your phone.

Start a free estimate

Questions chefs ask

Should a private chef charge per person or a flat fee?: Either works, but calculate it the same way: total cost plus margin. Quote per person for larger groups and a flat fee for small dinners, where your hours dominate the cost.
Are groceries included in a private chef’s price?: Many chefs include them in a per-person price; others bill groceries at cost plus a service fee. Both are fine as long as your time, staff and overhead are covered.
What profit margin should a private chef aim for?: A common target is 25–35% after paying yourself an hourly wage. Below about 15% there is little room for a price rise at the store or a job that runs long.