I was asked if I would server the wedding cake I'm making. I don't mind doing this, but shouldn't I charge for my time? If so, how much more should I charge?

yes --- it's more work/hours for you. -- lot of it spent standing around waiting and waiting and waiting.

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how do you price your cakes? -- do you include an amount that equals a "per hour" labor rate?

if so use that as a minimum at least.

and be fair to yourself --

do you really want to earn only minimum wage?

after all, the time spent waiting and waiting to cut the cake is time you could be using to make another cake to sell for a profit.

so if in that time you could have made a $100 cake -- then charge $100.

Yes, you should charge for your time.

I offer my wedding cakes in two versions:
a la carte pricing includes the cake, delivery and set-up. Period.

My package pricing, which is everything for a cake/punch reception: cake, plate/forks/napkins, punch/cups, mints/nuts, linens and skirting, delivery, set-up, i stay and serve the cake, clean up and tear down (of the cake table area).

To come up with a rate, figure how much you would have to pay an employee to do this. This should cover THE ENTIRE TIME they are required to be on site. From cake delivery and set-up until the time they walk out the door. If the bride and groom wait until 4 hours into the reception to decide to cut the cake, then they are paying someone to sit there and read a book for those 4 hours PLUS the delivery and setup time PLUS the actual cutting and serving time PLUS the clean up and tear down time.

If you live in a small town where someone can leave and come back in 4 hours, I would still apply a 4-hour minimum. Because even tho' the person isn't actually there, the person is "on call" and can't make any other plans "....because I have to go cut a cake in a couple of hours." In Indpls, most of the time, it is not cost effective for me to have someone drive over to set up the cake, then go home, then drive back to cut the cake. (What my small town family can't figure out is when they drive "across town", they are talking 10-15 minutes .... and they whine about THAT! When I drive "across town", I'm talking 45-60 minutes ONE WAY!).

So it's not just the time you spend cutting the cake .... it's how much time are they asking you to be there or how much of your day are they asking you to allocate to them and to their wedding.

If you had to pay someone, how much would it cost YOU to cover that payroll?

I rarely have time to offer this service. But somehow I will be serving at 2 weddings in May, with good food!!

I have charged $50 per server for a maximum of 2 hours. Andt as soon as the cake line dies down we will pack up and leave.

mpc