Would you pay for someone to batch cook meals in your home?

[Ppppoppy]

Hello, just floating a question as it's a very new thought I've had (not seriously considering this as an all in, quit my job, start a business kind of thing haha, more just thinking out loud and curious what people think)
Cooking is my lifelong hobby/interest and I'm pretty good at it if I do say so myself. I've got varied and pretty extensive knowledge of food styles, recipes and prep, and lots of experience cooking for friends (usually family style, big dishes to share). I've also cooked for large group dinners in a b&b/hostel setting (this was a volunteer position but I learnt a lot about catering for bigger numbers there). I don't have professional chef experience but I have worked in F&B for 5 years so I've been around professional kitchens a lot, know how they run, processes, dietary stuff etc.
Wanted to ask if the idea of someone coming into your home for a few hours to meal prep for your family would appeal to you at all.
There's obviously a fair bit I'd need to sort before this could actually be a real thing, but here's roughly the shape of it in my head:

• I'd sort out hygiene certificates, insurance, etc, whatever's actually required to do this properly and safely (this one feels non negotiable to me tbh, letting someone into your home with your kids around, you'd want to know they're checked out)
• An initial call or chat first, talk through what you're after, how many people, how many meals, preferences, any dietary stuff, and specifically allergies and individual preferences likes and dislikes too
• Also chat through how involved you'd want to be, some people might want to pick the dishes themselves, others might just want to hand it over and be surprised, or anwhere in between
• You'd provide/ pay for the groceries, this could include using stuff you've already got in (only what you're happy for me to use obviously, not going through your cupboards uninvited lol) and then I'd put together an order for anything else needed. I'd do the actual ordering bit but always from your usual shop and sticking to your preferences on brands and budget and okay before it’s ordered etc
• I'd come at a time we'd agree in advance, could be while you’re in or out lit depending on what you wanted . I bring my own basic kit /appliances (knives , maybe frying pan / pot ) and seasonings if you'd rather I not use yours, then prep, cook, portion it all up and clean up properly after myself before I go
• Would want to talk about whether you're picturing freezer stash type meals, ready to eat that week, or a mix of both, probably depends on the person
• First session would basically be a trial for both of us really, see if it works, see if you like my cooking, see if it's not weird having someone in your kitchen haha

I do get that having a stranger cooking in your kitchen isn't going to be everyone's cup of tea and that's completely fair enough, just wondering if this is something anyone would actually want or if I'm being a bit mad haha
(also would maybe suit certain people more, new parents, people who've just had surgery or are recovering from something, elderly relatives, just busy families in general, so if you fall into one of those categories especially curious what you think)
Again very much just an idea floating around my head right now, not a proper plan yet!

I also don't think the "client buys the groceries" idea works. I don't want to have to read and approve your grocery list. What happens for bigger items that don't use up?
That's a fair shout and honestly probably more relevant for people who've used me a few times and want more input, rather than a first time thing. For a lot of clients I'd imagine it'd just be "here's what I'm making, here's what it needs, I'm ordering it" with no back and forth at all, that bit's meant to be optional not compulsory.
On the leftover ingredients thing specifically, the planning would be mine to sort really, not something I'd be leaving for you to think about. I'd only be ordering things I know will actually get used up in what you've asked for, own spices/oils/store cupboard stuff I bring myself so that's not on your tab or taking up space in your cupboards. If something like a bag of rice wouldn't get fully used in one go, that'd either be something I know you'll get through anyway or use again next time I'm cooking for you, or if not, I'd just pick a different recipe that uses up the whole bag/pack instead. So it's not "buy loads and hope it gets used", it's building the menu around not creating waste in the first place.
The okaying bit was less about you having to check a shopping list line by line and more just a heads up on cost, mainly so people don't feel like I've gone and bought something pricier than needed when they'd have been happy with the basics, or feel like they're paying for more than they're actually getting back in meals. Some people might not care at all and just want it sorted without any input, which is completely fine too, that's exactly the kind of thing I'd suss out in the initial chat, how much control someone wants versus how much they just want it taken off their hands.
Thanks for your input though I am very much using this as a thinking things through / research so appreciate it !

I agree with the others, why do you have to go to someone else’s home to cook? That just causes them and you an extra layer of hassle.

I would love someone else to batch cook me some really decent family meals but I think the problem will be price… I could do it myself so don’t want to pay a fortune but you need to earn enough to make it worthwhile.

I know someone who's used a private chef before, but it was more of an occasion thing. They had people round to the house for a birthday meal and I think it was sort of show cooking too. They were paying for performance/experience not just the food. Would you envisage just being left to it while you do your thing?

No.

I would prefer to tick meals from a list and have these delivered to my house.

