Between the booking and the dinner there is a menu to plan, specialty ingredients to order and an evening you cannot sell twice. If the host cancels two days before, the groceries are already in your fridge. A deposit does not have to feel stiff. A short note on the booking page explaining why it exists, and what it covers, is usually all a host needs.
Explain what the deposit does
Say plainly that the deposit reserves the date and covers planning time and early purchasing, with the balance due at a time you set. Hosts organizing a dinner party understand costs, and when they see that it is tied to real things, they treat it as ordinary.
Different services can have different structures. A weekly meal prep client is not the same as a one-night tasting menu for twelve. Listing each with its own deposit makes both easy to book.
Items a host should see
- ✓Guest count and date — both affect your cost and your availability
- ✓Menu planning included — a menu consult before the date
- ✓Groceries and ingredients — whether they are billed separately or included
- ✓Balance due date — when the remainder is paid
What happens when the plan changes
Guest counts shift and dates move. Decide how much notice you need for a change in headcount, and whether a deposit transfers to a new date. A short section on the policy page, linked at payment, makes those answers easy to find.
Dietary restrictions deserve a line of their own. Ask for them at booking and note that final menu choices are confirmed with the host, which sets the expectation that the deposit begins a conversation about the food.
What we set up
- ✓Booking form — date, guest count and dietary notes
- ✓Service pages — dinner events, meal prep and cooking classes
- ✓Deposit link — through your payment tool or Square
- ✓Policy section — changes, cancellations and groceries
Holidays and entertaining season
Holiday weeks and summer weekends book first. Stating that a date is held once the deposit arrives, and giving a simple way to ask for a particular menu, tells hosts what the order of events is.
What to expect, honestly
- ✓Refunds and transfers follow your own rules — the page shows them, it does not set them
- ✓Food handling rules are yours to manage — the site makes no safety claims
- ✓Payment fees belong to the provider — Square and others charge their own rates
One example of what your site could look like
This is one sample we designed. Yours is built around your business, your photos and your words, and we have more examples if you want to compare directions.
What it costs
Websites are priced one-time by size, plus Website Care at $30/month for hosting, HTTPS, backups, weekly checks and A/B testing. Every package includes a consultation, mobile-friendly design, copy we write for you, a contact form, essential search setup and 10 revision rounds. Monthly SEO is an optional add-on when you are ready for it.
Optional add-ons, billed separately
The prices above are for your website. These two are separate monthly products you can add now or later. Neither is part of the website price.
Monthly SEO, from $50/month: new pages published on your site every month. See Monthly SEO →
Business Spotlight, from $30/month: articles about your business, labeled as paid, published on The Company Chronicle. See Business Spotlight →
How it works
1. Consultation
We learn your services, customers and goals, in English or Spanish.
2. We write and design
We draft the words and build the site around your business.
3. 10 revision rounds
You review and request changes until it is right.
4. Launch and care
We launch, then Website Care keeps it hosted, backed up, checked weekly and A/B tested.
Keep reading
Booking deposits websites · Websites for private chefs · Catering inquiry websites · Online payments
