Feeling Guilty... perk me up please!

[Jeff_in_KC]

I have a co-worker who loved my Q I brought in on Monday. She wants me to cook for her and deliver to work for Memorial Day weekend. She requested at first three slabs of babybacks and about the same amount of pulled pork that I brought in to the office (two whole butts). When I told her it would be close to $100, she looked a little disappointed at first. Then about an hour later, she said her daughter wanted to bump to four slabs. No biggie because when I buy the three packs at Sam's Club, I'll have to buy an additional but I can use them at the Great American BBQ Contest that weekend.

I get rib 3 packs for about $20 to $25 depending on the weight. Pork butts are 2 in cryovac for around $18 to $20. My plan is to sell the ribs for $19 per slab and the pork butts for $22 each (pulled and lightly sauced).

I feel guilty in that she's not wealthy but then again, I'm only making about $48 profit on the ribs total and about $24 on the butts. That doesn't count charcoal and wood. Am I over charging her, coming in just about right or am I screwing myself?

 

[BrooklynQ]

$72 for how many hours cooking?

Not including costs of fuel, rubs, sauces, etc. seems to me you're making less than minimum wage.

 

[VitaminQ]

If she agreed to the price, then she must think it's fair. She could have refused, or tried to negotiate you down. If you feel really bad about it, cut your profit margin back a little bit for her- but that will set a precedent that she and/or others may expect you to adhere to in the future.

 

[jsmoker]

Sounds to me like you're right on.... $19 is more or less the going rate for ribs at most Q joints around and at $22 per butt, that comes out to somewhere around $1 per 1/4 pound sammich (figure about 6 pounds of yield per butt) - WAY less than Haywards would sell it to you for! Even if your ribs are at retail market level, the pulled pork is well below. She's not getting hurt at all as she couldn't buy that much Q for that price.

 

[bbqjoe]

Remember something first: Just because you LIKE to bbq, that doesn't mean you should not get paid to practice your art for someone else.
Once again, the general rule in a restaurant is to charge triple what you pay in order to cover all the other things that it takes to run the place.

Of course your costs aren't nearly as high.

I would suggest making a formula for yourself.

1. Total of all fuel costs. Wood, charcoal, gas for shopping.
2. What do you feel is fair for an hourly wage for yourself?
I would assume you will be doing this on your day off. You could be doing other things for you, besides being tied to you smoker.
So, what do butts take? about ten to 16 hours. Even at five bucks an hour, that's only 50-80 bucks for your time.

You need to set your base price. This is the cost of what it takes to run your smoker. This is what you charge everytime right off the bat.
Add your food cost. Meat, sauces, rubs etc.
Multiply food cost by 1.5
Add your hourly wage.

Seem expensive? No wonder it costs so much money for a caterer.

This is what I'd use as a general guidline. If people don't like the price, go ahead and do it for nothing, and people will come for miles wanting your free labor etc. My time is worth something to me.

If people really like your product, they will pay the price. If not, then you can bbq for yourself, and not have to worry about these things.

Just my thoughts....

 

[backyardchef]

I totally agree w/ Joe on this. Jeff, you know that you are not 'raping' people for selling your bbq-- you're making an effort to charge a reasonable price and still leave room for you to make a profit.

I look at the prices of some of the places in New York-- $23 for a rack of ribs. They have their overhead included in the price, of course, which is more than mine, but there's no point in me lowballing if that's what people are already paying.....It's one of the problems of selling to people that you know and like that you feel a little guilty, but it's not as bad as you'd feel if you spent your time and money and wound up w/ nothing to show for it....

I'm figuring that you've taken a look at prices nearby-- joints, caterers, etc....where do you stack up compared to them?

 

[chad]

Ribs around here go for $18-$22 per slab. Pulled pork goes for $8-$9 per pound (finished meat)...I usually charge $8 per pound for the pulled pork and $18 for ribs - I don't do many ribs!!

I'm setting up to do pulled pork for 300-400 people...Meat, beans, slaw, all paper products, coordinating serving, making tea, lemonade, etc. I'm going to charge costs plus $1K - I figure I'll be spending time ordering/buying all the stuff and then Saturday will be killed getting the meat seasoned and injected (yes, I inject for my favorite customer), etc. And I figure I'll fire off the cooker around 1 a.m. Sunday. This will come out to about $6-$6.50 per person - pretty cheap catering.

