Professional Catering Forum Professional caterers can share their experiences and ideas here.


Reply
 
Thread Tools
  #1  
Old 08-24-2009, 11:03 PM
iconoclast's Avatar
iconoclast Offline
Registered User
Culinary Experience: Other
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: NYC
Posts: 466
Default customer request...

odd question, but some of you seasoned pros may have experienced this... i have a potential customer, she would like to hire me for an event... HOWEVER, she would like to me to replicate meals from her favourite restaurant... to help me do that she wants me to go to do dinner with her and experience it for myself... anyone here experience this before?
Reply With Quote


  #2  
Old 08-24-2009, 11:23 PM
natividad Offline
Registered User
Culinary Experience: Professional Chef
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 44
Default

sure, sounds like a perfectly resonable request. I've know restruanteurs send their future chefs to other cities or even other countries to experience and learn about a particular food or concept or culture, so having dinner isn't odd at all. the problem is it sounds like she wants a replication and not your version of the dishes. not sure what your skill set is, but i hope you can make reasonably close copies of their dishes. i assume she's picking up the tab ?????
Reply With Quote
  #3  
Old 08-25-2009, 09:22 AM
iconoclast's Avatar
iconoclast Offline
Registered User
Culinary Experience: Other
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: NYC
Posts: 466
Default

yes, she will pick up the tab... however i am uncertain i will be able to replicate a meal exactly with out recipes or anything else... but i have made this clear and she is willing to give it a shot.
Reply With Quote
  #4  
Old 08-25-2009, 02:37 PM
Fel3232 Offline
Registered User
Culinary Experience: Professional Chef
 
Join Date: Jul 2008
Posts: 25
Default

my experience:
this never works out. No matter what your skills are, no matter how good you are, client is always going to compare you with the "original". Just my opinion/
Reply With Quote
  #5  
Old 08-25-2009, 03:32 PM
natividad Offline
Registered User
Culinary Experience: Professional Chef
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 44
Default

most people know what they like, that doesn't mean they know what's good. my solution to your problem..... be better than the original !!!
Reply With Quote
  #6  
Old 08-25-2009, 03:55 PM
ED BUCHANAN's Avatar
ED BUCHANAN Offline
Registered User
Culinary Experience: Culinary Instructor
 
Join Date: May 2006
Location: PALM BEACH FLORIDA
Posts: 2,243
Default

Cooking for an event and cooking for 2 people is a bit different.
__________________
CHEFED
Reply With Quote
  #7  
Old 08-25-2009, 04:23 PM
iconoclast's Avatar
iconoclast Offline
Registered User
Culinary Experience: Other
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: NYC
Posts: 466
Default

Quote:
Originally Posted by Fel3232 View Post
my experience:
this never works out. No matter what your skills are, no matter how good you are, client is always going to compare you with the "original". Just my opinion/
this is my major concern, and i have expressed that asking me to replicate a meal is like asking another musician to cover another musicians song... they both may be good/great in their own right but will always be slightly different.
Reply With Quote
  #8  
Old 08-26-2009, 07:59 AM
ChefBillyB Offline
Registered User
Culinary Experience: Professional Chef
 
Join Date: Feb 2009
Location: Pacific Northwest
Posts: 238
Default

You don't call up Ford to make a Chevy......I would tell her to hire the restaurant she likes to cater the event....... No matter how good the meal came out, in her mind it will never match what the restaurant can make right off the front line..........Bill
Reply With Quote
  #9  
Old 08-26-2009, 09:51 AM
iconoclast's Avatar
iconoclast Offline
Registered User
Culinary Experience: Other
 
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: NYC
Posts: 466
Default

while i hate to turn away business, if she is expecting the exact same meal from that a different chef prepared i may have to tell her that.
Reply With Quote
  #10  
Old 08-26-2009, 10:00 AM
natividad Offline
Registered User
Culinary Experience: Professional Chef
 
Join Date: Aug 2009
Posts: 44
Default

get a free dinner and taste the food. only you know if you have the ability to copy the dishes. while having dinner you might also point out changes or thoughts on the dishes, maybe you can change her ideas of making strict copies. what kind of restuarant is it ? i say go, at least get a nice dinner from it.
Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks


Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are Off


Similar Threads
Thread Thread Starter Forum Replies Last Post
The customer is always right!!!! DanMan Professional Chefs Forum 25 08-15-2009 02:57 AM
Request for recipe qahtan Pastries and Baking General 1 03-27-2008 06:03 PM
Job Description Request 1skydive Professional Chefs Forum 16 03-10-2006 02:43 PM
The meaning of a customer vaderdoo Professional Chefs Forum 16 08-28-2005 10:12 PM
just one more request JAR Professional Chefs Forum 1 01-04-2005 06:49 PM