Each Tier Different Flavors - Pricing?
Business By domestic_diva Updated 13 Jul 2007 , 11:21pm by indydebi
New to the whole cake business.
I've got a bride that would like each tier to be different flavors and fillings.
I know I need to charge extra for this but how much?
Do I charge a flat price for such things or like per additional flavor or what?
I think this is up to you..
in my market research - some bakeries charged, some didn't..
It's one of my selling points that I don't charge for different flavor tiers.. however I do try to steer them away from it by mentioning that usually when you have multiple flavors, you need more cake than normal as people tend to have more than one piece.
"ohh .. that chocolate looks good.. my piece was vanilla.. I want to try the chocolate and the caramel and mango and the ...."
just my humble opinion
I charge per flavor (I have my basics and my specialty) Each tier is going to be one complete flavor so there is no reason I should price it differently.
here is how I look at it.
If I have to bake a 10", 8", 6" cake, then I need so much batter for a 10" cake. Well my prices take into consideration any "Waste" from the 10" cake I would normally make into cupcakes or anything else. But for an 8" it takes me so much also. it doesn't matter if it is one flavor or two b/c I am still making two different cakes. If they decide to make all the tiers one flavor then that saves me money and is a bonus to me. But I don't understand why some people charge more for different flavors, but it is probably the difference between my prices and their's. I have some of that factor built in already.
I don't charge extra for different flavors. As mentioned above, it's a great selling point .... I don't nickel and dime a bride to death. The price they see is the price they pay.
What I will do, however, is try to steer them away from too many flavors. If they have a 5-tier cake and they want 5 different flavors, then this requires that ALL of the tiers be cut. So if they have any leftover cake, instead of having 2, maybe 3, of the smaller tiers left over, what they now have to deal with is 4 partially cut tiers that must be stored..... and partially cut cakes dont' store as well as uncut tiers.
I try to get them to max out at 2 different flavors for their guests .... 3 max .... and tell them "the top tier is all yours, so you can have that in any flavor you want, because you don't have to share!"
i do not currently run a business, but just wanted to add my two cents, for whatever it is worth.
the first wedding cake i did was a 5 tier brides cake and a 2 tier grooms cake. there were five different cake and filling combinations. it took alot more time ( i had previously made a 5 tier cake that took nearly half the time because it was one cake flavor, one icing for filling and icing) because if the cake was one flavor, with one filling, i would be doing less by making larger batches, rather than spending more time making several smaller batches. i completely see the point in charging more for different flavors. i would probably put a $25 fee for the first addition , and perhaps a $15 fee for each additional on top of the cake total. have them agree to it before they give you a deposit. also take into consideration the flavors being requested and the expense to you. seasonal items? costly ingredients (ie liquors, chocolate, fruit etc)
I've heard of places charging an additional $10 fee for each additional flavor - however I do not charge extra for this. It doesn't take me more than a couple minutes extra, however I'm not a big enough company to have extreme amounts of batter at once. I use the largest kitchen aid stand mixer, so I need to continue mixing anyway... I think that's why some companies charge extra. I don't even charge extra if they want 2 different flavors per tier - which is a good way to do it, to save from guests coming to get too many additional slices. I had one Bride ask for chocolate & vanilla in each tier & I've suggested it ever since. Also, I have never had left over cake at a wedding, especially since it's purchased for the # of guests in attendance - so storing left overs shouldn't normally be an issue. I think you just need to do what feels right to you. People expect to get charged more for everything, so it's nice when you can tell them it's "no charge" - that IS a selling point.... and you can always work it into your price if it becomes an issue. Good luck!
i would probably put a $25 fee for the first addition , and perhaps a $15 fee for each additional on top of the cake total.
so maybe my estimate is way off....? i just know it takes me way more time doing different icings, fillings and cake flavors. TO ME...that price would make it worth it..OR deter them for asking for it.
i think per teir cake flavor should be extra since, as another member mentioned, it would be made seperatly any way, i DO think you should charge 7 dollars extra per varied filling as that wouldne be made seperatly and would require extra time and ingredients
I don't know what you all charge for wedding cakes? I don't charge extra for different flavors &/or fillings, because I charge $4/slice. That's actually my base price. I've known wedding cakes to go for more than $12/slice, but I've never charged more than $5.75/slice. That includes any/all flavors, delivery & set-up. If they require me to stay for cutting, I charge a flat $50 fee for my time - but they normally have caterers do it. So, if you don't make a lot of cakes & you don't have items on hand, I can see charging more for the trouble of going & getting supplies, etc... but it's not as much as an inconvenience as it was when I first started. That's also why I said I think you just have to do what you feel is right. I don't really think there's a wrong answer unless you're grossly over-charging.
i don't charge extra for multiple flavors and fillings. i researched my competition and the high end cakers. they didn't charge extra (for the most part) either. i sell my pricing as "all inclusive" which includes any flavors, fillings, delivery, set up. it sounds really good to brides to get easy pricing and all the "free" extras (which are built into the price any way).
and on the consumer side, i HATE cake biz websites that list out each component as a separate price. gives me a headache, ie ".25 for XX flavors, .50 for XX fillings, 1.25 for single layer, 2.00 for double layer, on and on and on". then you have to sit and add up all the different combos! what a mess! KISS, keep it simple stupid. makes customers much happier.
and on the consumer side, i HATE cake biz websites that list out each component as a separate price. gives me a headache, ie ".25 for XX flavors, .50 for XX fillings, 1.25 for single layer, 2.00 for double layer, on and on and on". then you have to sit and add up all the different combos! what a mess! KISS, keep it simple stupid. makes customers much happier.
Brides prefer the KISS method, too. They tell me they have too many headaches dealing with a wedding anyway .... they will go with the vendors that make it easier on them!
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