Guest wants t0 use a Private Chef

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BargeeSpud
Posts: 21
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2017 12:41 pm

Guest wants t0 use a Private Chef

Post by BargeeSpud »

Hiya,

A guest has expressed a desire to hire a Private Chef via a company called La Belle Assiette, to provide an evening meal during their stay. It would seem that the company is merely an agent between customer & chef, not the actual supplier of the service. Because I've never come across this sort of thing before, I'm a little concerned about any potential implications that may arise from the fact that any contract will obviously be between the Chef & my guest.

What should I be wary of & what sort of enquiries should I make relating to liability etc & to whom? I'm reluctant to disappoint my guest, but then I'm not willing to leave myself exposed either.

Cheers.
Ade. (as in lemonade)

In the garden of happy memories, it is always summer, so keep you face towards the sun & the shadows will fall behind you.

All dentists are bar stewards.
AndrewH
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Location: Kefalonia, Greece
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Post by AndrewH »

Hello BargeeSpud. I had a similar request from a guest last summer. It wasn't actually asking consent for someone to come in and cook for them, rather for the chef to arrive early in the day (before the guests arrived on their first day) to stock the fridge with food to cook for the guests that evening. I saw no problem with that.

On other occasions, guests have called in a hairdresser to do their hair, a yoga person for a yoga session, and probably providers of some other services of which I was not made aware. The arrangement is between the guest and (in your case) the cook or his agency. You are not involved, unless your t's and c's are being breached, or the law of the land is being broken, and then you might be.
BargeeSpud
Posts: 21
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2017 12:41 pm

Post by BargeeSpud »

Thanks Andrew, I see your point, my T&Cs allow for this sort of thing with my permission. However, I do have reservations especially as the Chef will be using my supplied utensils etc. to prepare & cook the meal and what I supply my guests by way of kitchen equipment & utensils can be considered pretty basic.

I therefore feel that I need some sort of proof, reassurance, whatever, from La Belle Assiette that the chef my guest engages will have the proper liability & profesional indemnity cover required & is not some sort of "fly-by-night" who'll leave me with a legal nightmare to clean up.

My primary concern is that La Belle Assiette are merely an agent, a bit like TripAdvisor I guess, not a company that actually supplies the chef. As I say, I want my guest to have the best experience but not at the risk of it blowing up in my face.
Ade. (as in lemonade)

In the garden of happy memories, it is always summer, so keep you face towards the sun & the shadows will fall behind you.

All dentists are bar stewards.
zebedee
Posts: 1270
Joined: Fri Sep 12, 2014 2:57 pm
Location: yorkshire dales

Post by zebedee »

I can see your concern, but wouldn’t any chef worth their reputation bring their own essential tools with them??
The worry of not having something vital may be worse for the chef than for you.

You could always contact the agency as a potential customer enquiring about using their services to book a chef and ask questions about how the meal would be managed when you don’t know what the kitchen has in the way of equipment.
zebedee
Posts: 1270
Joined: Fri Sep 12, 2014 2:57 pm
Location: yorkshire dales

Post by zebedee »

Or why not ask the guests if there is anything that will be needed?
Giraffe
Posts: 410
Joined: Sun Jun 26, 2016 10:10 am
Location: Cornwall, England

Post by Giraffe »

You provide a holiday home that has everything needed for your guests. If the chef needs specific equipment then he/she should bring it along. This is probably their normal practice.

As for insurance and your own liability, why not check with your insurer? My view is that the chef (or their employer) should also have appropriate insurance to cover both your guests and your property. You need confirmation that this is in place. Accidents do happen in kitchens - one occurred in my holiday let last summer. The guest ended up at hospital with subsequent daily treatment, but the accident was their fault.

Perhaps I am being over cautious here. 7 years ago I had a major claim, but fortunately I was well insured. Liability and insurance can be complicated. If your T&Cs allow for this type of arrangement then I suggest you check you are adequately covered.
The best things in life are free
BargeeSpud
Posts: 21
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2017 12:41 pm

Post by BargeeSpud »

Giraffe wrote:You provide a holiday home that has everything needed for your guests. If the chef needs specific equipment then he/she should bring it along. This is probably their normal practice.

As for insurance and your own liability, why not check with your insurer? My view is that the chef (or their employer) should also have appropriate insurance to cover both your guests and your property. You need confirmation that this is in place. Accidents do happen in kitchens - one occurred in my holiday let last summer. The guest ended up at hospital with subsequent daily treatment, but the accident was their fault.

Perhaps I am being over cautious here. 7 years ago I had a major claim, but fortunately I was well insured. Liability and insurance can be complicated. If your T&Cs allow for this type of arrangement then I suggest you check you are adequately covered.
Thanks for that, I will check with my own insurer of course, but I'm thinking that I will ask the guest to try to send me copies of the chef's insurance, professional indemnity cover, etc. I will also ask them to advise the chef they want to engage to bring all the utensils that he/she will need. Fortunately a family member is a pro chef & he can advise me of what documents I should be asking for - when he gets back from sunny climes!
Ade. (as in lemonade)

In the garden of happy memories, it is always summer, so keep you face towards the sun & the shadows will fall behind you.

All dentists are bar stewards.
Giraffe
Posts: 410
Joined: Sun Jun 26, 2016 10:10 am
Location: Cornwall, England

Post by Giraffe »

One extra thought, your own insurer may also be able to advise you what type of insurance cover the chef should have to work in your premises. I hope it all works out - having a personal chef on holiday sounds like heaven to me!
The best things in life are free
BargeeSpud
Posts: 21
Joined: Wed Feb 08, 2017 12:41 pm

Post by BargeeSpud »

Giraffe wrote:One extra thought, your own insurer may also be able to advise you what type of insurance cover the chef should have to work in your premises. I hope it all works out - having a personal chef on holiday sounds like heaven to me!
Thanks for that, I'm sure that will come up in the conversation I'll have with them, after all its their requirements I have to satisfy.

I agree, I'm sure that having a chef come in & cook for you whilst on holiday is a treat & would be a wonderful way to end a self catering holiday.

Thanks everyone.
Ade.
Ade. (as in lemonade)

In the garden of happy memories, it is always summer, so keep you face towards the sun & the shadows will fall behind you.

All dentists are bar stewards.
Martha
Posts: 2289
Joined: Sun Apr 16, 2006 7:01 pm
Location: Chamonix

Post by Martha »

Hi, we do this very often, and actually have it up on a site as an extra. It's great because the chefs will look after your kitchen and leave it pristine! But I see your point with the chef being from an agency, not sure I'd like that either.

I am cc'd on all correspondence with the chef so that I can be aware of any extra access requirements they need (extra set of keys, early access on changeover day or even before to leave shopping and heavy stuff like cases of milk/tonic water/wine etc) any equipment issues that I may need to run through with them, making sure all dates are correct, and also so I can see how they are accommodating the guests.
(not a concern any more as we always work with the same chefs now, but in the early days, seeing how they communicate was useful in knowing who to recommend)

Before our current chefs, we did have a few small things go missing (and a few small things left) when people had been in the kitchen, I am absolutely certain this was accidental but still can be a bit annoying, do check kitchen stuff carefully after they've gone.

I would definitely check the insurance. I would just call the agency and explain the situation, I am sure they can send you whatever you need. I'd look into the agency itself too, and check that it has a good reputation. If you are not convinced, are there any local chefs you could get recommendations for? I will now only work with our regular chefs after a few problems with other ones (reliability related) - but once you have it all dialled it's a great service to offer.
Chalet la Foret, Chamonix
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