PRIVATE DINING:
GUIDELINES FOR A SEAMLESS EXPERIENCE.
Hi there — and thank you!
If you’re here, you’re probably considering hiring Much Ado to prepare and execute a memorable private-dining experience, and we appreciate that very much indeed!
Below is a list of terms for your perusal and agreement. In it, there are no slimy gotcha! loopholes or hidden fees buried under legalese. These terms are as plain as they appear, extant only to ensure all parties work transparently in good faith with one another.
Please let us know if there are questions.
RE: SCHEDULE
To book a private-dining experience, please reach out to us with at least five days’ notice through the contact form at the bottom of OUR SERVICES page.
Be advised that there is a two-person minimum headcount and a twelve-person maximum headcount per private dinner.
After confirmation of the event’s menu, we require an initial 50% deposit of the total quoted balance. If the total balance changes — due to an adjustment to the headcount, for example — you will be asked to pay the additional cost on the day of the event, or, if the balance decreases, we will adjust the final cost accordingly and charge only what is owed on the day of the event. * †
* Please note that we may not be able to accommodate changes to headcount within three days of the event.
† If there are unusual changes to the headcount — say, it gets halved or doubled — we will adjust the balance ASAP.
On the day of the event, our team will arrive to the provided address at the agreed-upon time. We will require access to the cooking space one to two hours prior to the first plate to set up and finish time-sensitive preparation.
RE: MENU
Though we try to source the lion’s share of our ingredients — seasonal produce, especially! — at one of our local certified farmers markets in Joshua Tree and Twentynine Palms, it is necessary, for some events, that we instead buy high-quality ingredients from nearby grocery stores and specialty food stores.
All dishes in the final draft of the menu are subject to change — historically in minor degrees — due to the unforeseen unavailability of ingredients.
RE: DIET
Please be certain to communicate any and all dietary restrictions — allergies, items prohibited by religion, plain old dislikes, etc. — for each expected guest during the menu consultation. If we are not made aware of relevant dietary restrictions, we will not be able to knowingly accommodate the diets of the guests — or protect said guests — and, as such, will not be held liable for failing to provide a menu that does so.
All dietary restrictions must be communicated to us during the menu consultation. We may not be able to accommodate changes within three days of the event.
RE: WORKSPACE
We take pride in our work — and that extends to caring for the spaces in which we do that work. We promise to respect our clients, the property to which we have been invited, and all equipment therein; we will leave the cooking space as clean as we find it, remove our own equipment, and so on.
That said, we expect that the cooking space, upon arrival, is clean and free from obstruction. If we arrive to an unhygienic or otherwise unsuitable cooking space, we will document the site via photograph, and append a $50 cleaning fee to the balance of the event.
If the cooking space does not meet basic health-code standards upon arrival — i.e., no running water, no electricity, etc. — we will prepare and serve what we are able to prepare and serve, then store the rest. You will be charged the full balance of the event.
Re: dining spaces, specifically: While the responsibility of staging the table with place settings prior to the beginning of the event should fall to us, we expect that the client will prepare and make accessible the dining space in general — e.g., if tables need to be moved from one location to another, that should be done prior to our arrival — to allow for unimpeded service.
Similarly, if the client would like to dine in an outdoor space at the host property, please be aware of and prepared for the mercurial nature of high-desert weather. In such cases, we would recommend planning a back-up space indoors.
RE: ALCOHOL
For reasons re: liability, if you would like alcoholic beverages — or even non-alcoholic cocktails — present at the event, we will be glad to recommend local purveyors of beer, liquor, and wine whose businesses you can — and ought to! — patronize. If you would like to hire a bartender or mixologist to serve such beverages at your event, we will be glad to recommend local, independent service-providers.
In this latter case, any terms and prices agreed upon between you and that service-provider are separate from and unrelated to your agreement with Much Ado.
RE: EQUIPMENT
Please be advised that, while we will bring any equipment we need to execute the menu, we will not provide décor (outside of our colorful linen napkins), glassware, or tableware.
During the menu consultation, we will ask the client to enumerate the cooking space’s appliances — to confirm the presence and operability of ovens, refrigerators, etc. — so that we can plan for any possible complications. If the client is renting a short-term property, we may ask to see its listing or to communicate with the property’s owner to determine the above.
RE: CANCELATION
If the client cancels the event within three days of the agreed-upon date of the event, their deposit will not be refunded. If they cancel the event more than three days out from the agreed-upon date of the event, their deposit will be refunded in full.
If we cancel the event for any reason and at any time, we will fully refund the deposit to the client.
RE: PAYMENT
We accept payment — for the initial deposit and the remaining day-of balance alike — via cash, PayPal, Venmo, and Zelle.
Gratuity is not expected but it is accepted with enormous gratitude.
