Want to host a Pick-Up Dinner?
Pick Up Dinner FAQ
What is a Pick Up Dinner at The Depanneur?
Every WED & FRI different guest chefs prepare prix-fixe dinners at The Dep.
Meals sell for $48 for 2p & $90 for 4p (we don’t sell single meals)
Dinners are pre-ordered online, and picked up at The Dep.
Who can cook a pick up dinner?
The Depanneur invites guest cooks, amateur or professional, to make their favourite food. There are no specific prerequisites or requirements beyond the confidence that you can reliably prepare 50+ meals on time.
What should the menu look like?
Pick up dinners are a pre-fixe menu, typically with a meat and vegetarian (or vegan) choice.
Menus are a minimum of 3 courses; appetizer, main, and dessert.
If you have a packaged product that compliments the meal (e.g. sauce, spice blend, condiment, frozen item, etc.), we can discuss selling this as part of the events as well.
How many portions will I sell?
We have been doing an average of 30-50 portions, but numbers can vary a LOT from night to night (<20 to >90).
What am I responsible for?
You are responsible for supplying all the ingredients, and making sure the food is ready on time.
You can bring 1-2 people to help you if needed
Food can be prepped off site; if you have access to a commercial kitchen, all food can be made off site if needed. If not, basic veg prep & baking can be done off site. We recommend prepping as much as possible in advance to make the day of the event as easy as possible.
What does the revenue look like?
60% of sales goes to the chef + 1/2 of any tips.
When will I know how many portions to prepare?
Meals are ordered online in advance up to 10PM the night before. We can provide sales updates throughout the week leading up to your event, and provide you with an exact, final number the night before your event.
When should the food be ready?
Orders are picked up at The Dep between 6PM and 7:30PM.
Food is pre-packaged and served warm, kept in coolers or ovens until service at which time orders are assembled as each customer arrives for pickup.
What does The Dep provide?
The Dep provides our kitchen for your use on the day of your event, packaging for the meals, and a hand getting everything packed up in time for the 6pm pick up, as well as looking after the online sales, marketing and getting the food to the customers.
When can I get into the kitchen?
The kitchen is available to you any time on the day of your event. In some cases, when there has been very high demand, chefs have come in the night before to get started.
What information do you need from me?
Once you have a date confirmed, we will request the following information from you:
- Menu Title
- Menu description (a few sentences about your concept, your connection to or inspiration for the menu)
- Names of dishes and descriptions (describe the dish and include the main ingredients)
- A short bio
- A photo that represents one of the key dishes
Can I see examples of past pick up dinners?
Yes! You can look at any of the many previous Pick Up Dinners to get a sense of the kind of menus/detail we are looking for.
I submitted a recipe to be considered for the cookbook, is this related?
Maybe! We have not started reviewing submissions or selecting dishes for the cookbook yet. If you submitted a recipe and then schedule a pick up dinner, we will be in touch about possible options. If one of your recipes is selected for the book, we may want to use your pick up dinner as an opportunity to photograph the dish.
What if I still have questions?
Email us at info@thedepanneur.ca