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Charging for Servers?

lizzi97lizzi97 member
First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Comment
in Wedding Cakes & Food Forum
I am working on a contract with a venue that has a caterer onsite. The cost estimate for the site includes a $23/hour charge for servers. Not only am I upset that I have to pay their employees' salaries, but I know that they do no make that much! Has anyone else run into this? Were you able to negotiate to a lower rate? Thanks!
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Re: Charging for Servers?

  • future-mrsfuture-mrs member
    First Anniversary First Comment
    edited December 2011
    We'll have a "service fee" tacked onto our total bill but it's no where close to that.  However, different areas and such...I'm going to guess that it's not that uncommon  however, IMO that is pretty steep. 
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  • babooxbaboox
    First Comment
    edited December 2011

    It is pretty standard, but sometimes it is not itemized on the contract--for example, it is often just built into the food costs.  Mine does not specify an hourly fee for servers, because it is added already into the price they are charging me per person. 
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  • kaeshakaesha
    First Anniversary Combo Breaker First Comment
    edited December 2011
    My servers got 27$ an hour. I didn't bother tipping them.
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  • Ashes_3Ashes_3 member
    First Anniversary 5 Love Its First Answer First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I wouldn't bother tipping them. I think that is steep.
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  • mysticlmysticl member
    First Anniversary First Answer First Comment 5 Love Its
    edited December 2011
    Of course you are paying their employees salaries.  Every place you purchase a good or service you are paying the employees salaries it's just not itemized.  It's also not unheard of for caterers to hire the servers for the event, i.e. they aren't full time employees because there aren't 40 hours a week worth of events at a place.  They have a list of people they call on to do the events.  Is it $23/hour for each server or $23/hour for all of the servers.  Also it cost's more to employee a person than just the money in their paycheck.
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  • fadingdawn20fadingdawn20 member
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    I am now wondering about this too... my venue's terms and conditions say they charge $25 an hour per server AND automatically add 18% gratuity to all food and beverage. This doesn't make sense to me. Hopefully we're meeting with the venue this week and I am definitely going to ask why.
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  • sbenoit1sbenoit1
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    My tentative venue's terms and conditions say they charge $50 per server AND automatically add 18% gratuity to all food and beverage.
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  • coreyandkellycoreyandkelly
    First Comment
    edited December 2011
    my caterer charges 8 per guest for servers and that's no top of the food costs, crazy i know, i sort of wish i hadn't asked for an itemized bill
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  • mmealymmealy
    First Comment
    edited December 2011

    We are having the reception in our small town at the Floyd Country Store. Somehow, it's actually kinda famous. Anyways, our venue is pretty cheap because it's more of "community service" based rather than profit, which is amazing. I'm paying in addition to the site fee, $20/hr per server which I didn't think was too bad.

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