Signs a consultation is generic, not personalised
Spot generic meal-planning consultations early: they skip questions about your life, hand you templated plans, and never check if you'll actually use them.
Personal chefs and meal-planning consultants operate across a spectrum. Some sit down, ask detailed questions about your schedule, preferences, budget, health considerations and kitchen setup before sketching out a plan. Others hand you a generic template they've used for fifty clients. The difference matters because a boilerplate meal plan wastes your time and money—and often sits unused. Learning to spot the generic approach early saves you both.
The tension here is real: a truly personalised consultation takes time, which costs more. A quick, templated session is cheaper and faster. But if the output doesn't fit your life, you've paid for something you won't use. Knowing what lazy consultation looks like means you can walk away before you've signed up.
They ask nothing about your actual week
The clearest red flag is a consultant who doesn't ask how you eat now. A good session begins with questions: What does your Monday evening really look like? Do you cook at home or grab takeout? Who are you feeding—just yourself, kids with different tastes, a partner with dietary needs? What's your kitchen like—full setup or a few pans? How much time do you actually have on a Tuesday night?
If the consultant launches into their plan without this groundwork, or asks only surface-level questions ("Are you vegetarian?"), they're building for an imaginary version of you, not the real one. You'll end up with recipes that assume you have two hours free on a Thursday when you actually work late, or meals built around ingredients you don't like. Generic consultants often treat meal planning as a one-size-fits-most puzzle rather than a custom fit.
The plan looks like they copied it from somewhere else
After your session, the meal plan should feel tailored. That means it slots into your actual schedule, uses ingredients you'd buy anyway, respects what you actually enjoy eating, and acknowledges what you'll realistically do. If the plan you receive looks like it could go to anyone—generic proteins, no acknowledgment of your preferences, meals that take longer than you said you had available, ingredients that don't fit your budget—you've encountered a template.
Watch for these signs: the plan doesn't mention the specific constraints you discussed; recipes assume you have time you said you didn't have; there's no flexibility or swaps offered based on what you told them; nothing references your household size or any person's particular needs you flagged. A personalised consultant might say "I know Tuesday is tight, so these three dinners take under 20 minutes," or "You mentioned your kid won't eat tomatoes, so I've focused on the other flavours here." A generic one ignores those threads entirely.
They don't check whether you'll actually do it
A rushed or generic consultation often ends without a follow-up mechanism. A consultant who's invested in the plan asks: "Will these recipes feel doable to you? Is there anything here you're sceptical about? What would stop you using this plan?" They invite pushback and adjust.
Generic consultants hand over the plan and disappear. They don't:
- Ask which meals you're most confident about cooking
- Offer to refine anything that feels wrong
- Check in after a week to see what worked
- Build in accountability or a review cycle
This matters because meal plans fail silently. You say nothing and just stop using it. A consultant who truly personalised your plan wants to know what broke so they can fix it. A generic one doesn't circle back because they're already moving to the next client.
What to do instead
When you're booking a meal-planning consultation, ask upfront: "How do you build a plan? Do you spend time understanding my schedule and preferences before you create anything?" Listen for how they describe their process. Do they talk about getting to know you, or do they jump to method? Ask to see an example of a plan they've done—does it look specific and detailed, or generic and broad?
You want someone who treats your consultation as the foundation of everything, not a box to tick. The best meal-planning consultants on Strove ask thoughtful questions, listen to what actually stops you cooking, and build a plan that accounts for real life rather than the one they imagine you have. Check their reviews for language like "really listened" or "understood my situation," not just "gave me recipes."
Common questions
- What's the difference between a personalised and generic meal plan?
- A personalised plan is built around your actual schedule, preferences, kitchen, budget and household—the consultant asks detailed questions first. A generic plan looks the same for most clients: it ignores your constraints, assumes time you don't have, and doesn't account for what you'll realistically cook.
- How can I tell if a consultant will use a template?
- Ask them upfront how they build a plan and whether they customise based on your input before creating anything. Ask to see an example of a previous client's plan. If they talk more about their method than about getting to know you, that's a warning sign.
- Should I expect follow-up after my consultation?
- A consultant invested in your success will check in after a week or two to see what worked and what didn't, then refine the plan if needed. If they hand over the plan and disappear, they're treating it as a transaction, not a partnership.
- Is a generic meal plan ever worth buying?
- It depends on your needs. If you're just looking for recipe ideas and don't need a plan tailored to your constraints, a generic template might be fine. But if you've struggled with meal planning before, a personalised consultation is more likely to create something you'll actually use.
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