If you are going to cut the cake and serve it I would suggest having someone help you out.
It shouldn't take you more than 2 hours to cut and serve the cake
I charge $50.00 per person and with someone helping it goes pretty fast so they should pay you $100.00 to do the job.
If anyone has any other price in mind I too would be glad to here about it. I know the halls hate it when you don't order the cakes from them.
Usually a family member wants to cut it so I usually put a small note on the box I supply for left over cake and I also supply the box for the 1st anniversary cake as well as instructions of how to freeze.
The note reads something like this.
This cake has a cardboard cake circle beneath each layer; be sure to life under it when removing a tier.
There are also x number of wooden dowels under each tier. Remove x before cutting and serving as it is not edible.
Hope this helps
Kathy
YOur time is a big factor. If you use my cutting method (on my website) you can easily cut it by yourself (I do it all the time). You must also factor your time that you would have NORMALLY left vs. the time you will now be required to stay ... even the "waiting" time, and since you are there, they will expect you to clean up the cake table area and pack up your own stuff.
4 hour minimum at $25 per hour ....MINIMUM.
(And personally ..... my time is billable at $100 per hour.)
Ok...here's the caterer in me coming out.
The facility is not making any money on the cake. But they are expected to supply the plate and forks to eat the cake from; they are expected to pay someone to cut and serve the cake; they are expected to pay the dishwasher to wash those plates and forks .... and they are not making one dime of profit off of that cake.
It's kind of unfair to call it a cake cutting fee, when it isn't really a charge for cutting the cake ..... it's a fee for the other expenses involved when they are expected to pick up those other expenses involved.
I mean, YOU'RE not expecting to drive all the way there to cut the cake for free, are you? YOU'RE not considering throwing in the plates and forks for free, are you? YOU'RE not volunteering to wash those plates and forks afterwards, are you?
Why is it unreasonable to expect to pay the facility to do those exact same things?
$175 over, let's say a 4 hour period is less than $45 per hour .... to cover a dishwasher, at least 2 people to cut it ... and if they are going to plate it and serve the guests, as opposed to the guests coming to the table to get it themselves, then you've got at least 2 other people carrying plates to the guests. 5 people getting paid out of that $45 is less than $10 per man hour. Because even tho' it doesn't take the dishwasher 4 hours to wash 70 plates, he's still on the job and he's still getting paid while he's on the clock.
Break it down, folks. It's basic business to cover your overhead.
well indydebi when you put it that way it makes more sense. the plate they are going to use would be the plate they are serving ice cream on. so the whole cost thing for washing would not be an issue since they are aleady using plates and spoons. I guess after thinking about it the way you have put it just makes sense why they charge so much. Too bad the place just doesnt offer cakes.
When I get brides who ask about cake cutting fees, (and corkage fees ... same logic when the couple provides their own champagne and expects the facility to provide glasses and waiters to open/pour the bottles for the guests), and when I explain it this way, they are also more understanding about it.
I tell my brides, "I tend to go into information overload, but you are paying a lot of money for this event.....you need to understand not only WHAT you are paying for, but WHY you are paying it."
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