Main reason tbh is just my own living situation, roommates, no real storage or space to be doing this from my own kitchen right now and that's not changing anytime soon, so it's less "I've chosen the more difficult option" and more "this is the option actually available to me at the moment."
But there's a few things about it that aren't just me making the best of a bad situation. Being able to use up stuff people already have in is genuinely only possible if I'm in their kitchen, can't do that if I'm cooking at mine and dropping food round. And some people seem to actually like the transparency side of it, seeing exactly what's going in, where it's from and prepared in an environment they trust (say, allergies for example ) knowing it's fresh that day rather than batch cooked days before and frozen/reheated, that kind of thing. Not saying that trumps convenience for most people, clearly it doesn't from this thread, but it seems to matter to some.
Obviously most people on here are firmly in the "no thanks, just deliver it" camp and that's completely fair, I said from the start this is a niche thing and wasn't expecting mass appeal. But there's been a handful of people saying they'd actually be into this specific setup, so that's really who this would be aimed at rather than everyone.

Genuinely think the allergy market could be great for you. I have friends who cook everything at home from scratch due to their children having really serious allergies (the sort where you can't even just avoid the allergen- you have to be sure that it is never allowed in the premises where the food is produced, so much prepared foods are out). It's a bigger group than you might think.

I think this is just basically hiring a private chef. As you are not a qualified chef perhaps you could say "private cook". You are happy to batch cook as well as cook for a group.

I don't think the using up the scraps of someone's ingredients is a goer myself. You could spend an hour shopping for ingredients/travel time for cottage pie, having been told the family have potatoes, and when you get there they are green so it's back to the supermarket - losing another hour or scrap it if you don't have time.

Cost wise if you price up a meal it is prohibitive for a lot of people e.g. one hour shopping and travel time plus 2 hours in their home at £20 is £60 plus ingredients = £80.
Better to separate the costs a little in people's minds I think so you could advertise a half day private cook 9-12, or 1-4 £80 and the person might look at it a little differently like having a cleaner or a gardener rather than trying to work out the cost of each meal.

I’m afraid not op, I wouldn’t want someone in my home for several hours.

and I also think buying the ingredients yourself and brining them is the way forward.

so for example if I was uo for it, I’d say chilli, beef stew, whatever, I’d not want to them go and shop for it, I’d rather you made the end dishes with the ingredients yourself brought. Otherwise it’s a whole ballache.

It's a difficult business to make a profit from it has to be comparable prices to ready meals, All tastes , allergies etc catered to which makes scaling difficult

I appreciate that you've looked into this OP, but I still think you need to offer something concrete and not too vague.

These days people tend to "online shop" for services, and take recommendations. They will want to know up front that they can afford your services, not to spend time engaging with you on the details - the whole point is that these people are time poor. They might be cash rich, but in a COL crisis, nobody is feeling that rich right now.

So you don't want to be trying to do probing questionnaires about what's suitable. I'm time poor, the last fucking thing I want is a conversation about what random leftovers I have in my fridge. You want some clear menus and prices, and an easy way to engage your services.

I'm not saying you can never do this - but if you want to get started you need to be clear and simple on your offer.

I would be starting with a "new mums" package personally, as the easiest in, then evolve it from there.

Oh sorry perhaps I wasn’t clear enough , I wouldn’t expect clients to go out and buy stuff they didn’t already have , I’d be sorting the food ordering (probably click and collect , delevery if this weren’t a possibility and the client was akoy with accepting this prior to me getting there ) . The client having input / veto /addition power over the groceries would be optional (if you don’t want anything to do with it you don’t have to ) . Likewise if you said ‘I’ve already got chicken in the freezer’ or ‘I don’t know what to do with X I’ve already got’ I’d work around those things rather than buying more

Yeah no I get you, thankyou for your input ! , I think I’d have a full set out ‘plan’ as in here’s what I can provide , with multiple options etc , and then fine tune a more bespoke service through experience on a small scale working out what this might look like

Could you rent time in a commercial kitchen? Eg I know locally to me there’s a commercial kitchen that you can book to use for 3 hour slots, so eg people baking loads of cakes to sell at the market will book it out, arrive with all their ingredients, use all the bigger kit and space so that they can cook in bulk, and then pack up and take everything away. So you could book a space like that, batch cook everything, then just deliver it to people.

And agreed with the poster above - we’d have used this kind of service at times in our life when we were incredibly time poor, had a thousand things on our minds, it needs to be really easy and streamlined from a customer perspective. So it’s better to say “here’s the meal options this week” and let them choose, and just say that you’re open to discussions if they have any particular requirements like allergies etc, rather than to present it as though they have to enter into a big discussion from the start.

