Chef Archive
Thread: How in the world do CHEFS make cash?
You got laughed at as a Bartender?
Usually the reaction I get is either "Wow, cool!A bartender!" or "Holy Crap we have a Bartender?" or "Can you actually make me a beer?". Hmmm... well, I am on Starsider so I don't know if that makes a difference. I've actually had job offers to tend a persons personal cantina. A paying gig.
I'm a little suprised at that reaction. I am on Starsider (unoffical RP) so that MIGHT make a difference. I usually spend less than 2 hrs behind the bar and generally walk away with 500-750c a night.
Again though thats by selling A LOT of Starshine and that's ZERO Chef XP.
I try to keep a steady 15 food/drink items on the bazaar at all times. Usually when I log in I have to restock my inventory b/c my goods sell pretty quickly. I've got Domestic IV, Surveying IV, Advanced Pistol, some Scouting skills, and some Engineering skills. Those skills allow me to get all the resources I need to make all my food items. I've got one Wind Generator going and one Flora farm which I alternate what it harvests everyday so I get a decent stock of a variety of food items. I play about 1 - 2 hours everyday and spend a day here or there picking up the resources I have to hand sample like water and gas or kill some creatures for hide/meat.
I sell all my food items for 50 credits on the bazaar. That is Jawa Beer, Ruby Bliel, Starshine Surprise, K-18 Rations, Dustcrepes, Carmelized Pknebs, and Teltier Noodles. Yes, that price is insanely low. I make a 30 credit profit on every sale because I have zero overhead which not everyone can achieve. My thinking is that not a lot of people want to bother with food, but at my prices they may try them out just to see how they are. Hopefully people will notice the benefit and begin to buy more food and eventually I will raise my prices. I have noticed that right now I'm selling my food to a lot of the same people so I'm going to be talking with those people in the future and seeing if we could work out some sort of deals for getting me resources if they are a scout type, or possibly stocking their stores with foods and drink if they are an Artisan.
Maybe my location has something to do with my success. I'm on Rori and am the only chef that is even selling goods on the bazaar. Never a drink unless it is mine, and the few foraged items don't really compare to my current dishes on the food side, especially when you take pricing into account. Although, I'm wary of acouple of spicesI see popping up from Smugglers. Idon't know, move to Rori maybe 
.
It really is incredible how the customers vary per planet. On Moenia, a very busy Nabooian city, I couldn't sell anything at the Cantina, and only occasionally did I receive /tells even showing an interested in my products. It was here that I kept getting laughed at...
I moved to Coronet, as Rai suggested, and surprisingly, I get a bunch of tells. People are actually glad to see a bartender, however, I still don't sell too much food. Usually 2 Stacks an hour, which with my price rate is barely 300 creds. I'm a casual gamer, so it's hard to survive off this type of profit, especially if I plan on opening a shop someday. Unfortunately, smugglers sell their spice for WAY more on the bazaar and more frequently, and if a smuggler comes into the cantina--oh boy,I willgo out of business!
Thought I'd throw a little of my experience in the pot, so to speak.
The solution to my financial troubles, as a fledgling chef, were to sell half the organic and water resources my harvesters collected to bio-chemists/stimpack techs/doctors who need the organics for medicine. The other half I use to craft for experience, and list some items on the bazaar. I've noticed there are three main sellers, on the Bloodfin Server, Crispic, Jawa Beer, and Starshine Surprise, which I list for 55 credits each.
Yeah.. not the answer you wanted, I know. But truthfully, as it stands right now, I see the chef profession as more of a luxury, then a nescessity. People will never spend the same amount of money on food powerups, as they will on weapons, armor, houses, etc. Most likely, chefs will wind up supporting themselves as resource traders, rather then selling their actual wares, untill they can open their own specialty shop or roleplay establishment.
Right now, I feel it's a better idea, to sell the food cheaply, gain the experience I need, and allow people to get used to the idea of using food. Hook them first, then raise the price later. (Think Beta Chef).
I've also found, that having a well rounded character has really helped. I'm able to hunt meat, hide, and bone on my own, and rely heavily on my level 3 explorer skill, to get me quickly, and safely, to my more remote harvesters.
I also agree, with the prior post, that spice will be the direct competition with chefs. The only answer I see, and it won't be a popular answer, is to make spice "usable" as a resource in cooking, that only chefs can use. Smugglers would still be the only profession to obtain the spice, but they would need to then sell or trade it to chefs, who could actually turn it into a useable product. Preferably a very high end product, to make it worthwhile for both professions to do business with each other. Just my take on things.
Well I tried for the first time last night to make some $, with domestic arts IV. This is on Tatooine/Starsider. Basically I threw the two items I'd been powerskilling at on the bazaar (at 70 & 90 each), then wandered around talking about the wonders of food while I healed and craftedin the med center and cantina (medic skills).During the night I restocked the bazaar once cuz I sold through,andgot several point-to-point sales in town. Then, amazingly,I got a tell from a fighter type saying he'd been looking for a chef and got a bulk order for 70 items and hopefully more future business.
So I'm pretty positive. My biggest problem is inventory space, so I'm setting up a house and hopefully a factory (can factories make food in bigger stacks?). And I'm a little worried about the stuff in the chef line maybe not being desirable enough past the stuff in artisan.
1.) Chef foods are more powerful and have no side effects, smuggler spices have downtime after expiring you literally puke from taking the spice about 5 times, this is very bad when in battle because you lose rounds to puke...funny actually but not efficient, I would much rather have chef foods...
2.) A bazaar category would be nice, A vendor would be the best bet in a house. Also make sure your title appears over your name so I and others can see when searching.
3.) Yes but remember all the creature handlers out there need food and drink for their pets
Well the only other thing I can think to help your cause would be to advertise so people know how effective this food and drink is, give out free samples, /shout around town the HAM buffs...If you ran around outside the starport shouting,"Health +500 Action +500 for 5 minutes" or something like that I think a lot of people would take notice...I would...Tell the doctors/entertainers about the mind increases and the combat about the health/action.
But I think a more appropriate market shold be allowed for chef's like restaurants or snack machines setup by chefs and placed around the city, but only in designated areas...
Actually, explore II doesn't help with terrain navigation at all. You get 20 terrain nav with level one explore, and then another 20 with level three. All level two gives you, is maskscent, and a bonus to burst run.
Explore three does make a difference. When you can outrun most cons and mobs by simply running up a hill that will slow them down.. It's a good thing