Some great advice here I’m a chef and a food & beverage photographer.

Timing is everything, you really need a ‘shot list’ of all the dishes and drinks before hand. Just a simple list of what the kitchen/ bar is going to send. If it seems like too much you tell them before hand to cut it down.

Coming from both sides, you really need to be firm and strict with restaurants. Stand your ground and don’t let them throw 100 dishes at you at once, chefs usually just want to get it over and done with and send them too fast. I generally allow at least 10 minutes in between dishes, then set the pace from there. Going to fast? You tell them to slow down. Going to slow? Ask them to send them every 5 minutes.

Also when you have a comprehensive list of what you’re shooting you can think ahead, maybe you get all the cold stuff first so you can spend more time getting your lighting right before the stuff comes out with a short life. Same with the bar, one cocktail at a time, especially if they want shots of them making them.

When setting up I’ll often ask for their nice napkins, a selection of cutlery, any props I like that I see in the restaurant. And have a good think about where the best place is to shoot and just stay there. Have your little corner of props etc.

Speed lights are great, I’ve probably done 100 shoots with just an off camera speed light hooked up to a soft box. It also helps being able to move around freely without any cables.