Hi Everyone...I am doing a groom's cake in the shape of a pig...was to serve 100 and I quoted $850, now they only want it for 50. With all of the work involved, I don't want to just cut the price in half, but was wondering how people word it. Obviously there is a minimum amount of work that needs to be done and all of the decorations are the same. In addition, I will still need alot of cake and will have lots of carving. Any thoughts on wording my email?

Thanks.

Non cake People don't understand that it is the same amount of work etc to make a cake for 100 as it is for 50...They seem to think if they cut it down by half...so will your price but we all know that is not so....If I calculate correctly you are charging $8.50 per serving for 100 servings..That would be $850.00 dollars..I may be off a bit so if that is what you charge to do a 3D cake then it would be at least $425.00 for 50 servings give or take what you add on for extras..If you feel it is too little..Give her a quote and if she doesn't want to pay it...so be it...No Grooms cake!!

if you're pricing "per serving" then wouldn't it be 1/2 of the total if you're producing 1/2 of the original servings needed??? yes, you'll still be doing carving, detail work, etc, but you'll be using 1/2 the ingredients to create it'll be 1/2 the size to cover? but that's just my take on it... you're looking for wording. whatever your base price would be for the cake to serve 50, just tell her something to the effect

I understand that you now only want the grooms cake to serve 50 instead of 100. I have a minimum price for carved cakes which is $ and this is the amount of the grooms cake to feed 50. please let me know if you would still like this design or price is an issue, please let me know how much you have budgeted for the grooms cake and we can discus an alternative design to fit your serving requirements and budget.

just up the price per serving less serving more $ still doing the same amt of work but less cake.

You can't just change your price per serving. You need to be professional. Yes, its annoying that it will take all this work for a smaller cake. Either have a minimum price as suggested or make sure that you have everything priced out line by line.

Example 1: 3D cakes are $8.50/serving, however for 3D cakes I require a minimum of xx servings which would be xx dollars.

Example2 : 3D cakes are $7/serving, plus $25 for the flowers, plus $50 for the ......

The cost of the ingredients is the SMALLEST part of the cost equation so the fact that it is half the size DOESN'T mean it's half the price.

I had to explain this to my sister once at a restaurant where she asked the waiter, "If I get the half-salad, how comes it's not half-price?" I said ......

"Because the cost of the light over our table costs the same, no matter how much lettuce is on your plate. It takes the dishwasher the same amount of time to wash the plate, no matter if it's a 9" plate or a 6" plate. It takes the same amount of water and soap in the sink or dishwasher to wash the plate, no matter how much lettuce was on the plate. The waiter gets paid the same amount of money to carry a small plate of salad as he does to carry a large plate of salad. You're still going to use a fork to eat it, no matter how much lettuce is on the plate, and that fork costs the same and takes the same amount of time and expense to wash."

It's called 'overhead'. ANd it's why you pay more for smaller items that you do proportionately for larger items.

Before anyone decides to go into business, they have to understand this BASIC business rule .... or they are going to go under, fast.

Carved cake for 100? $850.
Carved cake for 50? $700

Overhead, baby. Overhead.

Did you tell her it was $8.50 a serving, or $850 for the cake? That's the mistake with carved cakes, the labor is the major reason they cost so much, the amount of cake is the least of your worries. Don't even use a per-serving charge for shaped cakes like that, just figure it by the time it will take, based on previous cakes you've done.

I have a $150 minimum for shaped cakes, I don't care if they want 10 servings or 24, which is the maximum size that the $150 will buy. I base it on the time it's going to take to make it. I know that I can do a dog cake from pan to being done in a couple of hours since I've done tons of those, but if it's something I've never done before it might take me 5 hours, so I charge more for that.

"Dear Bride,
Carved cakes are custom sculptures made just for you. Generally, carved cakes are prices at $3.00 per serving plus a $500.00 carving charge. The real work and labor in this cake is the hours spent sculpting it into your dream. That work remains the same in a smaller scale, or larger scale. That being said, reducing the servings from 100 to 50 would then reduce the price from $800 to $650.

I will add that carved cakes are really bought much more for fun and impact for you, the groom, and your guests. While I do not recommend ordering too much cake, sometimes the impact of these special carved cakes are worth the extra servings (and more yummy leftovers for your family to enjoy the day after!). After all- it is not just cake, is it entertainment for your guests.

I am happy to make the cake anyway that you decide and look forward to making this special for you!"


Adjust numbers and prices as needed... good luck! HTH.

I tell customers that my 3D cakes start at $150 and 30 servings. They will still ask if I can make it for 20. What did I just say? No.

Debi, as always, you turned on the lightbulb in my head. I"m going to start rethinking my 3D cake prices.

indydebi---- Damn... crummy use of the English language is MY pet peeve! Can't believe that one got me over their...

Can you resist?

But the work and cake waste on the carved cakes to be compensated. If Duff starts at $1,000.00, you all should too.

Thanks everyone...Debi, I think I love you. Yes, that is exactly it...the work is quite the same...I just did not know how to word it...but the restaurant example hit the nail on the head!

well i sent the email and got one back saying "great, thanks so much...will resend the contract." I did not half the price, but went from 800 to 650. I think that is reasonable.

Thanks for the advice!
Anita

Sounds like you got a fair price and everyone is happy! Good for you!