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Super October 2019

What do i tip the caterer/servers?

Andrea, on September 16, 2019 at 3:49 PM Posted in Planning 0 5

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My wedding is in 31 days! Our catering is being done by the chef of a local upscale private school. Apparently they offer catering...who knew!? Anyway, we are doing a buffet that will include tea/lemonade, appetizers, salad course, 3 proteins along with veggies/side dishes/breads and a dessert table. There will be a buffet attendant (most likely the chef) and 2 servers. This is all included in our price. We are paying approximately $3500 for everything.
There is no gratuity or service fee included in the price. I’ve read that it is custom to tip the caterer 20%. That’s nearly $700 on top of the $3500. That seems like a really big tip. Does this sound right? Do I tip the servers separately or break it up amongst everyone? I’m certainly not trying to cheap out.

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Latest activity by Allaura, on September 17, 2019 at 1:46 AM

Master May 2021
Cristy · on September 16, 2019 at 4:01 PM
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I've talked to lots of people, and this seems normal. Sometimes it's only 18%, but I think 20% falls right into the "normal" range for a gratuity for a wedding. Our contract specifies a 20% "service charge" in addition to the required 18% gratuity, so yours sounds pretty cheap to me.
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VIP September 2019
Yam · on September 16, 2019 at 4:01 PM
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18% or 20% is normal, yes. I’ve seen people just hand each staff member $100-$150 in envelopes though. It really depends on how large your wedding is. If that few people have to serve hundreds of guests they deserve a bigger tip.
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Super October 2019
Andrea · on September 16, 2019 at 4:06 PM
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There will be 61 people, so not a crazy amount. They will be washing dishes for us at the end of the night though.
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VIP September 2019
Yam · on September 16, 2019 at 4:10 PM
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Hmm I think if they’re washing dishes they deserve a good tip. Since they’re from a school they might not be expecting 20% or they would’ve included it in your contract, but that is a lot of dishes to wash. I’d do $100 at least for each bare minimum.
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Devoted April 2021
Allaura · on September 17, 2019 at 1:46 AM
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20% seems right to me.
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