The Personal Chef Client Onboarding Checklist: From First Call to First Cook Day

Your first cook day sets the tone for the entire client relationship. Nail it and you've got a recurring client for months or years. Fumble the details — serve something they're allergic to, show up without the right containers, misjudge their spice tolerance — and you're starting from a deficit you may never recover from.

The fix isn't cooking better. It's onboarding better.

Step 1: The discovery call (15–20 minutes)

This isn't a sales pitch. It's a mutual interview to figure out if the fit is right.

What to cover:

• Household size and who you're cooking for — Adults only? Kids? Elderly family members with dietary restrictions?
• Cooking frequency — Weekly? Twice a week? Every other week?
• Dietary restrictions — Not just allergies, but preferences, dislikes, religious or ethical restrictions
• Kitchen situation — Will you cook in their kitchen? Do they have adequate equipment, counter space, storage?
• Budget expectations — Be direct. "My weekly rate is $X, plus groceries at cost. Does that work for your household?" (Not sure how to set your rate? Read our complete pricing breakdown.)
• Logistics — Preferred cook day, delivery vs. in-home cooking, key or access instructions

End the call by telling them exactly what happens next: "I'll send you an intake form. Once I have that back, I'll put together your first week's menu and we'll schedule your first cook day."

Step 2: The intake form

This is the document that prevents every future problem. Don't skip it, don't do it verbally, and don't rely on your memory.

Essential questions:

Allergies and medical dietary needs — These are non-negotiable. Get them in writing. Ask specifically about nuts, shellfish, gluten, dairy, soy, eggs, and anything else. Ask about severity — is it a preference or an anaphylaxis risk?

Dislikes and strong preferences — "I don't like cilantro" is different from "I'm allergic to cilantro." Both matter, but they're handled differently.

Preferred proteins — Chicken, beef, fish, pork, lamb, tofu, tempeh. What do they eat regularly? What do they never want?

Spice tolerance — Mild, medium, or heat-forward? This alone prevents half of all "I didn't love it" feedback.

Cuisine preferences — Do they want variety (Italian one week, Thai the next) or consistency (Mediterranean every week)?

Container and packaging preferences — Glass vs. plastic? Individual portions or family-style? Labeled with reheating instructions?

Reheating instructions preference — Some clients want detailed instructions on every container. Others don't care. Ask.

Favorite meals or dishes — This gives you an instant win for the first cook day. Make something they already love, executed at a higher level.

Step 3: Setting expectations in writing

Before the first cook day, send a brief service agreement. It doesn't need to be a legal document — just a clear email or PDF that covers:

• What's included — Number of meals/servings per cook day, menu planning, grocery shopping, kitchen cleanup
• What's billed separately — Groceries, travel, special requests
• Payment terms — When you bill, how they pay, what happens if payment is late
• Cancellation policy — How much notice you need, whether there's a fee for last-minute cancellations
• Communication — How they request menu changes, how far in advance, and your response time

This prevents every awkward conversation you'll otherwise have three months in. "I thought groceries were included" goes away when it's written down from day one.

Step 4: The first cook day

This is your audition. Even though they've already hired you, the first cook day determines whether they become a long-term client or a one-month experiment.

Before you arrive:

• Send the menu 2–3 days ahead and ask for any swaps or concerns
• Confirm the cook day and time the morning of
• Grocery shop with their intake form open — double-check every allergy

During the cook:

• Arrive on time or early
• Bring your own essentials (knives, cutting boards, containers, labels, cleaning supplies)
• Cook at least one dish from their "favorites" list
• Leave the kitchen cleaner than you found it — this is the detail that gets mentioned to friends

After the cook:

• Label everything clearly: dish name, date, reheating instructions
• Send a quick message: "Everything is in the fridge. Here's what I made and how to reheat each one."
• Ask for feedback after they've eaten a few meals — not immediately, give them 2–3 days

Step 5: Systematize it

This process works beautifully for your first 3 clients. By client 8, you'll forget whose kid is allergic to tree nuts and who hates fish.

The goal is to get every client's preferences out of your head and into a system.

Some chefs use spreadsheets. Some use notes apps. The most organized ones use a client portal where each client has a profile with their allergies, preferences, dietary tags, and order history — all in one place.

However you do it, the intake form shouldn't live in your email inbox. It should be somewhere you can reference in 10 seconds while you're grocery shopping or planning next week's menu.

The chefs who scale to 10+ clients without dropping details are the ones who built the system early — not the ones who tried to remember everything.