Catering labor fees

That seems like a lot to me, but I'm sure they've done this before and know what they're doing and what they need. That being said, even if they are padding the numbers, I don't think there's really much you can do to change it. That seems like an item a venue wouldn't budge on to me. Good luck!

Not sure where you are and if that is a caterer coming to you, but our entire venue (a banquet facility with two large rooms catering to weddings), our meals/drinks/linens/plates/chairs/tables, everything coming with a venue is $7200.00 for 125. I guess it depends on what food you are selecting, etc. However it sounds high to me.

That seems like a lot of people to me too. The hours sound about right, but it seems heavy in the kitchen. Two chefs and two cooks AND a steward? (A steward is basically a bus person; they run things around....) You won't need two BT's for the whole time. If your ceremony and reception are at the same place, you WILL need both of them (and probably a couple of servers passing drinks or a table of poured wine and champagne) for the beginning, but as you get into dinner, the bar will quiet down.

Hi Jenny,

I am going to have to respectfully disagree with the other folks commenting on this one. Prices to vary greatly depending on what is selected and where you are. Here in the Greater Boston area the $$$ you quoted doesn't seem outrageously expensive to me. Is it a lot of money? No doubt but I do not think it is out of the norm of what you will pay for a good caterer here in MA. The amount of staff quoted seems right on the money to me. I do think 2 bartenders is appropriate. Yes, the bar may quiet down during dinner service but unless you are inviting a lot of non drinkers it will surely pick up once the dancing starts and you will want two bartenders there to assist guests and restock ice, glassware, etc. A steward usually works in the back of house doing things a dishwasher would do in a restaurant or hotel (cleaning, gathering dishes, getting items for the Chef's, etc).

It is not uncommon for fee of up to 30 percent to be added to your subtotal to cover labor in hotels and country clubs, etc So your quote of $4,000 isn't that far off from that AND you are getting china, glassware and linens.

I would get a few more quotes and compare. Please feel free to contact me via Wedding Wire if you need help. I would be happy to review your proposal for you if you wish.

Donna

Yup, this is what led me away from my vendor's preferred list. Three of them quoted me $2,700 not including, their coordinator fee, bartender fee, etc. etc. etc. the list continued. Oh and gratuity on top of that. My caterer charges 22% for EVERYTHING and I'll likely still tip their coordinator afterwards because she's awesome. Not sure what'll all come to in the end, but so far we've saved well over $2,500-$3,000 on service alone.

They're saying we need an event manager, six waitstaff, two bartenders, one steward (whatever that is), two chefs and two culinary staff for eight and a half hours.

100 people, if you have 12 tables, the service staff is right. The steward is fine. The manager also fine.

Two bartenders: Do you have 2 separate bars to staff? If not, is it a full bar?

Kitchen staff: Is your food being cooked on site? If it is, then you need all those people.

We often do prep and start food here in our kitchen. It gets finished at the venue which means less staff at the party. That depends though on what sort of kitchen is available to us. Some venues have ovens. Some have a table and a sink. Some don't even have a sink. That means we are bringing in tables, equipment, water, well, everything. That mean more work. What do they mean by culinary staff? Are these prep chefs? Dishwashers?

Crystal, seriously? You've worked at venues with no sink? Wow.

Yep. You wouldn't believe the things we have seen.

I have only my total hours from my proposal, not my actual staff breakdown. I think I had a total of 9 staff for 100 people, seated dinner, five hours total as well.

19 hours for chefs, managers, &AE

65 hours for staff

18 hours for bartenders: Total for staff was $3,155.

Depends where you are located. In NJ that doesnt sound too bad.

It depends. Our venue is also the caterer...so its an expected price, but that price is not fitting the "theme" of your wedding, go cheaper...just make sure everything you need will be included in the price for different caterers

It also depends on the time and day you are getting married..Saturday evenings are the most expensive...i'm doing a daytime wedding...price per person is half off

Where are you located? If food prep is happening at the venue and you are in a metropolitan area I think it sounds average. Not a steal, but not like you are being swindled.

I'm paying less than that for 150 people, including open bar for 7 hours - $12,000. And I'm in the Toronto area which is pretty pricey. I would keep looking around if I were you.

I don't think most places charge more for staff because it is a Saturday. Saturday weddings are the norm. If you had a wedding on Christmas Day, then of course you would expect higher staff prices.

Staff requirements are usually based on what the staff needs to accomplish. Cooking to order or on site, more kitchen staff. Bringing in everything from their kitchen, less staff. Having to haul 200 rental chairs for ceremony and then move them to reception? More people needed for that.

Having an outdoors/tented wedding? Staff can drive up to the tent, easy peasy, less staff. Staff has to hand carry everything down a hill to the tent , more staff. And yes, they will be thinking about hauling all of that equipment back up the hill after the event is over.

It doesn't hurt to ask the questions. Why so much kitchen staff? Must we have 6 service staff if it is buffet? They will give you their answer. If you understand why they think they need that staff and you agree, the go for it. If not, see what the other quotes are saying.

Is the $4K ONLY labor? If so, that's a little high. It comes down to like $35/hour per person. I get that the event manager and chefs might be a little more pricey, but the rest? Not worth that much.

Staff should not vary in pricing for a Saturday night. The lack of transparency in catering is maddening (this from a former caterer....). What is being prepped on site? Who is doing what? How much do they get paid? Are they paid directly or is their salary subject to employment taxes, disability etc? Is the caterer taking a cut of the salaries?

Just to be clear, what most caterers describe as a gratuity is not; it's the salary for the staff. Be clear about that too.

In Massachusetts the law states that gratuities must be paid out to staff. It must be broken down clearly for the customer to see. There have been many lawsuits regarding in which employees have sued their employer and won triple damages because they did not follow the law. Usually what you will see (in MA which I believe is where Jenny is having her wedding) is admin fees (kept by vendor and subject to state meals tax), gratuities/service fee (paid to staff, not subject to meals tax). These components must be broken out if it is being paid out as a gratuity.

You can't compare what someone paid in another geographic area and make a judgement on the price. Menus vary, labor market varies (which will effect the wages) and the venue selected all come in to play.

BH is correct. In my area, NY/NJ, waitstaff (not chefs, not managers) have been paid between 18-25.00 per hour for years.

Maybe Samantha, you'd like to try banquet service as a part time job. I can guarantee you that after one shift you'll think 25.00 an hour is chump change.

I am looking at about 11000 for 80 people that is food bar and the 20% labor fee and tax. Then the venue free is 1200 plus tax so not that far off from what you are being quoted.