Booking Protection
What It Is and Why It's Worth Adding
Life is unpredictable. A flight gets cancelled, a family emergency comes up, a work deadline shifts at the last minute — and suddenly the private chef experience you were so looking forward to needs to change. That's exactly why we created Booking Protection.
What is Booking Protection?
Booking Protection is an optional add-on that significantly increases the amount you get back if you ever need to cancel your booking. Instead of relying only on our standard cancellation windows, Booking Protection cushions the impact — no matter when your plans change.
- Cost: 8% of the chef quote (minimum €49)
- When to add it: Only at the time of booking — it cannot be added afterwards, so it's worth deciding upfront
- What it covers: A higher refund percentage across every single cancellation window, from "just booked" to "a few days before"
Why it's worth adding
- It protects your investment. Private chef experiences are often booked for meaningful occasions — birthdays, anniversaries, family reunions — planned weeks or months in advance. Booking Protection means an unexpected change of plans doesn't have to mean losing most of what you paid.
- It covers every scenario, not just the big ones. You don't need a dramatic emergency to benefit — even cancelling a few days later than planned can mean the difference between a 15% refund and a 50% refund.
- It's a small cost for real peace of mind. For a typical booking, Booking Protection costs less than a nice bottle of wine — and it can save you hundreds of euros if your plans change.
- It's simple. No claims process, no paperwork, no waiting on an insurer. If you cancel, the higher refund is applied automatically according to the table below.
How it relates to the standard cancellation policy
Booking protection works alongside our standard cancellation terms — see Cancellation Policy for Clients for what's covered by default, with or without booking protection added.
See the difference for yourself
Standard bookings (chef quote below €3,000)
If you cancel... | Without Booking Protection | With Booking Protection |
|---|---|---|
More than 30 days before | 95% refund | 100% refund |
14–30 days before | 80% refund | 95% refund |
7–14 days before | 40% refund | 70% refund |
3–7 days before | 15% refund | 50% refund |
Less than 3 days before | No refund | 20% refund |
Large events (€3,000 or above)
If you cancel... | Without Booking Protection | With Booking Protection |
|---|---|---|
More than 90 days before | 95% refund | 100% refund |
60–90 days before | 80% refund | 95% refund |
30–60 days before | 50% refund | 70% refund |
14–30 days before | 20% refund | 40% refund |
Less than 14 days before | No refund | 20% refund |
Example cases
Case 1 — 5 days out. Client books a chef with a quote of €1,200. Booking Protection costs €96 (8% of €1,200). Five days before the event, the client needs to cancel:
- Without Booking Protection: she gets back €180 (15%).
- With Booking Protection: she gets back €600 (50%) — €420 more than what the €96 add-on cost her.
Case 2 — 2 days out. Client books a chef with a quote of €800. Booking Protection cost him €64.
- Without Booking Protection: he gets back €0.
- With Booking Protection: he gets back €160 (20%) — turning a total loss into a meaningful refund.
A quick note
The service fee is never refundable, regardless of whether you have Booking Protection, and the Booking Protection fee itself is also non-refundable. Booking Protection increases what you get back on the chef quote portion of your payment.
How do I add Booking Protection?
Booking Protection can only be selected at the moment you book your chef — right before you confirm and pay. If there's any chance your plans could change, we highly recommend adding it then, since it can't be purchased retroactively.
If you have any questions about whether Booking Protection is right for your booking, feel free to reach out to our team at operations@chefmaison.com — we're happy to help you decide.
Updated on: 27/08/2026
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