Private Dining Operations #4: Contracts That Protect You in Residential Settings

A good contract isn't about being difficult. It's about making sure you can do your job well, pay your team fairly, and protect your reputation when things don't go as planned.

Recently, a wedding planner asked me if we were “comfortable cooking in a client’s kitchen.” I was baffled. Obviously we cook in clients’ kitchens. We need the oven, the stove, the countertops, the sink. Most of our clients have beautiful homes with high-end appliances.

She explained that most catering companies she works with don’t feel comfortable working out of private kitchens for large events and instead, opt to set up in the garage with induction burners and sternos, and take everything back dirty to wash it at their industrial kitchens. It blew my mind. The idea that somebody would do that rather than work in a client’s kitchen made me question their insurance, their contracts, but most importantly, their understanding of what they’re worth and capable of, and how they’re educating their clients.

At Vendador, we never work to feel like the help. We don’t arrive as ‘just cooks and servers’. We create an experience and take our clients on that journey. We guide them, take care of them with our expertise, show up to curate an amazing evening. We’re in their kitchen and we certainly put it to its full use. They love it!

But with that comes risk. Spending the majority of our time in people’s homes, there’s so much that could go wrong. That’s why you need a contract that’s clear, specific, and enforceable.

Hospitality Can Only Go So Far

In the beginning, I didn’t have a real contract. Just menu, price, and date. I thought being flexible would get me better reviews. In some ways, it did. But it also meant I got taken advantage of, even when the client wasn’t aware.

Taking care of people is in my blood. Going above and beyond is not only a written company value for Vendador, but I actively hold my team to this standard.

However, I’ve shown up to events where the guest count was 70 when they only paid for 45. I’ve had cocktail hours stretch to 3 hours when we planned for one. I’ve had clients expect us to hand-wash all their personal glassware mid-service, or request a server to mix cocktails all night without having paid for a bartender. I had a mother of the bride expect us to pay for all table linens for a wedding because our website said “linens” somewhere and we were so lucky our contract said “linen napkins.” You BET we went in on a major contract/website audit after that one! They paid - but her argument was that our services ‘provide everything’, which is fair - but we had to extra-define what that means in our contract - everything to cook you food and allow you to consume it.

Every single one of those situations cost me money, burned out my team, or, most importantly, made us look unprepared. And every one could have been avoided with a better communication and a stronger contract.

Here’s the truth: you’re not being hospitable when you let clients walk all over you. You’re being a bad business owner and team leader.

One of our close collaborators, a well established event planner/business owner, has been sued three times over the silliest things. She said “You work with clients at this level, you will get sued one day, I promise you that.” So we got really good insurance and a strong contract.

What Must Be in Every Contract

Once you get an event inquiry, your contract needs to: set clear expectations, protect your team so you can pay them fairly, protect your inventory, and protect your reputation so you’re not set up to fail.

We send ours through Pandadoc, and you can read more about choosing software here.