When you work this hard for good bbq you need to charge pretty close to what the caterers charge -- I've done "costs" bbq for work occassionally and that's ok - but a month later when anyone hints at "why don't you bring some bbq to work?" I just look at 'em and smile. I don't work for free except for family and sometimes up at the church.

 

[Doorbusters]

Jeff, we all know the price you are charging is fair if not cheap! You are struggling with the same issue I did when I started cooking for people. I had to remind myself, this is not a Big Mac with fries. The hardest thing I had to overcome is the price issue. The best way to look at it is this: If she is feeding that many people will she cook it herself? And, if she has the money in the budget, what can she get for the money that is better than your Q? Good luck brother, it gets easier.

 

[kickassbbq]

Jeff,
If you figure the charcoal and the wood, you ain't makin' ANY money. I would say about .50 cents an hour.
She can't buy BAD BBQ for that price, let alone custom smoked Q on $25,000.00 smoker like you have. When she looked a little disappointed, I would have jacked the price right then to about double.
That would Smoke Her!!!!
People are cheap at best.
Smoke On!!!!! and keep the meat to yourself.
ed

 

[BobberQer]

ya shudda chargd her $ 220.. $23 for 4 BB's= $92 , 16 pounds butt@ $8 a pound- $128 = $220 she should feel guilty about only paying you $100... but then again, she aint... it's your time equiment and experience that is being paid for..

 

[Bigmista]

Gotta agree with the crowd on this one.

($19 x 4) + ($22 * 2) = $120

$120 / 12 hours smoking time =$10/hour

$120 - $45 (for ribs) - $20 (for irbs) = $55

$55 / 12 hours smoking time = $4.58/hour

Then you have to subtract coal, wood, gas, trays, seasonings, sauces and apple juice.

At this point it looks like you are paying her to make BBQ. Don't feel guilty. Charge more.

 

[Jeff_in_KC]

Good points, guys. I'll probably feel much better when money is in hand and I know she and her family loved it. Dustin is right... it'll make next time much easier ("Go over and ask Diane if it was worth the price!").

 

[icemn62]

I like thinking about the idea....What is your time worth?
It seems hard to charge your friends at work, but if not charging them for making the food, then charge them for the fuel, your time, have them buy the meat.. the containers...sauce.....rubs.....gas to deliver.....utensils for side dishes if they want them...charge them the cost of running your fridge to keep the food in after it is prepared prior to delivery....

 

[Bellybro]

Joe is absolutely right. When I was a kitchen manager in a restaraunt and figured new menu items I took food cost time 3.5 and then rounded up or down to the nearest .99 whenever appropriate

 

[Bigmista]

BellyBro! Go to Cattlecall and introduce yourself.

 

[kickassbbq]

Jeff,
I know you can't do anything about it now, but let her know you only gave her that price due to friendship. If she tells others about your deal, YOU"RE JACKED.
You can always come down in price, you can never go up. Start high and give a discount for friends.
Smoke On!!!!!!
ed

 

[cmcadams]

I know a lot of people talk about a wage per hour to cook, but unless you go on their site to do it, you're not working the whole time you're smoking something... not to say time isn't important... I'm a consultant... but I also know if I'm working or not. A 12 hour smoke at your house isn't 12 hours of labor to cover.

Ed is right... make sure she knows that price is for her, not for everyone. That look of disappointment will go away, and she'll be grateful, too.

 

[Jeff_in_KC]

Good idea! Tell her that's a discount for her! That'll work!

 

[Bigmista]

I know a lot of people talk about a wage per hour to cook, but unless you go on their site to do it, you're not working the whole time you're smoking something... not to say time isn't important... I'm a consultant... but I also know if I'm working or not. A 12 hour smoke at your house isn't 12 hours of labor to cover.

Ed is right... make sure she knows that price is for her, not for everyone. That look of disappointment will go away, and she'll be grateful, too.

Not sure I agree with that. What about prep time? Shopping time? Delivery? And the time you can't go and do anything else because you have to monitor the smoker?

Charge your customer for anytime that they are using that can't be used to make money some other way.

 

[cmcadams]

You may be stuck at home, but watching cartoons while watching the temp or mowing the lawn shouldn't be charged to the client, too... You can even do other work in between watching what's going on. If it required 100% attention during the time, that's fine, but I do most smokes with about 10 minutes per hour once they start, and get a lot of other things done, too (including some work I bill for).

For the gas and time to prep, get food, that should be included in the price, too, IMO. Add up the time actually spent doing the cook, and it will likely be much, much less than 12 hours (for a 12 hour smoke).