I have a bride who is definitely booking her cake with me, but she is now interested in a flavour that she didn't try at her tasting and is asking for a 'small sample' of it. At the tasting they got 12 cupcakes in 3 different flavours for free. I kinda feel that I shouldn't have to make yet another flavour without some payment. I just don't know what to say - you can order a 6in cake for my minimum order price (75 euros), or make her half a dozen cupcakes for X amount? She is spending a decent amount for her cake, but she has already had 10% off the price for early booking, and I just can't afford to absorb any more of my time or money for free.

how definate is her booking - as in, has she paid her deposit?

with the initial free sampling, i just dont think it is wise to do more free sampling. do you have somewhere on your site/ contract info that additional sample will cost extra - as that makes life easier!

id charge - not full minimum price, but enough to cover the costs and basic labour.

or, steal one of indydebis lines (which i doubt i remember correctly) that the lemon cake is the same as the vanilla, it just tastes like lemon.
xx

No, no deposit yet, we are just sorting out the flavours so I can type up the contract. She's also considering a groom's cake, and I am wondering if she's going to want to taste that too (she didn't try chocolate for the main cake). She tried lemon , strawberry and vanilla, LOVED the lemon, but is thinking that maybe she should offer an option, so wants to try the vanilla made into a Tiramisu cake (which I have done several times before).

I used to charge for tastings and credit back the money if they booked, but I changed it to free tastings for cakes over 75 servings this year (their cake will be 105 servings and they are paying 685 euros after discount).

Ugh, I don't know on this one. I really, really can't be bothered to turn on the oven for a paltry 30 euros or something!

How about telling her that she can purchase a cake of any additional flavors she may want to try? "yes, I can bake XXX flavor in a 6" size - the price of that cake will be $xx, when would you like it?"

I would not bake anymore cakes for sampling for free, as Indy says.....my lemon cake tastes like my white cake, only with lemon...... (especially since there has been NO deposit made!)

i certainly wouldnt be making free/ discounted cake when the contract isnt signed. theres nothing to stop her going - oh actually something happened, we cant have your cake, but thanks anyway!

make the contract with the flavour bit to be added at a later date. and if she hasnt signed it, then i think you can treat these extra requests as new orders.
xx

I've had brides say "I'm definitely going with you for my cake" and order tasting samples.......I telll them all the same thing, it's $20 for the samples and I will apply that cost to your FINAL payment on your cake due 3 weeks before your wedding. I let them know that this is compensation for time and ingredients used in making the samples, they always understand.

By the way, on 3 separate occasions i had the brides not go with me! One bride was because her caterer basically included a cake in the package for what she would be paying another caterer for JUST food, and she said she couldn't resist. The other two I wound up getting booked up for their dates before they paid their depsoits!

I wouldn't just go with the fact that she SAYS she's going with you. If you haven't seen a deposit from her, charge her for the samples like she's anyone else.

Oh by the way....I let my customers choose up to 4 flavors and 4 serv. of each and I do cupcakes like you........if they want additional flavors/servings even after the fact. It's $5/flavor......so $5 for 4 cupcakes (that I normally charge $.75/ea for)

I've told her that she can order the cake at normal cost (suggesting a birthday/special occasion before the wedding as an ideal opportunity to do so), or she can just take my word for it that it's a great cake that has gone down a storm at all the weddings I've done it for - so we shall see. I got the impression at the tasting that she's enjoying playing bride, which is fine, but I don't want to be one of her toys !