Not in my kitchen no. But I do get meals off a woman offering a similar service in terms of meal prep but she delivers, I saw you say your place isn’t suitable, she cooks from a rental commercial kitchen, that she hires workspace (not the whole kitchen). She does both custom meal plan options but also ones where it’s just “this is the options this week” and multiple people sign up type thing.

I think there'd be very little market for it tbh.

People with a decent level of disposable income will buy fancy takeout/ready meals.

Your idea is far closer to having 'staff'. You would have to charge an additional premium to cover not just the food but your time - as you can't batch cook for multiple clients at once with this idea. So, staff. The market for it and level of income required is markedly different and less common.

Unless you live in London and can cleverly and successfully market to a very small handful of the super-wealthy, I don't think you'd have any take up tbph.

No.

See, I disagree with this on a couple of fronts - I'm not super wealthy, but I have great disposable income (in the midlands - where good salaries meet lower housing costs).

I hate cook boxes etc because you still have to do it, and I've only found a few high end ready meals that make great freezer food. I'd gladly pay for someone to batch cook me meals for the freezer, especially ones suited to my toddler with 100% natural ingredients.

I would also love an accompanying meal prep service - e.g. here are ten frozen meals, three for the fridge, plus prepped sides/snacks/salads/sandwiches for three days.

As well as newborns, holiday makers are a good option for this as a seasonal opportunity.

I'm going self-employed myself, albeit in a different field, and my best tip is "don't compare your day 1 with someone else's day 1000"!

What you have to do to get to day 1000 isn't necessarily the same as what you have to do once you're established.

If I had the money, I'd be up for it! One of my lottery fantasies is having a personal chef (not full time!) come in and do something similar. We're vegan and we avoid UPFs as far as possible so it all gets a bit draining lol.

One huge draw would be the ability to get the portions sizes right, with leftovers. We are all tall/strong and OH especially often feels still hungry when we occasionally have ready meals - this is what puts me off meal prep companies.

Also very tired of vegan restaurant food which is basically a lovely fancy vegetable side dish - where's the protein i could do this at home??!!

I would like:
The day you come: you serve dinner as a lovely treat - not like a waiter (pepper, madame? ;-)), more like getting it ready for 8pm, laying table/lighting candles, and then telling us about the food (briefly haha) we're about to eat. Cold starter/hors d'oevre, hot main course, cold pudding for us to help ourselves.
The next couple of days: meals prepped and ready to heat left in fridge
The next couple of days / following week: you've left a couple of freezer meals.

If I really did have the money I would do this every other week - despite what it might sound like I love cooking and good food, new tastes, learning new methods - my instagram is food and dogs, I'm just finding it exhausting and it's taking a lot of the pleasure away.

DH does some but not enough, and although he loves my adventurous food he can't be arsed himself when it's his turn (it annoys me, but he makes up for it in other ways.)

What are the minimum standards of kitchen you'd expect? Social Media ready with island and all appliances or 1.5m wide council flat with no ventilation, the cooker power supply situated directly above the hob, only 2 rings usable due to it being squeezed in against the wall, the fridge only able to go up against the gas boiler and accessed by standing in the hallway before coming back in, shutting the door and crouching sideways to access the oven?

Me personally, no I wouldn’t pay for this. If I was going to use this kind of service I’d want it made somewhere else and delivered to me.

But someone like my grandad could be a good target market? Elderly living in own home, basically my mum buys him ready meals. He doesn’t have carers but he’s not really capable of doing more than making a basic sandwich etc for himself. He’d probably enjoy the company. Obviously you’d have to shop for the ingredients though.

Special occasion meals? Family groups on holiday? Although I feel again, you’d have to do the shopping.

Up thread I said it would be a no for me, but I've been thinking about my in-laws. They have money, but not physically able to cook many meals due to health problems in both. They don't do home delivery because one is bed bound and the other can only carry a small bag at a time. They manage with salad/sandwiches, frozen COOK/M&S meals and meals that I prep at home and stack into their freezer. I never cook at their home for several reasons

I know your current model is cooking in others home due to your own housing situation. In future though, if/when you could make meals and delivery, its something people like my in-laws would likely pay for.

Thank you. Id never heard of airtasker

You could do a thing where you said ‘on the menu this week is’ xyz and then people decide on a weekend when they know what they are doing the next week if they need dinners dropped off.
so if you were to say ‘cooking this week’ a curry / a chilli / a stew/ lasagne or whatever’ I could say ‘deliver me 2 portions of curry. 2 of chilli. One lasagne for 4’ that would be my week sorted almost.

i don’t want you in my house for half a day though.

Praying you’re on the south coast OP and do some decent advertising so I can get you booked in!