Okay so i have a client wants a cake for 250 guest and his MAX is 500.00. As of right now i do not have any other wedding cakes that month and decided to possibly do it but cut some cost. He will have to pick the cake up saves 50.00 for his location. HE will have to buy his own cake stand saves 50.00-100.00 i will post his emails..
To me he sounds like he wants alot for nothing wanting things the way he wants it like as if he is doing me a favor which he is not! I am doing him a huge favor to be honest, I have tons of other cakes that month so its not going to profit me anything to make his cake nore do i NEED his order.. Here is the cake he officially wanted and his emails.. Should i just throw the order out the door? I'm like 98% sure that i do no want to deal with him. Just venting! im getting soo many customers this week waning basically a free cake!
Start from the bottom, maybe im just grumpy today lol!
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Shawn,
Thanks for considering us, we are booked out for the entire weekend and next week Tuesday for a event. I am able to meet any other day after 5:00pm.
As for cost, I will not be able to negotiate any further. Also if you would like a tasting it will be 20.00 for three-four samples which will go towards your payment if you book with us.
Shawn,
It will cost 475.00 for all ingredients,delivery,boards and so much more that goes into making a cake to serves 250, any baker would basically be giving the cake away for free, sorry to say :/.
In order to make your cake you would have to cut some cost if you can have someone pick the cake up? Also if you can buy the cake base yourself will cut cost, I love the design you have picked for your wedding I will search something similar.
Also the flavor choice will have to remain the same through out the cake, meaning one tier cannot be a different flavor then another.
I normally would not make a cake for 250 for as low as 500.00 but I am willing to help.
From: Ss G ;
Subject: Re: Wedding Cake?
Sent: Thu, Mar 7, 2013 8:44:32 PMHi,
Our budget is $500 max. We realize that the cake pictures that we sent may have too many intricacies for our budget so we can definitely work around that. What we would really like is a 4 tiered cake (the top cake can be pretty small like 4-6 inches diameter) with fondant that would be enough to feed about 250 people. Is this possible? If so, can you maybe send us a few photos of some elegant cakes that would be $500 and under and would meet our needs?
Thanks,
ShawnOn Mon, Mar 4, 2013 at 9:21 AM, :
Please send your budget I have different options for everyone, may have to switch a few things accordingly to fit the serving size in your budget.
From: Ss G ;
To: ;Subject: Wedding Cake?
Sent: Mon, Mar 4, 2013 3:28:20 AM
Hi,
We are getting married on the weekend of July 6th and we are in the process of finding our cake vendor. We will need about 250 servings and really need to keep the price minimal because we are on a tight budget. I have attached some photos of cakes that we like and we are requesting your best price for something similar. In terms of buttercream vs. fondant, we are not sure which one would be better and more cost effective, so please give your input on that. Please include a breakdown of the costs (cost/serving, cake stand rental, delivery, setup, etc. etc.) The reception will be held in St. Paul. Let me know if you need any additional information.
Thank you,
Shawn
LOL. Out the door he goes...definitely not worth your time. He is expecting too much for $500.00.
I think the delivery is something I would insist on. Most people do not know how to drive with a tiered cake in their car, especially a heavy tiered cake. I have seen way too many horror stories on here about customers picking up their tiered cakes, getting to the event and the cake is in a million pieces and they want a full refund from the baker.
IMO, you shouldn't negotiate with customers. I bet the bride didn't haggle with the place she bought her dress, if a dress was out of her budget she would have to look at different options. Instead stand firm in your price but give them options, like, using fresh roses instead of sugar roses...No draping on the bottom tier, leave out the very top tier and all of the hand painting, etc.
AWow he wants that cake for $500? Seriously I would walk, not even worth your time to get up outta the bed for that one! That is only $2.00/slice, are you kidding me, don't even walk, run as fast as you can, there is absolutely no way he can begin to "take care of you" with that! :-(
There is no point in wasting your time with this guy. He's says he's not trying to negotiate but really he is.
And there's NO WAY I would let anyone pick up that cake. I would INSIST on delivery.
