Home / Orlando After-the-Parks Dinner
A private chef dinner, ready when you return from the parks
After twelve hours of walking, waiting in line and carrying a tired child, you return to an Orlando vacation home that smells of dinner, with the table already set by your private chef.
How the After-the-Parks Dinner works
While you are at the parks, our chef lets themselves into your vacation home, shops, cooks and sets the table. When you text us that you are leaving the park, the chef times dinner to your arrival. You walk in, sit down and eat. We serve, clean the kitchen and pack the leftovers for tomorrow's lunch.
- Before your trip: we plan the week's dinners with you, including children's plates and adult plates, with every allergy noted
- On park days: the chef arrives while you're out, using the door code or lockbox from your host
- When you leave the park: one text, and dinner is timed to your drive home
- At the table: family-style platters most nights, or a plated dinner on the pool deck for a birthday or the last night
- After dinner: dishes washed, counters wiped and leftovers labeled
Built for park days
Park days are long, and no one wants a three-hour dinner at the end of one. We cook food that is ready the moment you walk in, so no one has to wait: generous platters, a pan of macaroni and cheese for the children, a main course for the adults, a salad and something sweet. On late nights, when you stay for the fireworks, we plan a lighter supper you can enjoy in your park clothes.
Taking a midday break? Many families return to the house in the afternoon to swim and rest. We can have a late lunch ready, so you head back for the evening already fed.
A sample week of dinners
- Arrival night: slow-cooked BBQ pulled pork, baked beans, pineapple coleslaw and rolls, ready when you arrive
- Park day one: chicken, roasted garlic mashed potatoes, green beans and a large salad, with macaroni and cheese on the side for the children
- Park day two: blackened grouper or shrimp, coconut rice and grilled vegetables, with buttered pasta for anyone who prefers it plain
- Rest day: brunch by the pool late in the morning, then a cookout on the grill
- Last night: a plated dinner, with bacon-wrapped filet and key lime pie, to end the trip
Every menu is planned with you; see our menus for more ideas.
Breakfast before the parks
Early park entry means leaving the house before anyone is fully awake. Add breakfast service, and the chef will have eggs, fruit, yogurt parfaits and coffee ready at the time you set, along with snacks packed for the car. Alternatively, we can stock the refrigerator before you arrive so breakfast is simple.
Where we cook
Orlando-area vacation homes and condos with a full kitchen: Kissimmee, Davenport, ChampionsGate, Reunion, Celebration, Windermere, Lake Buena Vista, Dr. Phillips and Winter Park. Most of these homes are a short drive from the parks, which makes timing dinner easy. We cannot cook in a standard hotel room. If your resort villa has a full kitchen, send us the resort's rules for outside vendors, and we will confirm.
What it costs
Family-style dinners start at $57 a person, plus food, with a $830 minimum per dinner. Booking the whole stay? A full-time vacation chef is $1,250 a day plus food and covers breakfast, lunch and dinner. A non-refundable $500 deposit holds your dates, and the balance is due 30 days before you arrive. Travel insurance is offered when you book. Full details are on our pricing page.
Questions people ask
Do we need to be home when the chef arrives?
No. Your host or property manager gives us the door code or lockbox details, and we will add the chef to the gate list if your community has a guard gate. We confirm access with you the day before.
What if we leave the park later than planned?
Simply text us when you are on the way. Dinner is cooked to hold, and the chef finishes it for your arrival.
Our kids are picky. Is that a problem?
Not at all. We plan children's plates separately, with pasta, chicken, macaroni and cheese, fruit or whatever your children prefer. The adults enjoy the full dinner.
Can you cook for a big group?
Yes. Many Orlando vacation homes sleep 16 to 30 people, and we regularly cook for multi-family trips and reunions. Larger groups receive additional staff.
Can we book only a few nights?
Yes. Many families book the arrival night, one big park day and the last night, and eat at the parks the rest of the week.
Do you handle food allergies?
Yes. Every allergy goes on your written event order, and the chef cooks those plates separately.
BookThatChef is not affiliated with, sponsored by or endorsed by Walt Disney World or Universal Orlando Resort. Park names are used only to describe where our guests spend their day.
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