Cupcake Serving Fee (for self-serve cupcakes)?

[BlingADing]

Hello everyone,
I love the idea of a cupcake tower with a cutting cake on top.

Have any of you out there done this? I think it's awesome!

We are having a bakery deliver the cupcakes and cake to our reception restaurant. The cupcakes are $2.75 each. The restaurant is charging a serving fee of $2.50 each person.

I'm wondering if $2.50 for a self-serve dessert is excessive? The serving fee really breaks the bank and I'm crushed.

Could you let me know if this is low, normal, or high priced?

THANKS!!!

 

[SeattleSweetheart]

We had a cupcake tower with mini-cupcakes. Everyone loved it because they got to try different flavors or trade for more of their favorite flavors. We were not charged a serving fee, but we set it up ourselves. I think that's silly that they are charging for something that is self serve, unless what you're paying for is them setting up the cupcake tree. It can be pretty labor intensive to make it look good.

 

[yssie]

But surely any labour fee should be based directly on the size/complexity of the cupcake tree, not how many guests you have

 

[BlingADing]

We are paying a flat rate for set-up by the bakery.

The serving fee is purely assessed by the restaurant. They aren't even doing any of the set-up.
I'm not sure the restaurant is being unreasonable??

 

[chemgirl]

I think they're charging you because they lose the opportunity to sell their own dessert...

I'm currently planning my wedding and charging a "per head" cost for outside food is the standard in my area. I was going to have a cupcake tree but my venue would charge 3$ per person. In the end, it was far more expensive to bring in cupcakes than it was to buy a cake from the venue. In our case, it was their way of forcing us to use their service.

 

[jaylex]

Wow. For 2.50 a person, they better stack, SERVE, and wrap up each cupcake.
IMO, that is steep if all they are doing is allowing you to have them at the venue..

Our venue has something like a $85 cake cutting charge (plus tax and gratuity) if we bring in a cake... so for $100, we thought it best just to buy the cake from them... but they also have really awesome cakes.. and they only charge $1.35/serving .. any flavor/filling and decorated however we want.

Does your venue have anything against family "bringing in desserts"? I know we can pay for an extra decorated table if family members want to make or bring in desserts. Maybe have the venue make the small cake for the top of the tree and say the cupcakes are a gift from your great aunt mildred?

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

Ha! They always find a way to charge you!!

Our venue had a 'cakeage' fee which i thought was fair enough because they had to cut the cake, use their plates etc and serve it.
They supposedly didn't have a fee for cupcakes though if we were to self serve, which is what we chose to do.

On the day however it was so hot that they needed to be stored in the fridge beforehand and they charged us $50 for storing them for about half an hour.

Personally i think if you set them up yourself and serve them yourself there is no need to be charged a fee because they aren't doing anything, but, it wouldn't be the first time i have heard of such things being charged.

 

[BlingADing]

Thanks for all the input ladies.

I asked the venue (it's a restaurant) if they could provide the cupcakes and cutting cake instead. If so, what is the cost? She is going to get back to me.

We are doing a very non-traditional garden/rustic wedding "celebration" and I'm really not about to pay for stupid stuff like this. If anything I will serve cupcakes from the trunk of our car out in the parking lot

 

[Gypsy]

NO. NO. NO.

I refused to have a cake cutting fee. It is one of the first things that I negotiated out when talking to venues. You are paying a venue fee FOR A WEDDING. Of course there is going to be cake. They need to just suck it up and not nickle and dime you. But at LEAST with a cake there is cutting. Charging 2.50 each for CUPCAKE service is ridiculous.

This is one of those instances in my opinion when you need to just get the person in charge on the phone. Tell them that this is ridiculous and you are not going to stand for it and get them to back off the crazy cup cake fee!

 

[mayachel]

Absolute craziness! I see no reason why the venue's greediness should be rewarded with buying a traditional cake from them. Talk about being stuck between a rock and a hard place! I would protest loud and proud if I were you. There does not seem like there should be any fees associated in good faith with this set up. maaaaybee an outside vendor fee, but certainly not of those proportions. Yuck.

 

[mayachel]

If anything I will serve cupcakes from the trunk of our car out in the parking lot

Sing it sister!

 

[BlingADing]

I asked if they (the restaurant) could provide the cupcakes and cake instead. If yes, I assumed this would x-nay the $2.50 Serving Fee.
I was so happy to hear, "YES," and they would price them the same as the bakery. Perfect!

