Catering Bid

MattG

MattG

is Blowin Smoke!
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I'm trying see if my prices are right because I've never went through this type bid before. I got a call last week about a catering job that about 1hr round trip from my house. When I spoke to them they were dead set on ribs and chicken. ( Whole rack and Split Chicken :shocked::shocked::shocked:) I talked them out of the full rack of ribs with the chicken and suggested that they do chicken with a few ribs. Maybe 3 bones. So beside the meat they also wanted 6 sides bread, dessert, Tea and Lemonade. The bid is for 175 people. 1 split chicken and 4 ribs with 4oz servings of each side plus bread and dessert for each one. I know that this is WAY over kill but that's what they want. We will be delivering, setting up, and serving the food. I can only dream how much leftovers they will have.:tsk::tsk::tsk: (We will leave that with them) I'm charging $28.14 per person. Does this sound close? Thanks
 
I think you are fair, I would be at about $27.50 but the travel time is worth a little more. That is a good job to land, congrats!
 
Do you have a place in your quote documents that lists suggested portion size? I do, and I'm glad I do. I've been in that situation where the customer was miffed at the amount of leftover food.

The documents don't lie.
 
Just curious how you arrive at a total like that. Can you break it down a little. Trying to set some pricing myself. Thanks in advance.
 
Bushay said:
Just curious how you arrive at a total like that. Can you break it down a little. Trying to set some pricing myself. Thanks in advance.
Click to expand...


You need to break it all the way down. What is it going to cost you per serving? What's your time worth? I think this is where most people mess up. How much time will it take to go get everything, cook and prepare everything, travel time, serving time, clean up at event time, washing dishes time, washing the linens, etc. Then you have your fuel (Wood, Charcoal, gas), rub, sauce, any rental costs. All of this must be taken into consideration.
 
txschutte said:
Do you have a place in your quote documents that lists suggested portion size? I do, and I'm glad I do. I've been in that situation where the customer was miffed at the amount of leftover food.

The documents don't lie.
Click to expand...


I do not. But that is something I put into this bid. I'm probably going to leave it in the documents from now own. The only reason I did it this go around was because of the over kill.
 
175 people? That's a good size crowd for someone just starting out. How badly do you want the job? Is it yours at any price? That price seems high to me, and I'm in a market where I can price a 2-meat meal with 3 sides and buffet service for $19 (for a crowd that size). Now let me clarify - for that amount of food, the price is fair. But what's the risk of losing the job because it's priced so high?

My point is - maybe you can present 2 quotes. One for the amount of food they're asking for, and one for a smaller amount of food that will still fill everyone up. For me, I would budget 1/3 to 1/2 rack of ribs (SL style spares or backs) plus 1.5 pieces of chicken per person. Even if you cooked a half rack and a 1/4 chicken for everyone, that's a lot of food. Add 3 sides, buns, and desserts, and I'm sure you'd still be well under $20. What do other BBQ caterers charge for this meal in your area? That's your target price.

If you present 2 options it gives your customer some options - increasing your chance of getting the job greatly.
 
Well we got the catering job. We served them Baby Back Ribs and Chicken. I cooked 96 racks of baby backs (I have never cooked so many ribs) and 24 whole chickens, 12 gallons of Brunswick Stew, Mashed potatoes, Corn on the cob, green Beans, Mac & Cheese, Hash brown Casserole, Tea & Lemonade, Bread, Chocolate Delight. I thought we had too much food and I was right. We had about 30 racks of ribs left over. I spoke with the owner and asked him what he wanted to do with them and he said give them away to his employees. Turns out the owner wanted extra to make sure his employees got to take stuff home. So we bagged and wrapped everything up and handed it out. It was a great day and everyone was very impressed with how quick we feed everyone and how good the food was. We gave out a lot of cards and spoke to five different contractors on doing something for their companies. Sorry I do not have any pictures it was a wild night and quick day. Thanks everyone.



P.S. - I forgot to add they added 30 more people 2 days before the event. They were very grateful that we accommodated them at such a short notice.
 
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