If you already have plenty of other orders and aren't desperate for the business there's no reason to deal with this guy. And even if that wasn't the case I would tell you to walk away. Being on a budget is one thing but this is ridiculous.
Since you already opened the door to working with him you can either follow thru and take a loss on this order OR you can tell him that after reviewing his emails and pictures you aren't able to work within his budget. He can either increase his budget for that particular cake or decrease his number of servings. Or you can just be booked.
Wow he wants that cake for $500? Seriously I would walk, not even worth your time to get up outta the bed for that one! That is only $2.00/slice, are you kidding me, don't even walk, run as fast as you can, there is absolutely no way he can begin to "take care of you" with that!
Yeah he told me to send similar photo's for that type of cake, when i did so he said how can we make the cake pictured be in my price range, such as making it look simple/similar.. No matter how simple i can make it the ingredients is almost 500.00 it self! No brain er to dismiss this order i just needed to vent!
Since you already opened the door to working with him you can either follow thru and take a loss on this order OR you can tell him that after reviewing his emails and pictures you aren't able to work within his budget. He can either increase his budget for that particular cake or decrease his number of servings. Or you can just be booked.
Will do!
AThat cake is A LOT of work!! No way I'm doing it for $2 a serving!!
In his budget, he can't afford a cake that serves 116 & that decor!!
I'm surprised you entertained this. I would have sent him a sketch or photo of what $500 would get him.
A
Original message sent by LovelyCakes4Us
Okay so i have a client wants a cake for 250 guest and his MAX is 500.00.
A customer picking up a 4 tier cake themselves is a recipe for disaster, delivery should be mandatory on cakes of that size.
How much does ingredients cost you all for a cake that serves 250? Simple ribbon design? plus dowels,drums,delivery,cake board Mine added up to 475.00 i know we all have different recipes and brands. I cant even make his cake simple and make any profit with just ingredients etc.
A
Original message sent by LovelyCakes4Us
How much does ingredients cost you all for a cake that serves 250? Simple ribbon design? plus dowels,drums,delivery,cake board Mine added up to 475.00 i know we all have different recipes and brands. I cant even make his cake simple and make any profit with just ingredients etc.
Can you post a breakout of how you got to this number? It might help determine where you are overpaying.
As soon as you found out his budget was $500 you should reply with your all-inclusive minimum price for 250 servings (hopefully it's significantly higher than the $475 figure you quoted). If the customer is not willing to increase his budget to at least that point it's not worth spending any more time on him.
A customer picking up a 4 tier cake themselves is a recipe for disaster, delivery should be mandatory on cakes of that size.
Yes higher then 475.00, my lowest for a cake to serve 250 is 750.00 min!
$475 is way too high for ingredients and supplies for a 250 serving cake.
Can you post a breakout of how you got to this number? It might help determine where you are overpaying.
Oh gosh a brake-out! I have it saved some where let me check. i just know it was 475.00
A
Original message sent by LovelyCakes4Us
Yes higher then 475.00, my lowest for a cake to serve 250 is 750.00 min!
$475 is way too high for ingredients and supplies for a 250 serving cake.
Can you post a breakout of how you got to this number? It might help determine where you are overpaying.
This is for a cake to serve 315 so i figure 250 would be around 450-475 i buy at Sams club cub foods Aldi and local cake store.. These are he best prices around some i have to pay a high price for other wise i won get the good stuff.
Good for you for turning it down.
Makes you wonder, though, who he is going to get for the cake with that budget and what it ends up looking like...
AWhere do you live? If there is a restaurant supply store near you, you should be able to cut down on your expenses significantly.
Is $50 for cake boards a typo?
Good for you for turning it down.
Makes you wonder, though, who he is going to get for the cake with that budget and what it ends up looking like...
I suggested he go to Walmart or Costco ! But there are people on Craigslist who charge 1.00/serving because they are just starting out.
ABefore you make another cake, get thee to Restaurant Depot in St. Paul and compare prices.
A[quote name="jason_kraft" url="/t/755352/this-client-smh-rant/15#post_7369109"]Before you make another cake, get thee to Restaurant Depot in St. Paul and compare prices.
http://www.restaurantdepot.com/locations?Id=178[/quote]
Thank you Jason.
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