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Christina
Dedicated October 2022

Reception dinner for a micro wedding

Christina, on January 5, 2022 at 7:17 PM Posted in Wedding Reception 0 15
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Tell me if this makes sense to y'all at all. So this restaurant I'm looking at for a reception dinner quoted me $5,000 food/beverage minimum before tax and tip. For 3 hrs....25 people. That's $200 a plate. If I purchased the most expensive food options on their menu with the extra apps/dessert and the most expensive bar package, it still wouldn't cost anywhere near that much per person 🤔 Like, what else do they expect me to order? I'd be taking home $2,500 worth of leftovers.



The whole situation sucks because the location is the perfect size and setting for our needs. We’re only looking for a space to simply enjoy a meal with our closest friends and family without all of the glitz and the glam. Do you think it’s worthwhile for me to emphasize our small party size and try to get a more reasonable price? Or should I leave it be and move on?
Any advice or previous experiences are welcome!

15 Comments

Latest activity by Cece, on January 10, 2022 at 10:48 AM
  • Gina
    Dedicated May 2022
    Gina ·
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    Nope....I'm having 50 people and my food and drink minimum is 6k. Including a small ceremony. And it's the beach of Southern California. Closer Inland where I live a few restaurants were similarly priced as to what you were quoted. I couldn't wrap my head around that. I get it because I am in the same boat as you. I don't want all the glitz and glam just to treat our family to a nice meal after a quick ceremony.

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  • Pirate & 60s Bride
    Legend March 2017
    Pirate & 60s Bride ·
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    Can you choose a brunch or weekday night? Usually venues don’t require such costly minimums.
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  • S
    Savvy September 2021
    Sav ·
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    It doesn’t but I think they’re trying to cover their cost for the night with the low guest count. Is it open bar ? I think if you include the cost of alcohol, it’ll come to the 5k?
    I remember when we were looking for venues it didn’t matter if it was 50 guests or 150 guests, the food/bev minimum was set so they can pay the staff.
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  • Michelle
    Champion December 2022
    Michelle ·
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    Keep looking to see what else you can find. Even in a high cost of living area, there are many low price options. Just because it’s a wedding doesn’t mean you are only allowed to use the most expensive restaurants. Do you like Mexican food, Chinese, steak,, a specific type of food? Go on Google Maps and see what the local restaurant options are and contact them all to see if they can accommodate a party in a private room on site.
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  • W
    VIP September 2020
    Willow ·
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    I'd negotiate or keep looking. A lot of restaurants have minimums, esp for a private room, but for 25 people you could make a reservation at any restaurant.
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  • Sarah
    Super September 2022
    Sarah ·
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    I’m having 110 people and I got quoted 6700 ... 5,000 for only 25 people seems INSANE!
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  • L
    Dedicated June 2023
    Linda ·
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    Absolutely not. rip off

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  • Candace
    Super March 2022
    Candace ·
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    They're not quoting you $5000 for 25 people, that is their minimum amount to spend. You only have 25 guests but they can obviously accommodate more. The restaurant is in demand and that's how much they expect to make in the space for that market. If that's out of your budget, move on and find somewhere else. Or add more people if you want to justify the cost.
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  • Sarah
    Master September 2019
    Sarah ·
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    This. The quote isn’t for the 25 guests you have- it’s a minimum they require to book their private space on a popular night. Most restaurants put separate staff in private events meaning they’ll have additional wait staff and bussers they’ll have to pay for that time whether you have ten people or 100. You can certainly try to negotiate but given that you’re inquiring about a Saturday night during wedding season, I wouldn’t expect them to lower it by much.
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  • Sharon
    Super September 2021
    Sharon ·
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    Like Candace and Sarah said, that would be the price regardless of how many people you have. They're not charging per person. There's nothing unusual about it. A lot of restaurants that host private events charge a minimum for food/beverage. The restaurants need to cover their costs and will have staff dedicated to only your party. You can either add more people to your guest list to justify the cost or find a place that charges per person.
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  • Gina
    Dedicated May 2022
    Gina ·
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    While I understand what the commenters have said....the locations that were a NO for me, were the restaurants who had a HIGH minimum spend, BUT you could ONLY have 20ish guests in the private rooms or wherever they seat you. Again my minimum is 6k food and drink but the area holds 50 people which is my current number. I can EASILY get to 6k with 50 people....you CANNOT easily get to that amount with 25 people. SO BASICALLLY - SAY YOU DO NOT REACH IT. YOU ARE STILL SPENDING 5k. Period. So yes. this is unreasonable for your guest count. Keep looking.

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  • Christina
    Dedicated October 2022
    Christina ·
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    Thanks, everyone. Not even gonna sweat it. I still have a lot of other inquiries in the works, so I’m sure we’ll find a way better fit for us.
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  • Jacob
    Just Said Yes February 2022
    Jacob ·
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    Maybe that price includes dedicated service so you won't be waiting on servers to come by.

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  • Annmarie
    Savvy July 2022
    Annmarie ·
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    I would also say keep looking. We’re having 60 guest and that package includes food, drinks & furniture rental for about $7,600, 22% tip included…
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  • Cece
    Master October 2023
    Cece ·
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    This is spot on. We were running into this same issue with our rehearsal dinner, because we are having it in a very popular city, and were looking at restaurants that were in high-demand. The restaurants set dollar minimums because that is the average amount of revenue they will make during that time slot, had you not had your reception there. It also covers potentially adding additional staff to work your event. If you are really set on this particular location, you can order the best of the best and the most of the most and give your guests a spectacular experience! Or, you could add additional guests to help absorb some of the costs. Otherwise, you could look for a restaurant with lower (or no) minimums.
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