Pricing
What a private chef dinner actually costs in Nashville
Real numbers from my own book: what the preset menus cost per guest, what the event minimums are, when gratuity is added, and what is genuinely included in the price.
Almost every first email I get asks the same thing in a polite, roundabout way: what is this going to cost? Here are the actual numbers I charge, why they are structured the way they are, and what is included so you can compare honestly against a restaurant or a caterer.
The short answer
- Preset dinner experiences: $95–$175 per guest; ingredients, chef, tableware, service and cleanup included. A $500 local event minimum applies, with 20% gratuity for groups of eight or more.
- Dinner for Two: a flat $500 total for exactly two guests, choosing four courses from The Southern Table in Nashville only.
- Custom menus: a $100 reservation to hold the date, against a $75-per-guest food and service floor.
- Boutique Catering: from $78 per guest for 15–50 guests, with collection minimums and a 20% service charge. Nashville and Middle Tennessee only.
The preset menus
After Hours — fire burgers, stacks and chef pizza served in waves — is $95 per guest with a $500 local event minimum. The Southern Table, four courses of modern Southern cooking, is $125 per guest with a $500 local minimum. FABLE · Wild South, the five-course flagship tasting menu, is $175 per guest with a $500 local minimum.
The Butcher’s Table is $145 per guest, and The Linea Table is $110. Both share the $500 local minimum.
The event minimum is the lowest dinner subtotal. Four guests on The Southern Table cost 4 × $125 = $500; six cost $750. Two guests choosing a standard $125 menu also reach the $500 minimum. The dedicated Dinner for Two package includes four Southern Table courses for exactly two at $500 all in. Optional enhancements are priced separately.
What the per-guest price covers
All of it, other than alcohol:
- Menu design around your guests, the season and any dietary restrictions
- Sourcing and shopping — every ingredient, no separate grocery bill afterwards
- Cooking on site in your kitchen, with my own tools
- Plates, silverware and serving pieces
- A dedicated server for the table on seated preset dinners
- Course-by-course service and clearing
- Full kitchen cleanup
- No local travel fee in Nashville or Birmingham
A 20% gratuity is added to dinner for groups of eight or more. Destination private dining in the Smoky Mountains, North Georgia and Kentucky Bourbon Country has a $500 dinner minimum before travel and gratuity, plus one $350 travel fee. Travel is charged per event and is excluded from gratuity.
Worked examples
Two guests, anniversary, East Nashville. $500 total with the Dinner for Two package: four Southern Table courses, food, tableware, service and cleanup. No added gratuity or local travel fee.
Eight guests, birthday, Green Hills, The Southern Table. 8 × $125 = $1,000, plus 20% gratuity = $1,200.
Twelve guests, bachelorette weekend rental, After Hours. 12 × $95 = $1,140, plus 20% = $1,368.
Twenty-two guests, rehearsal dinner, Franklin, Wild South. 22 × $175 = $3,850, plus 20% gratuity = $4,620.
Eight guests, cabin weekend, Smoky Mountains, The Appalachian Table. Eight guests at $125 each are $1,000, plus $200 gratuity and one $350 travel fee: $1,550 total.
Twenty-five guests, company party, Nashville, The Fable Table. Boutique Catering at 25 × $98 = $2,450, plus a 20% service charge = $2,940 before optional additions or any quoted venue rentals. Groups larger than 50 need a custom proposal.
How it compares to going out
When comparing a restaurant with a private dinner, include the complete restaurant bill, gratuity, drinks and transport. For a private dinner, use the displayed event total and add your own beverages. The experience also differs: your group stays together at its own table, and the chef handles cooking, service and cleanup.
How payment works
Availability is live on the site and the date is only held once payment clears. Deposits are 25% for dates 46 or more days out, 50% inside 45 days, and the full amount inside 14 days. Any remaining balance is charged automatically to the same card seven days before the dinner, so there is nothing to settle on the night.
If you want to sanity-check a number for your own party size, the booking page prices it live before you pay anything.