*Meal Prep Business Consultation Questions (What Personal Chefs Should Ask Clients)
When meeting with a new meal prep client, your goal is not to interview them like a job candidate. The purpose of a personal chef consultation is to understand their needs, eating habits, and kitchen setup so you can determine how to help them.
These are the key meal prep consultation questions personal chefs should focus on to start working with clients effectively.
Before becoming a personal chef, I would peruse the internet for hours trying to find answers to what I thought were common questions about the profession.
One question I could not find an answer to was, what should I be asking new meal prep clients at a consultation?
There were plenty of articles about what to ask a personal chef when hiring one, but almost nothing written by someone actually doing the job.
What Clients Are Really Thinking During a Consultation
As a seasoned personal chef, I can tell you that when someone calls to hire you, they are not thinking about your resume.
They are thinking:
“How can you help me?”
They are not concerned with questions like:
- Where did you go to school
- What is your background
- Do you have a business license
- Do you have insurance
Over the years, not a single client has asked me about liability insurance or a business license.
They want to know if you can solve their problem.
What Is the Purpose of a Personal Chef Consultation?
The consultation is not about proving your credentials.
It is about understanding the client.
You are there to:
- Learn their eating style
- Identify allergies or dietary needs
- Understand family preferences
- See how their kitchen is set up
This is what allows you to create a service that actually works for them.
Meal Prep Consultation Questions to Ask Clients
Instead of asking generic or repetitive questions, focus on what matters most to the client’s daily life.
Here are the most important questions to ask during a meal prep consultation:
- What does a typical week of meals look like for you right now?
- What are your biggest challenges with cooking or meal planning?
- Are there any allergies or dietary restrictions I should know about?
- What foods do you not enjoy or want to avoid?
- How many people will be eating the meals?
- Do you prefer variety or repeating meals throughout the week?
- How do you typically store and reheat food?
These questions help you understand how to structure your service around their lifestyle.
What to Look for During the Kitchen Walkthrough
The consultation is also your opportunity to evaluate the kitchen.
You want to know what you are working with before your first cook session.
Look for:
- Quality of cookware
- Basic tools (grater, measuring cups, blender, etc.)
- Available storage space
- Layout and workspace
You will quickly learn what you need to bring with you to your first appointment.
If you want a breakdown of what to bring, read this next: What to Bring to a Meal Prep Session →
Why Most Advice About Consultations Misses the Mark
Many articles focus on credentials, certifications, or background questions.
In reality, clients care about results.
They are thinking about what they are going to eat during the week, not where you went to school.
Culinary school is not required to become a personal chef, and most clients will never ask about it.
Learn the Full Meal Prep Business Process
If you want to know exactly how to run a consultation, structure your services, and bring clients into your business, the Personal Chef Business in 10 Weeks program walks you through the entire process.
Inside, you will learn:
- Exact questions to ask during a consultation
- What to look for during the kitchen walkthrough
- Sample emails for booking and follow-up
- How to create menus clients will say yes to
- How to structure your cook sessions
- How to estimate food quantities
- How to build a client system that works
Learn the full process here >>
FAQ
What should a personal chef ask during a consultation?
Focus on the client’s eating habits, preferences, dietary needs, and kitchen setup rather than credentials or background questions.
Do clients care about culinary school or certifications?
In most cases, no. Clients are more interested in whether you can solve their problem and meet their needs.
What is the goal of a meal prep consultation?
The goal is to understand the client’s lifestyle and determine how your service can fit into it.
Resources
Related Reading
All-Inclusive Program
PERSONAL CHEF
BUSINESS PROGRAM
All-Inclusive Program
BUSINESS PROGRAM
Go from "I don't know where to begin" to running a profitable personal chef business so you have control over your own hours and income.
Modules Included:
1 - Define Your Competitive Advantage
2 - Determine Pricing
3 - Meal Prep 101
4 - Dinner Party 101
5 - Become Legal & Insured
6 - Create a Lead Generating Website
7 - Craft a Marketing Plan
8 - Test Various Marketing Strategies
9 - Bookkeeping
10 - Social Media
Personal Chef Mentor
Virginia Stockwell
Virginia Stockwell is a personal chef business mentor from California, now living in Austin, TX. She's had careers as a chiropractor and Realtor, then finally found her calling as a personal chef. Starting in catering in 2005, she began her personal chef business in 2012, quickly growing to a waiting list of clients thanks to her local marketing expertise. She now empowers home cooks and professional chefs to start their own meal prep and dinner party businesses, creating a life of hours and income they control. She lives the life of a minimalist both personally and professionally, reads cookbooks like novels, and is locally famous for her taco and margarita parties (check out "A Taco Walks into a Bar" on Amazon).
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