Okay.. just thought I would share

I live near Duff - Ace of Cakes
I have heard of his cakes making it to certain weddings, parties.. etc from friends.
Typically the first thing out of my mouth is "What did it look like, what was it and how much $$?"

I get the first two answered... it was a boat or a blah blah blah and looked awesome ... they are usually not able to provide me the financials - totaly did not expect to get an answer this time when I asked...

$3000 - for a groom's cake

I just about fell out, first of all I would freak out if someone wrote me check for $3000 for a cake? I am in no way saying that he does not deserve that kind of money... I am just shocked that you hear of these big money cakes.. and you guess at what they cost... WOW ! somebody paid WHAT.. for a WHAT CAKE ?... for a WHAT PARTY ?... OMGOSH...

I need to up my medication next time I ask that question !

Vicki

crazy stuff huh? I'm pretty certain they have a $1,000.00 minimum on their cakes though, so I figured they were rediculous!

Duff has a min order amount of $1000, so I'm not surprised he has cakes that go for that much. With his cakes, you aren't just paying for the cake, but for the name as well.

Holy guac! That makes me wonder what kind of cake goes for only $1000. Was it a sculpted groom's cake?

Still... I wonder what on EARTH could make the price jump 2K for a groom's cake...

For the base price of 1K, I wonder if you get a plain 8" round with ribbon at the bottom.

ok, so i read this post, and i just clicked out of it shaking my head... but then i said... "I have to comment. I just have to." I agree that with wedding cake, you get what you pay for... i think you should make a good investment in the cake. But 3,000 dollars for a cake! OM Goodness. That is 80% of what i paid for my ENTIRE WEDDING. The cost of weddings is getting way out of control... IMHO. I imagine i am going to get some flack for saying that.... but I believe that people should make the investment in the rest of their lives as a married couple than on a $3000 cake. How many of us could do the same cake for less than a thousand? Ok, I will shut up now.

From Duff's site:
"How much are your cakes?
Because all of our cakes are priced individually by the complexity of their design, we do not have a standard price list.
Due to the care we give to each cake and the one-of-a-kind nature of each order, we require a minimum of $1000 on all of our cakes."

Buyers are paying for a "movie star" to make the cake and get bragging rights (which would be pretty cool). There may also be a tinge of "maybe I'll/we'll get to be on TV!" in the purchase from Duff's as well.

$1000 isn't too horribly outrageous for a high end wedding cake from a famous bakery, but I'm with sugarfiend, what could possibly bump it up $2000 more?

Did you see the episode of Fabulous Cakes with the Terry Fator cake? It was made by Freed's Bakery in LV. The price??$15,000.00 Now THAT's a price.
http://www.terryfator.com/videos.html?ma_id=1&mc_id=32&p=1

The money cake was an - R2D2 Cake for the groom - then there was a wedding traditional cake (from another baker) also at the reception.
My friend said that the cake was not that big - it was a 'normal' size (from a man, normal could be anything, LOL)

All in All - it makes you either hopefull that someday you can up your price and not feel so bad, I am NOT a professional cake decorator - I can dream - and practice practice practice....
Its kinda like looking at a new job and they give you a salary scale... I am currently at the bottom of scale but the potential is the high end of the scale and charge freakin $3000 FOR A CAKE !!!!!

Go Duff, Buddy, Chris, Cake Girls and anyone else that has that calliber of talent - I am envious

[/quote]All in All - it makes you either hopefull that someday you can up your price and not feel so bad, I am NOT a professional cake decorator - I can dream - and practice practice practice....
Its kinda like looking at a new job and they give you a salary scale... I am currently at the bottom of scale but the potential is the high end of the scale and charge freakin $3000 FOR A CAKE !!!!!

Go Duff, Buddy, Chris, Cake Girls and anyone else that has that calliber of talent - I am envious[/quote]

I totally agree. I'm in the same boat as you. But I also know that a lot of people have more money than they have sense.

I think when you consider how much is cakes cost you have to factor in other things.

I can see the point in the min amount being up there. It weeds out people that want a quick simple little cake from a famous person for a small price. They only have to deal with serious buyers that are willing to pay.

I'm also guessing his rent or what ever isn't cheap. He has all the equiptment, that many here have priced out and know isn't cheap. How many employees that he has to pay every week? That really adds up.

Even 6 employees at $10 an hour for 40 hours a week is $2,400 each week and that doesn't include the additional taxes you have to pay the IRS, insurance, workmans comp or anything else. And I'm guessing they probably are making alot more than $10 an hour! Plus if they work over 40 hours then you are dealing with overtime and that adds up real quick.

Yes I am sure there is some upcharge because you are getting a Duff and Charm City Cake, but remember they didn't make $3000 off that one cake. They make $3000 before expences, payroll and supplies were taken out.

You should be thankful the cost of weddings is way out of control.

I am not taking away/ignoring the "HR/Payroll, supplies, overhead" factor... what I am most fasinated with is the fact that someone would pay that kind of money for A CAKE !!!


LOL - ITS A CAKE !

