Studio pass

Um, is anyone else kind of pissed there's now a "Studio Pass" paywall? I specifically bought a ChefSteps Premium account as a gift for someone because it was a lifetime pass and now 13/20 of the new posts are behind a completely new paywall. Is the new content any different than the old content?

I'm all for ChefSteps making money but it really feels like they moved the goalposts on their subscribers.

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Matthew_Petrie_335176

I agree, I understand the need to look for new sources of income, but it feels like premium members should get a certain period on Studio pass free or at least a discount towards the subscription. Will there even be any more premium content or will it all be gated behind the pass now?

staroscik

It looks like the Premium content that I had before is still available to me, but I guess there will be no new Premium-grade content available unless I get the Pass?

I really, really like ChefSteps content, but I am also averse to subscriptions.

There is also so much cooking content available... I am already so busy in the kitchen, all the time... I am just not sure I am going to get $69 of value from the Pass. As much as I like ChefSteps, in the pie chart of my cooking adventures, it is just one slice.

Also, I rarely watch videos. I am all about the written content, so if a lot of the Pass value is watching videos of Grant in the kitchen, well, I am the kind of guy that probably wouldn't watch that for free unless I was researching a specific technique and the video was the only way to get the data.

(That said, Grant's chicken wings video, which I think was only on Facebook, was incredibly valuable and ChefSteps never wrote that awesome recipe down anywhere else. What other gems are waiting to be found?)

If the yearly cost was lower, even down to $50, I might buy in now... and it would be pretty nice to offer current Premium people a break like that.

If there was a lifetime price, I might buy in.

But at $69 per year... I won't get the Pass now, but in the future when I can see that several topics of interest are addressed, I may buy in and binge to catch up.

Anyway, I am glad Grant is back, I am glad ChefSteps is stable, and I still want to be part of the community.

Mitch_163207

It's super straightforward premium gets you unlimited lifetime access to "classes" these are "cooking guides" that you get with Studio Pass, clearly totally different.

All joking aside, it's a bit confusing. I could see them changing premium to yearly for new users (as the FAQ mentions it is only one time pay for now) but creating a new pay tier of recipes is a bit dubious. The newest premium content about a year ago, and before that was over two years ago. Hopefully yearly will mean more frequent content as well.

Not sure how finalized everything is, hopefully they make an actual announcement of plans soon. It is unclear how content is properly separated between free/studio/premium although it may be more arbitrary at this point.

krdeleon.peralta

Yeah, and to be fair I think I just want a better understanding of the differences between free, premium and studio tiers. The lifetime Premium subscription was a bit too generous for what you got but if they're literally offering the same kind of content and suddenly are charging more (and yearly) that really makes the initial "AND YOU'LL NEVER HAVE TO PAY AGAIN" selling point somewhat disingenuous. If they manage to make the studio pass more value added I would probably be a little sore about it but at least I'd understand.

ColumbusCOOK_141854

I want nothing but the best for the brand and of course Grant.

I also do not give one single fart about Joule. I bought a used lab immersion circulator back in the day when this was all new cooking techniques. I'm a food nerd. That's why I'm here.

In addition, I understand that the way to keep a business rolling is by having merch and products and subscriptions. That's why I bought a membership and retweeted things and made videos and IG posts about how CS taught me things. Totally cool with it. I was even cool with almost a year of marketing of Joule.

I was cool with Grant going on his Mexican journey. Go, be merry, learn, take some time for you and your life.

I was not cool with todays newsletter.

Don't alienate the people like me who are your core audience CS. I love this group/site and support everything around it, but another cash grab and jettising your staff my insides feel funny.

Ben_Michels_158008

I got my premium membership for a 1 time fee in 2015. I think chefsteps being allowed to ya know continue to bring in money so they don't go under like they almost did is just fine. What I want to know is will Studio Pass be worth it? so I"ll have to give it a shot. Does my premium pass remain if I get studio pass.

David_336200

What about the premium users? Does our content get updated or is it lights out for the membership we paid.

Martin_212020

Tbh I get that Premium was pretty cheap iirc and don’t particularly mind paying for Studio Pass... assuming there will be regular updates etc.

