By Brian Driscoll and Monique Hayward
Food is more than fuel; it’s a big part of life. It’s about togetherness, community, expression, comfort, joy, and restaurants figure prominently in how we enjoy meals with our family and friends. The swift shutdown of the restaurant sector brought on by COVID-19 illuminated how restaurants contribute significantly to the cultural and economic vitality of our cities.
With many states cautiously reopening, restaurants are welcoming diners as they venture out to navigate the uncertain landscape. No matter if it’s a chef-driven concept, neighborhood bistro, or local quick-service chain, all face tough constraints – i.e., limited menus, restricted seating and reduced capacity to accommodate social distancing, servers and bartenders in masks, kitchen redesigns to improve the staff’s safety, emphasis on takeout and delivery, and additional sanitation measures.
As restaurant industry veterans, we empathize with these fearless entrepreneurs as they innovate in these challenging times, for this outbreak has accelerated trends that already sparked a proliferation of food and beverage options and ways consumers can bypass shopping or cooking themselves. Just in the last few months, look at how many of us have signed up for meal-kit services, ordered delivery through mobile apps, and relied on ready-to-eat meals from local grocers.
One thing’s for sure: Those services haven’t been the greatest experience, either. For delivery specifically, the customer service and economics are not working on multiple fronts. How many times have you ordered delivery only to contend with unfriendly drivers, cold food, missing items, or overturned containers with food spilling all over the bag? Not to mention the sticker shock of a bill approaching $100 for two people to eat out of boxes parked on their couch binge-watching shows on Netflix.
Now as many states and localities are easing restrictions only to encounter a spike in infections, restaurants need more time to define the new normal, and takeout and delivery are not ideal for celebrating special occasions and sharing once-in-a-lifetime moments with friends and family. Enter the personal chef and welcome to your new favorite restaurant – your home.
Intense competition and ever-expanding choices have resulted in personal chef services being more accessible and affordable to a broader market segment beyond elites and the rich and famous. In an environment where large crowds pose serious health risks, personal chefs offer a creative alternative, providing a high-quality dining experience to be enjoyed in the safety and comfort of your home.
To ensure everyone’s safety, personal chefs take the necessary precautions, including additional sanitation protocols, proper protective equipment, and social distancing in the home. That can be done in a way that still delivers highly personalized, engaging experiences for small, intimate parties.
Personal chefs offer other advantages in this time of stay-at-home orders and social distancing. First, they save you time by taking on the responsibility of planning, preparing, and executing all the tasks associated with your special occasion or celebration. Next, they can offer you a reliable, dependable option for nutritious meal preparation and delivery, where you engage directly with the chef to create menus you and your family will enjoy. Finally, personal chefs showcase their talents with unique menus, tailored offerings, and professional execution to the highest standards of quality at a cost similar to dining out.
In these extraordinary times, personal chefs have emerged as a viable option to enjoy a restaurant dining experience safely in your home. Save time, reduce stress, and simplify your life the next time you’re planning a special occasion or celebration and hire a personal chef.
Brian Driscoll and Monique Hayward are the co-founders of DRISCOLL Cuisine & Cocktail Concepts in Phoenix, Arizona. The company specializes in creating highly engaging, memorable personal chef experiences for clients. For more information, visit https://www.driscollcuisine.com.