But, thanks TexasSugar for the break down and the explanation - level headed people seem to keep the rest of us grounded - without that blurb I think I would have forgotten that he is a business and has alot of "extra' expenses.


Stay Blessed -

Vicki

If they didn't charge those prices, they'd probably be answering the phone all day long! The busier you get, the higher you can charge. You get however much money the demand says you're worth. Evidently his demand says he's worth lots!!!!

These higher end bakeries also charge a much high per piece charge. I known that Frosted Art Bakery in Dallas (Bronwen Webber's bakery) charges $12/piece for their cakes. And the cakes they put out are stunning.

I have to say that out of control is a subjective thing. An item is only worth what someone is willing to pay for it. If two identical bakers making identical cakes charge high and low prices... what are you going to pay? I think reputation is a big thing, and having a good reputation is earned. I too am a fairly new baker, and i am working my tail off to build a reputation for excellence. I dont think i could EVER charge $3K for a cake... or it would have to be a HUGE cake. That being said, i dont know if i will ever be big enough to have more than myself and a helper... to each their own i guess. I think Indydebi said once that you just have to be the best you can be...

I'm just blessed that I am a hobby Cake Decorator - that I am surrounded by sooooo many of you talented decorators that range from

"please let me make your cake for free, I need the practice" all the way up to "we are booked for years and that will cost you $3000 deposit"

I hope to land somewhere in the middle, smile - laugh and enjoy every moment!

... if I had that kind of money, I would buy one of his cakes too - and leave it on the mantel as a display item ! LOL

I talked to Mike's Asst. from Mike's Amazing Cakes last year at the convention. And he said that they do have people that by the cakes and won't serve them and still have them months later because it was one of Mike's Cakes.

I read something like this and just come away thinking, yep, there REALLY is sucker born every minute................ and someone out there to find, and take advantage, of said sucker..................

Wasting $$ is easy. Investing money wisely takes time and research.

If you want to invest in art, then you don't buy something food based and then SAVE it. These aren't pieces of Queen Elizabeth's wedding cake that are being saved and then auctioned off years later.................

I will never, ever understand the extreme awe and reverence people exhibit over "stars"--cake, movie, theater, etc.

I've taken classes with a few cake "notables" and I get sick every time I have to listen to people slobbering over the instructor--"Oh, you're so wonderful. Oh, you're work is so perfect. Oh, you're the smartest person I ever met." I'm there to learn something and it seems like they're there to fawn and leave being able to say that they took a class with so-and-so. If they teach me something, I'm happy. I don't care who they are...........

I don't admire fools and I don't admire people who court fools for clients, either...

Really, MHO
Rae

What are they paying $3000 for?...well he's talented yes, but there are other equally talented decorators not charging prices anywhere near that. The difference with Duff is that he's talented AND famous - and there are obviously buyers out there who'll pay his $2000 'bragging rights surcharge'

Here in the Houston area we have a place called Cakes by Gina and everyone seems to talk about it very highly. We went and scheduled a consultation with them for a wedding. For a 4 tier cake (3 real one fake) and a guitar grooms cake we were quoted somewhere in the $2000+ range close to $3000.

There are plenty of people who pay $800 for a pair of shoes and $3,000 for a purse which is just totally stupid to me, but everyone has their own idea about what things are worth.

David, $2000-3000 for a four tier cake and a carved guitar cake doesn't seem at all unreasonable to me for a skilled cake designer. I wouldn't pay that much for cakes because I don't have that kind of budget and I can do it myself, but I don't think it's a price that's surprising.

1) yes, $3k is a lot of money...who cares?
If someone wants to pay that much for something they consider artwork then let them, they obviously felt it was very valuable and could afford that kind of luxury. Duff does a wonderful job and is considered a celebrity. Have you seen how much actual paintings and artwork goes for by well known and famous artists? Most of whom I've never heard of....but for some reason its still a $10,000 picture. Many people find that valuable and important....why does anyone else care?
2) you bet your booty I'm buying my bad self a pair of $800 Manolo Blahniks when I can afford it (and not feel tooo guilty about it )
again, many people see fashion as a form of expression and art and value good quality products. I just have never understood why others care about what everyone else spends money on. Just be happy people are spending money! lol

And here I thought quoting a client this morning $1200 for a 4 tier wedding cake was high and then she tells me, "Oh, thats perfect. We thought it would be higher because other quoted more." I do not get it either but some are more willing to spend more for something that is to be elaborate and somewhat of a centerpiece. My cakes are all my own designs , so just like my paintings, they are one of a kind creations. My husband on the other hand still cannot get it out of his head that someone wpuld pay this much, even with the economy the way it is right now.

That's because not everyone is affected by this economy. Sorry guys, some people have money no matter what. And I charge accordingly for my services, and don't blink an eye when someone says "too much". Someone else will take their spot, makes no nevermind to me.

I've always said what other people do with their own money is really none of my business. It is their money, not mine and they are free to spend it any way they want. So if it made someone happy to have that cake made by that person, then who am I to judge them?