How do I find out if a caterer’s best dishes depend on the chef who is leaving?
Ask which dishes bring clients back, then find out who actually creates and finishes each one. Taste the food, speak to the kitchen team and ask whether written recipes exist. If the departing chef is the only one who can make the signature dishes, negotiate a handover, training or a hiring plan before you commit.
Start by naming the dishes that matter. Check bookings, client feedback and reviews to see which items are requested again and again. Then ask who makes each one, and what the chef does that others do not: seasoning, timing, sourcing or technique.
Next, test the depth of the team. Spend time in the kitchen, ask the sous-chef or line cooks to explain a dish, and eat the food on a normal day, not a staged tasting. Ask whether there are written recipes and whether anyone else has cooked from them under pressure.
Then plan around the departure. Can the chef stay for a handover period, train a successor or consult? Ask the seller to arrange it. Your lawyer can tell you what restrictions, if any, can be put in an agreement about the chef working nearby. Meanwhile, think about hiring early, so that a replacement learns the menu with the chef still there. Think about the chef’s role beyond cooking. They may also hold supplier relationships, train staff and meet clients. List what they do each week and decide which tasks you can cover and which need a new hire. Decide early which tasks you will cover yourself.
Key takeaways
- Identify the dishes clients request, then who creates each one.
- Check whether recipes are written and others can cook them.
- Seek a handover or training period with the departing chef.
- List the chef’s tasks beyond cooking, including suppliers and training.
Related reading
15 pages on the same subject, grouped by topic.
Due diligence
- Expert answerWhat should I ask about a caterer’s rental inventory of linens and chafing dishes?
- Expert answerHow do I find out if a buffet depends on bus tours or large groups?
- Expert answerHow do I find out if an app depends on a single outside service to work?
- Expert answerHow do I find out if a content website’s income depends on one advertiser?
- Expert answerHow do I find out if a grocery store depends on one main wholesaler?
- Expert answerHow do I find out if a last-mile delivery business depends on a single retailer’s contract?
Buying
- Expert answerHow do I find out how much a mattress store depends on one manufacturer?
- Expert answerHow do I find out if a grooming shop depends on one groomer’s skills?
- Expert answerHow do I find out if a repair garage depends on one star technician?
- Expert answerHow do I find out if a shoe store depends on one anchor brand?
- Expert answerHow do I find out whether a party supply store depends on a few event planners?
- Expert answerHow do I find out which outside code libraries a SaaS product depends on?
- Expert answerHow do I find out if a campground depends on one long-time host or manager?
- Expert answerHow do I judge the head chef’s role in a catering company?
Sources
This answer is checked against primary sources. Links were last confirmed on the dates shown.
- 01Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentHow to conduct due diligence when buying a business
- 02Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentWhat are the steps to buying a business?
- 03Business Development Bank of CanadaGovernmentWhat is succession planning?
Deavo is an advertising and listings platform, not a brokerage, law firm or valuation firm. This page is general information, not legal, tax, accounting or valuation advice, and rules differ by province. Confirm anything you rely on with a qualified professional before you act on it.