This minute-by-minute example outlines the timing for a private chef preparing and serving an upscale, fine dining dinner party for 12 guests with a plated 5-course menu.
Number of Guests: 12
Style of Service: Plated 5-Course Dinner
Guest Arrival: 6:30 PM
First Course Served: 7:00 PM
Estimated Dinner Length: 2 hours 15 minutes to 2 hours 30 minutes
4:30 PM – Chef arrives on site
4:30–4:40 – Unload food, equipment, utensils, coolers, and service pieces
4:40–4:50 – Walk through kitchen; confirm ovens, burners, refrigerator space, plating area, trash, and dish area
4:50–5:00 – Set up sanitation station, towels, cutting boards, knives, smallwares, sheet pans, and hotel pans
5:00–5:10 – Organize all ingredients by course
5:10–5:20 – Set up cold station, hot station, garnish station, and plating station
5:20–5:30 – Check all advance prep: sauces, reductions, dressings, garnishes, purées, vegetables, proteins, and dessert components
5:30–5:40 – Begin reheating or reducing sauces as needed
5:40–5:50 – Prepare chilled salad plates and place them in the refrigerator
5:50–6:00 – Confirm plate counts: 12 plates per course plus backups if available
6:00–6:10 – Temper proteins as appropriate and begin low-risk final prep
6:10–6:20 – Heat pans, warm ovens, and check holding areas
6:20–6:30 – Final dining room and service review with host or server
6:30 PM – Guests begin arriving
6:30–6:35 – Begin final appetizer mise en place
6:35–6:40 – Check garnishes, wipe rims, and stage appetizer plates
6:40–6:45 – Begin firing appetizer components
6:45–6:50 – Finish hot appetizer elements
6:50–6:55 – Plate first course for 12 guests
6:55–7:00 – Final garnish, rim wipe, plate check, and course sent to dining room
7:00 PM – Course 1 Served: Appetizer
7:00–7:05 – Clear appetizer firing station; reset pans and utensils
7:05–7:10 – Pull salad components while keeping plates chilled
7:10–7:15 – Lightly dress salad components and prepare final garnishes
7:15–7:20 – Begin clearing appetizer plates from guests
7:20–7:25 – Plate chilled salads quickly on cold plates
7:25–7:30 – Final garnish, rim wipe, and course sent
7:30 PM – Course 2 Served: Chilled Salad
7:30–7:35 – Begin reheating or finishing pasta sauce or intermediate-course sauce
7:35–7:40 – Bring pasta water or intermediate-course components to service readiness
7:40–7:45 – Clear salad course
7:45–7:50 – Cook or finish pasta or intermediate-course components
7:50–7:55 – Plate course for 12 guests
7:55–8:00 – Garnish, rim wipe, and send course
8:00 PM – Course 3 Served: Pasta or Intermediate Course
8:00–8:05 – Begin main entrée firing sequence
8:05–8:10 – Place entrée plates in oven at 300°F to heat thoroughly
8:10–8:15 – Sear or finish proteins
8:15–8:20 – Begin finishing vegetables, starches, purées, and sauces
8:20–8:25 – Check protein temperatures; begin resting meats if required
8:25–8:30 – Clear pasta or intermediate course
8:30–8:35 – Organize hot plating line: protein, starch, vegetable, sauce, and garnish
8:35–8:40 – Pull hot plates from oven with dry towels
8:40–8:47 – Plate main entrée for 12 guests
8:47–8:50 – Sauce, garnish, wipe rims, and complete final quality check
8:50 PM – Course 4 Served: Main Entrée
8:50–8:55 – Reset kitchen and begin dessert finishing
8:55–9:00 – Pull dessert plates, sauces, garnishes, creams, fruits, and composed elements
9:00–9:05 – Begin clearing entrée plates
9:05–9:10 – Warm or finish dessert components if needed
9:10–9:15 – Plate desserts for 12 guests
9:15–9:20 – Final garnish, powdered sugar, sauce detail, rim wipe, and send course
9:20 PM – Course 5 Served: Plated Dessert
9:20–9:30 – Begin breakdown of hot line and unused mise en place
9:30–9:45 – Package leftovers as requested, label containers, and consolidate food
9:45–10:00 – Wash chef tools, wipe counters, clean stovetop, remove trash, and restore kitchen
10:00–10:15 – Final kitchen inspection, pack equipment, and review leftovers with host
10:15 PM – Chef departs