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Catering service charge?

greeneyedJgreeneyedJ member
10 Comments
in Florida-Central Florida
Hi all!
Met with our caterer on Friday and we went through all the details.  So far I'm happy with everything until I got home and read the invoice and saw the 18% service charge.  I know this is totally my fault and while we haven't signed anything or paid anything more than the deposit to hold the date (small amount) I'm wondering if anyone has tried to negotiate their service charge amount.

I naively thought for whatever reason that it was the gratuity and after reading realize it's not the gratuity at all.

So should I try to negotiate this fee?  Has anyone had experience with this or should I just suck it up?
Any advice is appreciated!
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Re: Catering service charge?

  • liz1379liz1379
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Normally larger caterers charge larger service charges because they cover warehouse staff, dishwashers, overhead, loading and unloading of trucks, etc. The bigger the company the more expenses but normally the more experience that goes with it. If something goes wrong a bigger caterer can better overcome challenges. In my experience usually the service charge isn't very negotiable but I would go over your total budget with them and explain your situation. They might be able to subsitute food items, cut staff, or make other changes to fit in your budget. If they won't accomadate you I would start shopping around because you can find a caterer in almost any budget if your willing to compromise what your looking for.
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  • jmucheech21jmucheech21 member
    100 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I simply told my caterer "here is what I want to spend total, including all my food, service charge, and grat, are you able to do that?" and they slashed their prices in half and did it.  I would just say something like that.. "oh, I didn't realize that there was an additional 18% charge, we can't really afford that.  Are you able to do everything at this price or should I keep looking?"
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  • lelupixielelupixie member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    I went through Cocktails Catering and found them to be very resonable! Good luck and many blessings on your wedding day!
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  • [Deleted User][Deleted User] member
    1000 Comments
    edited December 2011
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  • greeneyedJgreeneyedJ member
    10 Comments
    edited December 2011
    Thanks for your input everyone! I'm definitely going to talk to them and see what they are willing to do.  I have to admit I've been a bit TOO laid back about the whole wedding process and now 68 days out I'm feeling slightly freaked out! lol
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