Notes from the Kitchen
Almost everyone asks about price first, and a lot of people apologize for asking. Please don't. Here is how our pricing works in Chicago, with the actual numbers.
Every Vendador dinner has a $2,000 minimum. Tasting menus start at $300 per person. So eight guests start around $2,400, twelve around $3,600, twenty around $6,000. Those are starting points. The menu is written for your table, so the final quote comes out of a consultation, usually a phone call. If you are trying to figure out whether this fits the occasion, that is the range to plan around.
The minimum is per evening, not per person. A dinner for four at $300 a head would come to $1,200, so it bills at $2,000. Planning, shopping, cooking, service and cleanup take about the same work for four people as for twelve.
The per-person number covers a lot more than food. Menu planning with the chef. Ingredients from our purveyors. Pots, pans, plates, glasses, silverware and linen napkins, all brought in. The service team for the night. Setup before your guests arrive and cleanup after they leave. You do not rent anything or wash anything.
Wine pairings, a sommelier and bar staff are priced separately. Have a look at our wine pairings and cocktail programs if you want the drinks handled too.
Guest count. The biggest factor. Twenty guests means more courses going out at once, more staff, more rentals. Per person it gets a little cheaper as the table grows. The total goes up.
The format. A seated tasting menu of six or seven courses takes the most people and the most time, and it costs the most. Family style costs less. Food stations and passed canapés are staffed differently again. If what you want is more party than dinner, our canapé and happy hour service is usually the better fit for the budget.
The ingredients. A menu with Wagyu, white truffle and live lobster costs more than one built on what is in season. If you have a number in mind, tell us. We will say what it buys and what it does not.
The team. A Vendador dinner is cooked and served by a team, chefs and service staff, with me leading it. How many of us come depends on the guest count and the format. More guests, more staff, higher total.
Drinks. Pairings, a cocktail hour, a full bar with a bartender, or opening the bottles you already have. None of it is required.
Time and changes. The contract lists the hours of service. If the night runs long, overtime is $25 per hour per staff member. Menu changes after the contract is signed are $100. Both are in the contract, so nothing shows up on the invoice that you have not seen.
Sometimes. A private room at a good Chicago restaurant usually has a food and beverage minimum, plus a room fee, a service charge, corkage if you bring your own wine, and parking. Add those up and it often lands near what an evening at home costs. At home you keep the table all night, the menu is yours, and nobody brings a check.
If you searched for private chef prices and found hourly rates for weekly meal prep, that is a personal chef. Different job: everyday meals for a household, billed by the hour or by the week. We do one evening, planned as an event. I wrote up the difference between a personal chef and a private chef because the mix-up usually comes out when we start talking about budget.
The numbers above are for dinners at home. Corporate lunches and catering are priced separately, by headcount and format. Weddings start with a menu tasting at $300 per person, and that tasting becomes the plan for the day.
Send us the date, the guest count, the kind of night you want and a budget range. We come back with a menu and a quote at the same time, so you are not picking dishes blind. Email chefs@vendador.com, call 630-864-9349, or reserve your experience and we will set up the call.
Chef Francis Pascal, founder of Vendador
Questions people ask
Is there a minimum?
Yes. Every Vendador event has a $2,000 minimum, whatever the guest count.
What does the per-person price include?
Menu planning with the chef, ingredients, cooking equipment, plates, glasses, silverware and linen napkins, the service team, setup and cleanup. Wine pairings, a sommelier and bar staff are priced separately.
Are there any extra fees?
Menu changes after the contract is signed are $100. If the night runs past the contracted hours, overtime is $25 per hour per staff member. Both are written into the contract.
Is corporate catering priced the same way?
No. Corporate lunches and catering packages are priced separately, by headcount and format.
How do I get an exact quote?
Send the date, guest count, the kind of evening and a budget range through the reserve page or to chefs@vendador.com. You get a menu and a quote together.
If this gave you an idea, we would love to build it into a menu. Every Vendador dinner is designed from scratch around your guests, your space, and the season.
