A simple way for private chefs to manage their menu, collect client choices and organise cooking visits—all from one mobile-friendly web app.

Private Chef Menu Manager connects your dish catalogue, client accounts and visit selections in one place. Clients can browse your menu and submit their choices, while you manage dishes, private recipes and confirmations through a dedicated chef dashboard.

Why this app?

Managing menu choices through messages, spreadsheets and photo albums can become time-consuming. Dish details get repeated, requests become difficult to track, and previous selections can be hard to find.

Private Chef Menu Manager gives your business a central place for menu planning. Your clients get a clear selection process, and you receive organised visit requests with the information needed to prepare.

Who can use it?

The app is designed for:

  • Private chefs and personal chef businesses.
  • Chefs serving regular client households.
  • Home dining and weekly meal preparation services.
  • Small chef businesses that need a private menu selection portal.

The business name is configurable, so the app can carry your own brand.

What clients can do

Each client household has an individual login where they can:

  • Browse a photo catalogue with dish names, descriptions, ingredients and allergen information.
  • Search dishes and filter them by category.
  • Save favourite dishes to their account.
  • Choose up to seven dishes per visit, including desserts and children’s dishes within that total.
  • Enter their requested visit date, number of people and special requests.
  • Review and submit their menu.
  • Track confirmation status and view previous selections.

Visit dates are submitted as requests for the chef to review and confirm.

What the chef can manage

The mobile-friendly admin dashboard lets you handle routine work from your phone:

  • Add and edit dishes.
  • Upload or replace dish photos.
  • Update descriptions, ingredients and allergen information.
  • Organise dishes into categories.
  • Publish available dishes or hide dishes temporarily.
  • Create and manage client household accounts.
  • Send account invitations so clients can set their own passwords.
  • Review submitted menus and visit details.
  • Confirm client selections.
  • Access private recipes that are hidden from clients.
  • Import dish information from CSV files.
  • Manage business branding, timezone and email settings.
  • Review email delivery status and process pending messages.

Routine menu updates do not require coding or a development editor.

Private recipes and reliable menu history

Your internal recipes remain separate from the information clients can see. This allows you to share useful dish details while keeping preparation instructions private.

Submitted menus retain a snapshot of dish names, ingredients and allergens. Later catalogue edits therefore do not rewrite the details recorded against a previous selection.

Bulk dish import

The CSV import feature helps you build your catalogue without entering every dish individually.

Upload a CSV file, review the import preview and save the dish records. A sample template is included to help organise your content.

The current version imports dish text through CSV. Photos are uploaded through individual dish edit screens; bulk image matching and import are not included.

Email notifications

The app includes account invitation and password reset emails, menu submission notifications and confirmation emails.

Messages are stored in an email queue, and the app automatically triggers delivery. The admin can also use Process Now to process pending messages. A scheduled cron worker can be configured as an optional backup.

SMTP settings support SSL/TLS and STARTTLS. Working SMTP credentials are required for live email delivery.

How to use it

1. Install and configure

Upload the application to compatible hosting and open the web installer. Enter your database details, choose a database table prefix and create the administrator account. Optional demo data is available for exploring the app.

Configure your business name, timezone and SMTP email settings.

2. Build your menu

Add categories and dishes, upload photos, and enter descriptions, ingredients and allergen details. Use CSV import to add multiple dish records, then publish the dishes you want clients to see.

3. Invite clients

Create a household account and send an invitation. The client follows the secure link to set their app password and access the catalogue.

4. Receive menu selections

Clients choose up to seven dishes, enter visit details and submit their menu. You receive an email notification and can review the request in your dashboard.

5. Confirm and maintain

Confirm selections, review upcoming requests and use previous menus as a reference. Update dish availability, photos and information whenever needed.

How it helps your business

  • Less administration: Collect menu choices and visit details in a consistent format.
  • A better client experience: Give households a private, easy-to-use menu portal.
  • Fewer scattered messages: Keep submitted selections and special requests together.
  • Faster menu updates: Manage dishes and photos directly from your phone.
  • Easier repeat visits: Let clients use favourites and refer to previous selections.
  • Recipe privacy: Keep internal preparation details accessible only to the chef.
  • Your own branding: Use the application for your business rather than a fixed chef identity.

Technology used

The application is built with:

  • PHP for server-side application logic.
  • MySQL/MariaDB for database storage.
  • PDO for database access.
  • Bootstrap 5 for responsive layouts.
  • HTML, CSS and JavaScript for the interface and interactions.
  • SMTP email delivery with a database-backed email queue.

It is a browser-based application, so clients do not need to download an app from an app store. It is intended for installation on your own compatible PHP hosting.

Account security and privacy

The app includes a unified login with role-based access for the chef and clients, household access isolation, secure password hashing, protected invitation and password reset links, CSRF protection and login throttling.

Dish uploads are validated as images, and private recipes are restricted to the administrator.

Because household requests may contain personal information and dietary details, your business should provide an appropriate privacy notice, define a retention policy and review applicable privacy or GDPR obligations.

What is included

  • Customer catalogue and household accounts.
  • Search, category filters and favourites.
  • Seven-dish menu selection flow.
  • Visit requests, confirmation status and selection history.
  • Mobile-friendly chef dashboard.
  • Dish and photo management.
  • Admin-only private recipes.
  • CSV import with preview.
  • Email notifications and queue management.
  • Installer, optional demo data, CSV template and setup instructions.

The current app focuses on menu selection and visit coordination. Online payments, automatic appointment availability, native app store releases and bulk image import are outside the current scope.

Private Chef Menu Manager helps you spend less time collecting menu choices and more time preparing a personalised dining experience.