Partnering With A Venue

Business By rowingmom Updated 21 May 2013 , 3:23pm by jason_kraft

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rowingmom Posted 21 May 2013 , 4:54am
post #1 of 11

Hi,   I would like some feedback if anyone as ever encounter this situation.   We were asked recently be a preferred provider for a venue in are area.   It  is an old venue that has been recently remodeled with a new owner.   We have had a few customers and then last week we had a couple come in for a consult and seemed very pleased but asked if we accepted coupons from the venue as payment.  We hadn't heard anything about it  and were puzzled.   Today we had a call from the new owner and he said he was going to  require his brides and grooms choose one of the three preferred cake vendors only and once they chose then HE would pay us.     Sound strange to me and leaves me feeling uncomfortable.  
Has anyone had experience like this.   I hate to loose his business but it sounds dodgy.  Thoughts?

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jason_kraft Posted 21 May 2013 , 5:28am
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AIs the venue owner willing to pay you in advance just like every other customer?

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rowingmom Posted 21 May 2013 , 6:14am
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It sounds  the bride and groom would give us a coupon if they chose us and we would give

the coupon to the venue and then they would pay us the deposit.   I have not heard the time line of what they feel payment should happen.   I am supposed to talk with them tomorrow.  I expect the same time line of payment we give any other couple when they sign with us.    Just seem  different to handle it that way, adding a third party.    It seem to me I need a written legal contract with the venue to protect our business.    Has anyone done this?

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leah_s Posted 21 May 2013 , 8:11am
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AI have not done this. Another issue you want to check on is if the venue is adding on a fee to your prices. You advertise $x per serving, but at y venue your cakes cost $x+. Not easy to explain to customers.

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DeliciousDesserts Posted 21 May 2013 , 12:09pm
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AI'm still so shocked that the venue didn't discuss all these details with you. What kind of business owner puts the plan in action before speaking to everyone?! Very odd.

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liz at sugar Posted 21 May 2013 , 1:31pm
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Sounds like you will have 2 customers to please on every order: the bride and groom AND the venue - what if they don't agree on something?  Will you need 2 contracts - one for payment and one for design?  Sounds like a lot of extra work on your part without any extra compensation.  I would pass, or tell the venue owner you will handle your end by yourself.

 

Liz
 

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KarenK55 Posted 21 May 2013 , 1:47pm
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I remember that when I got married and choose the venue, the owner gave us 2 places for our cakes.  We went to both to try samples and gave the deposit directly to the baker.   I would definitely speak with him before doing anything.  I particularly do not like 3rd parties -it could get very messy.  One of those he said - she said deals.  Go with your gut feeling - it usually drives you in the right direction.

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Stitches Posted 21 May 2013 , 2:05pm
post #8 of 11

I would talk to the owner. It might be that he's looking to increase his revenue, which is perfectly alright! He just needs to communicate and organize how he's doing that better.

 

 

Restaurants, hotels, country clubs, etc... all buy in desserts at a wholesale price. Double (or triple) that price and sell it to the clients. Why should a wedding cake be any different?

 

If that's what he wants to do then he does need to re-structure his business and do that better then what you've mentioned he's doing.

 

 

I sell wedding cakes wholesale to country clubs, I'd love to sell them wholesale everywhere. My designs are limited and I don't have any consultations with the brides. The venue pays me net30 and they give me all of their wedding cake orders.

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rowingmom Posted 21 May 2013 , 2:47pm
post #9 of 11

Thanks for the feed back everyone.   It seems strange to me that he has talked to the brides and groom about this method of payment before he has talked to me about it.   It seems like all is not very transparent.    I also wonder if he if he is being murky with the couples and I don't want to be my business to be linked with anything not on the up and up.     He also seems to have had a 'deal" with another bakery last year and that did not continue.   He said it was the quality, I now wonder if it is something more.  

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wildflowercakes Posted 21 May 2013 , 3:12pm
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Quote:
Originally Posted by rowingmom 

Thanks for the feed back everyone.   It seems strange to me that he has talked to the brides and groom about this method of payment before he has talked to me about it.   It seems like all is not very transparent.    I also wonder if he if he is being murky with the couples and I don't want to be my business to be linked with anything not on the up and up.     He also seems to have had a 'deal" with another bakery last year and that did not continue.   He said it was the quality, I now wonder if it is something more.  

Can you contact that bakery?

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jason_kraft Posted 21 May 2013 , 3:23pm
post #11 of 11

AIt's certainly possible that the terms of his agreements with preferred vendors are too one-sided, but that's something you can find out once you meet with him and read the contract. If you are not comfortable with the contract, counter with your own by modifying the offending terms or just pass. If he pressures you to agree to the contract right away without taking time to look it over (preferably with an attorney) that's a red flag.

You probably won't get much useful objective information from the bakery that was dropped.

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