.......UNTIL.............

I wrote back an email asking for CLARIFICATION if the $2.50 service fee would or would not be waived.

She said no, the service fee still stands!! Are you freaking kidding me?

 

[Octavia]

Ridiculous. Rid. Ic. U. Lous. Now is the time to pull out all your negotiating skills, because there is no WAY you should have to pay such a stupid fee.

And if all else fails, I'd tell the venue lady that because of their unreasonable policies, you decided to skip having a dessert altogether, and just get a little cutting cake for you and your hubby. Then have the original cupcake baker put each of the cupcakes in an individual little box and place one at everyone's seat as your "favors."

 

[LtlFirecracker]

I agree with the others. They are just looking for a way to squeeze more money out of you. Have you asked them what exactly this "serving fee" covers for these self served cupcakes? I would stick you your ground on this one. They should not charge you when they are not even doing anything.

 

[tyty333]

Next they will be charging for each square of toilet paper used! And if you bring your own there will be a $5 per roll
setup fee!

 

[violet3]

Ridiculous. Rid. Ic. U. Lous. Now is the time to pull out all your negotiating skills, because there is no WAY you should have to pay such a stupid fee.

And if all else fails, I'd tell the venue lady that because of their unreasonable policies, you decided to skip having a dessert altogether, and just get a little cutting cake for you and your hubby. Then have the original cupcake baker put each of the cupcakes in an individual little box and place one at everyone's seat as your "favors."

i love this idea above

 

[BlingADing]

Ridiculous. Rid. Ic. U. Lous. Now is the time to pull out all your negotiating skills, because there is no WAY you should have to pay such a stupid fee.

And if all else fails, I'd tell the venue lady that because of their unreasonable policies, you decided to skip having a dessert altogether, and just get a little cutting cake for you and your hubby. Then have the original cupcake baker put each of the cupcakes in an individual little box and place one at everyone's seat as your "favors."

Super idea!
I think what I'll do is have the original bakery put the cupcakes in "take out" boxes, and deliver them at the end of the reception for the guests to grab on their way out.

I'm sad there won't be a tower on display or anything for us to cut

 

[iheartscience]

Wow, what a ridiculous fee. I like the idea of the take out boxes-definitely do that!

And I would still cut a little cake or cupcake for pictures, though. That way there will only be 1 $2.50 serving fee.

 

[Gypsy]

Now is the time to go Bridezilla on their arses. Are you KIDDING ME. What a crock of well, you know. I would do exactly what Octavia says.

You are paying for your venue? For an Event. That is a wedding. SO OF COURSE there is cake. AND now if you buy it from them, they still are going to service charge you? No freaking way, dude.

 

[chemgirl]

Wow that is crazy! Our venue waved the fee when we agreed to buy our cake from their approved baker. It was annoying, but not the end of the world. What your venue is asking is just not acceptable.

I know this might be crazy over the top, but any way you can switch venues, or threaten to if they don't agree to work with you?

I had a really horrible place for my original venue. They added a 500$ ceremony fee (they don't provide setup or officient...just a fee) and then a 500$ fee to be ALLOWED photography. In addition to the ceremony fee, there was a 200$ fee to rent the dressing room next to the hall (um...shouldn't that be in the ceremony fee?). The photography fee was just to be allowed to take pictures on their property. We are not hiring a professional photographer, but they still wanted to charge because guests would be taking pictures! They also increased the minimum food order by 700$ on the final contract. Needless to say we told them that if they didn't comply with the pricing that they had discussed with us, we'd move our wedding. They did come down 500$ overall, but that still wasn't good enough considering all of the additions.

My point is that vendors hear wedding and they think they can add all sorts of hidden costs. You really need to play hardball with them and let them know you won't stand for it.

 

[Rhea]

So it's $2.75 for the cup cakes, another $2.50 to serve them, plus whatever tax is in your area, and whatever service charge or tip your contract says you may need to pay? That's insane!

I agree with making them favours. Put them in a box, little tag on top with the guests name if you're having assigned seating, and go with it. No need to even have them at the end to hand out, they'd look great on the table as favours!

 

[mayachel]

I just want to chime in to say that if I were a guest, I'd love a fab cupcake in a take home box. I'm usually so stuffed at the end of the night ANYWAY but eat the cake cause it's a shame to let it go to waste You can definitely still have the little cake to cut for pictures.