But will there be classes added to Premium in the future? Presumably not. It would have been nice to get an introductory Studio Pass deal because I have premium, or a free trial, or whatever.

krdeleon.peralta

Yeah, I agree that the Premium account was cheap for what you got and I'm actually okay with no new Premium content as part of that. I guess what I find galling is that they're posting the same exact kind of content on literally the same page and now charging more for it...

I mean, I get that they want to lean on the good reputation of the content they previously provided in largely good faith but they need to differentiate it in some way besides just slapping a meaningless new name on the product. Ideally it would be distinguished by having features the Premium tier didn't have (the online Q&A sessions might be a step in the right direction) but seriously, even putting it on a different page or branding it as "Breville presents ChefSteps" or something would be an improvement.

krdeleon.peralta

Looks like they listened to some of the complaints/suggestions. Just got an email that said Premium members have a limited time offer discount towards a one-year Studio Pass

Lorraine_Esterling_1040639

Hi All!
If you’re a Premium member, please check your email for information on upgrading to StudioPass. We really appreciate your feedback—thanks for your amazing support.

mikecuts

This is what I’ve been thinking. We were told access to the site and recipes would be a one time fee. No paying for the future content.

Now the new content is a recurring fee, on top of the other one time fee we were never supposed to have to pay for again?!

In advertising we’d call this a BAIT AND SWITCH.

Those of us who believed in the site and the ethos of the company and the team they were building supported this site in its earlier stages, and then pre-ordered hardware on blind faith and waited a year for that to come (here’s my $249 free loan for you to figure out how to bring a product to market), and then se t on to sing the sites praises to friends and family to do the same. Between friends and family I’ve sold 8 Joules just through that.

So I don’t think it’s unwarranted to feel like we’ve been lied to. If new members want access, great, it’s now $69 a year and that’s the way it is. But when we are told that we gain access for a one time fee, then that was the agreement that was made for putting our first monies down. CS should stick to their original agreement.

What I’m really excited about is in 3 years we’ll be asked to pay for the Super Premium Backstage Studio Pass Gold Member Status. That’ll be fun.

staroscik

$30 is OK, I decided to bite.

We'll see a year from now if I feel the same at $69.

I wish there was a long-term discount for people who went Premium back in the day.

krdeleon.peralta

I subscribed to Studio Pass for now. I appreciate they compromised as many suggested with a one-time only discount but I still think it's disingenuous they're offering a virtually identical product for a completely new price model.

rlax

The funny thing is that it still says on the website trying to sell Premium Passes, "Is it truly a one-time payment, or will there ever be Premium content that you'll charge me for in the future?"

I guess it wasn't "truly a one-time payment" after all. I call foul. I should mention that I never got any email with any special deal as other Premium members have mentioned, and can't find anybody to discuss this with.

Lorraine_Esterling_1040639

Hi Rob, Please reach out to us via support ticket at support.chefsteps.com. Our support team will be happy to discuss your concerns further and make certain that you’re on the email list.

amy_lee_tu_306338

I know there was an offer for a yearly discount in oct. I rarely used the premium and I dont think the stuido pass would benefit me, however i'm super curious about the content and would subscribe for the 50% off. Do you think they could offer it again?

brian_martin2001

it's unlikely, but you could always email them and ask. However, if you rarely used something that's a lifetime membership, maybe investing in a recurring charge (especially after the discount [if offered to begin with]) might not be the best course of action.

krdeleon.peralta

So it's been a year and I renewed my Studio Pass subscription. To be fair, ChefSteps has put out a lot of content and the subscription seems worth the price. I still have a bad taste in my mouth from the way they rolled it out (especially since I bought a Premium account for someone as a gift as I stated in the above post) but for now I'll stick with them.

Brytongi_1335248

Why don't you write them to the support service if you have already paid for the previous tariff?

whenric

@Lorraine_Esterling_1040639 spam

SanirMalon_1543068

Perhaps you should contact customer service. I bought a ChefSteps Premium account, and I have no problems. This is where I can find all the cooking information I need to learn more and master different cooking tools, techniques, and skills. ChefSteps Studio makes simple and incredible things that are easy to replicate at home. Sometimes the ingredient list is expensive, but the results are worth it. I don't feel bad about spending money on delicious food because I make good money at joe fortune Australian. It is a very quick and easy way to make money.