i got this idea from another CCer, i wish i could remember who. but i plan on setting aside 1 day a month to have all my tastings as a complimentary service. i'll tell my brides that this day is the best time to meet with me, and they can do it free. they all get the same cake flavors to taste, and i'll just bake up a lot of it, slice it up, and send home the extras with the brides in a little bakery box tied with ribbon and a biz card. if someone can't come on that day, or no shows, or for ANY reason has to reschedule, there is a $25 fee to do it at another time.
I think most bakerys dont charge as long as the order is booked.
good point, i forgot to mention that if i charged them the $25 for rescheduling it would be applied to their order if they chose to book with me.
Usually what i do is charge a non-refundable fee, then apply it to the Cake. I started it at $25, but then bumped it up to $50. I haven't gotten turned down yet.
I look at it like this, if your would-be customer were to go to a Bakery, they would be charged as well, so why not?
I voted YES!! I absolutely impose a fee of $25 for the bride and groom ONLY. If they bring additional guests to sample, they are $5 each. The initial $25 is applied to their total if they book with me... the $5 per person for additional people is not. That's to cover some of my costs. This helps in two ways... it weeds out people who are just looking to eat some cake, and it prevents them from bringing the entire wedding party, plus the mothers, and sisters, and neighbors, etc. This information is provided to the couple before I schedule the tasting so that there are no surprises. As well, they have a limited number of samples... they cannot say, "I want to taste 15 flavors". Anyway, just my two cents!
I've probably met with 50 couples this year and no one has taken advantage yet. I usually supply 2 samples of 3-4 flavors. I go to them and I don't charge anything. If they have a lot of people....they have to share. I've only lost about 3 orders and never felt they were just trying to get cake. I don't think I would charge unless you are really needing to weed people out.
I'm with Jenn ... I havent' run into any "let's get some free cake/food" people, but I have recently changed my introductory email to state "....up to four people". Not so much for the cost, but because of space limitations. Plus I don't think you need a bride, groom, 2 sets of parents, a sister and a maid of honor to decide if you want white or chocolate cake.
I dont' charge. It's part of the advertising/sales budget. I provide 2 cakes (single layer, 3x6), both white with white icing but 2 different fillings. If they are shopping for food/buffet, then I also have a small lunch prepared ... such as 2 kinds of chicken, meatballs w/ 2 sauces, green beans, rice pilaf or scalloped potatoes, and sometimes choc dipped strawberries.
I don't. Unless, they're wanting a multitude of flavors (more than 4), or they're bringing more than 4-5 people, who all want to eat cake. But that would be applied to their cake order, so it's kind of a wash. (I guess if anything, it diverts them, from asking for too many samples!)
Yes - $25
Only after a friend told us there were a few groups having "cake dessert" parties - for FREE! Go to a baker - taste test - lie about a date - some lie about being engageed - etc!
We are too little still to eat all the cost of numerous testings! No one has had a problem yet!
I currently don't but I am thinking about the $25 applied to order for my pricing/policy change 9/1. For those of you that do, and negative feedback on it?
I have never received negative feedback about it, I've never had someone decide not to do a tasting when I told them about the charge, and I am always very clear with them that the amount will be taken off their final bill if they go with me. Of course, I've never had someone do a tasting and not go with me either. I guess that's saying something, right? 
i got this idea from another CCer, i wish i could remember who. but i plan on setting aside 1 day a month to have all my tastings as a complimentary service. i'll tell my brides that this day is the best time to meet with me, and they can do it free. they all get the same cake flavors to taste, and i'll just bake up a lot of it, slice it up, and send home the extras with the brides in a little bakery box tied with ribbon and a biz card. if someone can't come on that day, or no shows, or for ANY reason has to reschedule, there is a $25 fee to do it at another time.
That's me...but we only do tastings four times a year, but it is everything, not just cake. It's an enormous buffet of food, including 6-8 kinds of cake, icings, fillings mousses, tarts, truffles, cookies, you name it. And, we only allow two people per booked event ( we invite people hosting rehearsal dinners over 50 people to the tasting events as well) Additional people are welcome, but the are $35 a head.
Tasting at other times is $25 a head for 3 cakes flavors, with two fillings and two icings.
For those who do a tasting/sampling once a month or on a schedule similar, how do you set aside the time to do the actual consulting with the bride? My samplings take 60-120 minutes, depending on how many questions they have. I can't imagine having an open-house type of sampling and spending 90+ minutes with all 10 or 12 (or more) couples that come thru..... that's almost a 24 hour day.
Do you make them re-schedule and come back a second time for the actual sit-down?
I do.. $25.00 that is applied to your order if you book. You get 2 cake flavors and 2 fillings and SMBC and, if wanted, fondant. The last one I did I made a single layer 6" cake torted to 3 layers filled and iced so they could see how I can smoothing icing and all that and 6 filled cupcakes. The woman loved the presentation.
Indydebi.. I would imagine a monthly tasting event would just be to smaple the food and then, if you like what you taste, come in for a consult later. That's how I'd do it anyway.
Indydebi.. I would imagine a monthly tasting event would just be to smaple the food and then, if you like what you taste, come in for a consult later. That's how I'd do it anyway.
Yep. We give them a menu and notepad so they can make notes of what they like. Then about 6 weeks before their event, we sit down and finalize menu.
my biz is very new, so i obviously change things as needed. but right now my plan is to be able to do up to 7 brides in a day on my "tasting days". each bride is scheduled 1.5 hours apart. if they need more time, they are welcome to come back later at any time to discuss more details, they just get no cake. if i have a lot of requests for consults i will schedule 2 tasting days in a month, or 3 if needed. i will start with one, and when that fills up go to another. it just doesn't make sense for me to bake cakes for each individual bride all the time for tastings. i am just 1 person, and i don't have cake laying around all the time. i would much rather put in a long day and bake for everyone at once, than have to bake 3 quarter batches of cake 10-15 times throughout the month. as i said, if they can't come at the free tasting day, then i will happily bake them cakes just for their consult for a $25 fee.
I currently off free cake tasting consults. I let them taste 2-3 different flavors at the consult. This past year I averaged about 50 consults, and I got like 38 bookings. Latly, for some reason, the past 3 or 4 consults i did, they didn't book yet...they want to think about it. I really have been considering applying a $25 consult fee too...it is a lot of work to prepare, and get our house ready. And my husband has to get rid of my three young children while I do the consult. Nothing irritates me more when they don't book, or say they will think about it 
I do like the idea of doing consults one day a month...that way i can make fresh cake, and not frozen cupcakes from leftover batter... and only have to clean up once and have my hubby take the kids for the day!!!
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