From Burnout to Booked Out: Why More Chefs Are Reclaiming Control Through Private Dining

The decision to walk away from restaurant life is rarely easy. But for many chefs, the long hours, limited creative freedom, and toll on their health and families eventually become too much. What used to be a badge of honour — the grind — is being replaced by something different: sustainability.

A growing number of chefs across the UK are stepping away from restaurant kitchens and finding a new path through private dining. The shift isn’t about lowering ambition. It’s about regaining autonomy, earning sustainably, and reconnecting with the reasons many became chefs in the first place.

And the numbers tell a clear story: this isn’t a niche trend. It’s a meaningful shift in how chefs are building careers.

Leaving the Pass Behind — and Not Looking Back

Chef John had hit his limit. After years in high-pressure kitchens, the decision to leave wasn’t dramatic — just necessary.

“You walk in at eight o’clock and someone’s hungover and pissed off—so they take it out on you,” he said.

Looking for something outside hospitality altogether, John nearly left the industry. But then, he began picking up private dining work. Within two weeks of joining yhangry, he landed his first booking. That month, he did six events and earned more than he had working full-time in a restaurant. Now, with just 10 hours of focused event work per week, he earns more than he did working 50.

And he’s far from alone. Chef Mark, for example, was clocking 18-hour days, six days a week, and the toll was personal.

“It got to the point where they had their own life without me, and I had mine, which revolved entirely around the business,” he said, referring to his family. “I could feel myself falling out of love with what I was doing, and I started to resent the business that once meant everything to me.”

At one point, even his children started calling him “Moody Margaret” — a not-so-gentle reflection of how burnt out he’d become.

Then came the pandemic, and a rare moment of pause. When someone offered to buy his business during lockdown, he accepted — not with regret, but relief. For the first time in years, he took time off to reset. That’s when a message landed in his Instagram inbox — an invitation from Yhangry. A new chapter began.

And he hasn’t looked back.

Redefining a Chef’s Career Path

Chefs across the country are rethinking what a successful career in food looks like — and finding that success doesn’t have to come at the expense of time, family, or mental health.

Chef Shaloma made a similar decision. When 15-hour shifts became impossible to balance with parenting, she pivoted to private cheffing. Over time, she reinvested her earnings to register a kitchen, buy equipment, and launch a catering business. She’s now completed more than 360 yhangry events in 4 years — a testament to how far this model can scale.

“I thought of a different way to run a restaurant — without the overheads,” she said.

Chef Dan’s story also reflects this shift. As a father of two, he built his schedule around his children — not service hours. Booking around 10 jobs a month, he preps during naps and serves before bedtime. He credits the move with restoring both balance and purpose.

“I’ve got a lot more control now,” he said. “And that’s the important bit.”

The Market Is Catching Up

These personal shifts are mirrored in the broader industry landscape.

The UK’s private chef market is projected to reach £873.6M by 2030, growing steadily year over year. At the platform level, the demand is even more immediate — Yhangry alone now processes close to 4,000 private dining requests per month, up from just 300 in 2022.

More importantly, for chefs, the financial shift is substantial. 71% of chefs report earning more through private dining than in traditional roles, making it not only a creative or lifestyle upgrade, but a financial one too.

This growth reflects more than just client demand. It signals a shift in how chefs want to work. While 57% of private chefs have over a decade of kitchen experience, they’re increasingly opting out of the traditional path. Instead of climbing the ladder, they’re building their own platforms — from scratch, on their own terms.

Not Just Luxury — A Practical Career Model

For many, private cheffing may sound like a luxury niche. But it’s more accessible — and more practical — than most think.

The majority of bookings fall within the £40–£100 per-person range. Many are small gatherings, birthdays, or family celebrations. With weekend events making up 75% of demand, chefs can treat private dining as a full-time business or use it to supplement other work, whether that’s parenting, product development, or launching a food brand.

Chef Jake, for example, now splits his time between private dining and running a patisserie business. He left a Michelin kitchen not because of lack of success, but because the pace no longer made sense.

“The food was great, but the machine was soulless. I couldn’t care about every plate when you're sending out 600 a day.”

Now, he plans his week around his son’s school schedule. “I prep while he’s at school and again after bedtime. That freedom is everything.” It’s a setup that brings both structure and joy back into the work — without sacrificing income or creativity.

What Chefs Are Really Gaining

For most chefs making the shift, income is only one part of the story. What they’re really gaining is clarity.

According to our recent survey data:

• Over 60% of chefs rated creative freedom a perfect 10
• Flexibility and direct client connection scored similarly high
• Many chefs doing just 3–5 events per month now surpass their previous full-time salaries

That’s not just a better paycheck — it’s a more sustainable career structure. One built around quality over quantity, ownership over obligation.

A Better Way Forward

Private dining is not a compromise. It’s a professional evolution — one that’s giving chefs control over their time, creativity, and trajectory. Whether they’re working parents, burned out from kitchens, or simply looking for a different pace, this model is proving itself: financially, emotionally, and practically.

For an industry long defined by sacrifice, this is a model that centres sustainability — not just for the environment, but for the people cooking the food.

As Chef John puts it, “I’m doing something I love, without being stressed, overworked and underpaid.”

And for more and more chefs, that’s exactly the point.