How are you feeding your vendors?

We went through the venue to feed our vendors.

Your venue probably won't let you bring in outside food for your vendors.

They ate off of the buffet. They made their own plates and there was a room that they ate in, except the DJ. He declined having a meal although I offered it to him several times.

The meals were cheaper than guests, but only because they subtracted the open bar price. It was much more expensive than the vendor box meal, but I figured that the atmosphere of my day was set by the vendors.

My vendors had the same meal choices as all of my guests; it wasn't any more or less per plate for any of them.

Going through venue to feed vendors. We are paying full price.

Do you really want to feed them a sandwich when everyone else is eating steak?

Plus they are there all day if not longer they should get a good meal. But that's my feeling on the subject.

I assume that the 25% discount means they aren't offering an alternate vendor meal? Often venues offer vendor meals that are like Sandwhiches or wraps they can grab and go. More like craft service. I am working on that with a friend who owns Craft Service business. He is not a friendor but he will have his employees set up a station off to the back for my vendors.

ETA: They will have different pastas in addition to pinwheels and salads. Plus grabs like chips, fruit and veggies. My videographer and photographer both said they'd prefer that for the ease because they are constantly moving and working, they don't get breaks. The DJ doesn't care, he is used to being at concerts, celebrity events and clubs so he was like "you feeding me? Just hand me a drink from time to time." :-)

We will be going through the venue to feed our vendors.

I think it might be a little off putting to them if you have a different cheaper option for them that isn't through your venue though. That's just my opinion.

Our venue has a vendor price, it reflects no open bar, no appetizers, and same entrée as guests. The vendors get their salad with their meal, as they are on a schedule.

They will eat the buffet but it is at a discount rate.

They ate the same meal as the guests at the same price.

We're including our vendors into the total guest count for the buffet we're serving. That's what our caterer asked us to do. Our DJ said he doesn't require a meal because he doesn't want to take a chance eating something that may affect his energy/performance but we feel like we should provide for him anyway.

In the end it's like 4 extra people because our caterer said we should not account for their staff.

Thanks for all the replies!

We will not be going through another vendor for the food. I just don't think the cocktail hour and open bar price is such a small portion of the meal. I could be wrong of course! And that is why I asked.

My vendors will have the same food options as my other guests do. Our venue doesn't cater, we are bringing in our own catering (BBQ) but it still makes it easier to offer them the same options, I also don't want to be off putting by offering cheaper options to them - I am paying them a lot of money for them to attend and provide me with great service, I think they deserve a decent meal.

Do your vendor contracts say anything about food? My contract indicates a "hot" meal for my coordinators and my assistants.

Please also think about this... It may seem expensive, but do you want to give your vendors soggy sandwiches or something and have them be at their best? Your vendors may be on their feet for HOURS... You want them at their best and if feeding them a good meal is the price to pay, believe me, it is worth it.

Lastly, depending on your venue, you may not be able to bring in any outside food.

We have a table specifically for the vendors, and they will be eating exactly what everyone else is eating. Our caterer offers these meals at a 50% discount.

They are eating what my other guests are eating.

First, look at your contract with your vendors. They may specify what they're eating because when it comes right down to it, they will probably be there for at least 12 hours.

A happy vendor does good work because they feel valued and respected. A vendor with a sandwich and a coke is going to be unhappy.

Our venue does half off the non discounted price for vendor meal. I believe we will have 3 so thats what we are doing

They are eating what guests are eating and we had them sitting at their own table.

Plus we had our photographer all day so she also had lunch with us

We pay full price for vendors and they need to be included in our headcount.

Our venue just puts together a meal and we pay $25 each for the vendor meals