En route to an appointment
Get ready! Arriving with all of your ducks in a row will make your appointment much easier.
ARTICLE QUICK LINKS
Dress professionally
Customers expect you to dress like a personal chef. Many Elves wear a chef jacket (preferred) or cooking apron.
To avoid hair in your customers' food, cover your hair with a hat, hair net or something similar.
Texting customers
💡 Keep customers informed of your arrival time.
Running early?
Check your appointment page for early arrival terms from your customer.
- Options include "Yes, within an hour", "Maybe, please text to ask", and "No early arrivals".
- If "Maybe...", text your customer from your appointment page with an ETA if you're running early.
- Text customers prior to grocery shopping, so if your customer says no, you aren't stuck in your car with a bunch of perishable groceries.
💡 Don't ask customers if you can arrive more than an hour early. They may say yes to be polite, but they often don't rebook for this reason.
Running late?
Text your customer from your appointment page to give an ETA. Customers really appreciate this notice.
Questions?
Show enthusiasm about cooking for them. Ask questions about their appointment notes.
If you need to buy a small quantity of a grocery item (e.g., one egg), ask if they already have it. Don't ask about staples (you bring 'em).
Grocery Shopping
⚠️ Purchase groceries en route to each appointment. Intermediate storage between appointments is both illegal and unsafe.
Customer supplied groceries
Your customer may leave a note on your appointment page for groceries they'll supply. Don't buy these supplied groceries, as they should be out in your customer's kitchen for use in your appointment.
Paying for groceries
Pay for groceries and staples on separate receipts. We'll automatically calculate your staple costs. You'll submit your grocery costs at the end of your appointment.
Learn more about reimbursements.
Purchase quantities
The "purchase quantity" for most produce items is based on weight (e.g. 2 lbs of potatoes, not 3 potatoes). Weigh produce items for accuracy.
💡 You can remove grapes from a bag to buy the proper weight.
Substitutions
If you cannot find an item, make your best judgment. If you don't have a reasonable option, text your customer through your appointment page.
Organic
If a customer has paid for organic groceries, you'll see a note at the top of your grocery list.
See the "O=" notes under each ingredient to buy the organic option when possible. If organic isn't available, then purchase a standard item.
⚠️ Only purchase organic groceries, not organic staples. We don't offer organic staples.
Grocery stores
Shop at a mainstream grocery store (e.g., HEB, King Soopers), not a premium grocery store (e.g. Central Market, Whole Foods, Randalls) or a discount store (e.g., Walmart).
But a customer can request you shop at a premium store in their notes if the store is within 10 minutes from their home.
⚠️ Premium stores (e.g., Whole Foods) are expensive. Customers will be disappointed if you unexpectedly shop at a premium store.
Pre-ordering groceries
Some chefs save time by ordering groceries online and picking them up. If you do this, a few notes:
- Closely review groceries on pickup to confirm that all items are included
- Remember that staples and groceries should be on two receipts
- Closely review produce for quality
- Read about saving/uploading digital receipts
FAQ
Q: What if a customer asks me to pick up extra items?
A: You're not paid to shop for extra items, but many chefs will do so as a nice gesture (include the items on your grocery receipt). But if a customer asks for too many items, contact support and we'll let them know this is outside the scope of your job.