Pricing (Wait! Read On!) For Extra Tiers...
Decorating By tavyheather Updated 31 Mar 2011 , 2:16am by CWR41
the video is perfect. When I got married the dj company tacked on an extra $200 because it was a wedding. When I asked why they said it was to cover the cost of the tux rental. The groom didn't even wear a tux, why would we pay for the dj to wear one?
On the pricing...I will try to approach it from another perspective... you are going to sell a cake and your chart says it will serve 35 people (using the industry standard size of 8 cu. in). you will sell the cake for $3.00 per industry serving standard. How many people they try to serve with the cake is almost irrelevant.
Going to the bread analogy...if you buy a loaf of unsliced bread, and it says there are 10 servings and you paid 30cents per serving and take it home and cut huge slices and only get 5 servings, you still paid $3.00 for the loaf-no matter what you are using it for and no matter how many people you were actually able to feed with it.
Essentially party servings are just "huge" (using the bread analogy) slices and will obviously end up serving less people. But you still charge according to the chart which says it will serve 35.
So I am charging for the cake and not by the serving?! I guess I will just do a chart that had the number of serving, the price, and just go with that. The rest of this does not make sense to me.
Both, either or, would be the answer.
An 8in cake that serves 24 at $3 a serving would be $72.
So you can sell your 8in cake for $72 or you can sell it for $3 a serving. Either way in the end it is the same price.
Both, either or, would be the answer.
An 8in cake that serves 24 at $3 a serving would be $72.
So you can sell your 8in cake for $72 or you can sell it for $3 a serving. Either way in the end it is the same price.
Finally! I think that's what everybody was trying to get at, but it was just getting more and more confusing! 
so would you charge less per serving for a wedding cake since it is the same amount of cake but servings are smaller?
so would you charge less per serving for a wedding cake since it is the same amount of cake but servings are smaller?
I assume that a standard serving is 1"x2"x4" so I don't figure any difference between party and wedding servings. If someone is a pig and can eat an entire 6" tier on their own, I don't charge less because they claim that's one serving, so that's why I charge by the cake size and not the serving count specifically. I don't care if they eat the whole thing, have a food fight with it, or cut it into pieces 1/4" thick. I use the standard serving count estimate to price the tier and let the customer know about how many it should serve, then they can cut it into however many servings they want.
You can also tell your clients: This cake serves xx using the industry standard. That's like the size of a folded up peanut butter sandwich. If you think you might want to cut larger slices then I recommend ordering a larger cake.
This way it gives them a visual of how big the slices are supposed to be (btw, I got that from Indydebi). I've found most people get that "the lightbulb just went on" look when I explain it that way.
I had one gentlemen tell me he was ordering cake large enough to feed 3 times the amount of guests he was having because "Peanut butter sandwich my a$$! My whole family is fat and we love cake." 
I had one gentlemen tell me he was ordering cake large enough to feed 3 times the amount of guests he was having because "Peanut butter sandwich my a$$! My whole family is fat and we love cake."
Okay, this is the best answer EVER!! I love this guy! Wait ... I think he might be related! ha!
(Indydebi) Their 10" round serves 35 but but tavyheather's 10" round only serves 25. I get more cake at the bakery."
LOL!!!!!!!
I actually had a bride tell me before, that "XX bakery told me that I could have a five tiered cake to serve 115 people (or whatever). I was like "Ummm well my chart only gives you three tiers....five tiers of cake is A LOT of cake."
They looked at me like I was ripping them off. And no, they did not book.
Probably, that bakery's "five tier cake" was those sloppy 2-3" tall "tiers" and would have been the same height as my three full tiers of cake, anyway.
I use Earlene's chart because it gives me a cushion...whether I'm cutting for topsy turvy or doing 3D work...or maybe one day my layers don't bake up to a full 2" each.... I know that it gives me a cushion to where if someone runs out of cake...I can say "Well the normal catering amount would have given you this many servings out of your cake, but I charged you for less...but according to most caterers, you had much more than enough." I'm afraid if I use the Wilton wedding chart, that I will start getting in trouble if people do not cut it exactly right. So far its been fine (except I have had people who have extra cake...but most people do not complain!)...and I think I charge enough per serving to still equal out to a fair price for the whole project.
Yes you charge what the cake will serve, not the number of servings they need.
In your example, they are paying for a cake that serves 75. So they pay $3 per serving or $225 for the thing. Either way, but numbers equal the same thing.
If you only charge for teh 63 servings they asked for but gave them a cake for 75 then you are giving them free cake.
So I am charging for the cake and not by the serving?! I guess I will just do a chart that had the number of serving, the price, and just go with that. The rest of this does not make sense to me.
I think charging by the serving makes it easier to determine what you are charging when a cake has more detail. Say you figure an 8 inch cake serves 24 and you figure $3 a serving so $72 for an 8 inch. Now are all 8 inch cakes $72? No matter how simple or how intricate? It just makes it easier to figure your charges. How many servings they actually get out of it is there problem. Or responsibility to say it nicer. Print up a cutting chart so they can see the serving size. If they cut it bigger, oh well.
Still working on the price grid. Just needing to get things in order. I think it will be just a few more weeks and we will be open. Just trying to get the vendors together. The one vendor just did not want to work with us 
The biggest hassle so far has been the pricing issue. The per serving per cake has been confusing. I still have it be the whole and serve however many you chose but recommend that it serves x and go with that. I understand that and I think I can explain that better.
I love when my topics have a mind of their own. Thanks to everyone who explained, and then re-explained, and then added in some hilarious stories 
You all ROCK!
did not mean to hijack
sorry
lol, it made it all the more better...I honestly am glad u did, more Qs are answered on the same topic that way!
Hi everyone. This is my first post as I'm just beginning baking. These comments are SUPER helpful and after reading the many, many posts explaining how to charge per serving, my only remaining question is concerning the design. If an 8" cake costs $72 (based on 24 servings @ $3), but 1 person wants a basic buttercream finish with scribbling, another wants fondant w/minimal decorations and another wants an intricate scrolling finish that takes you much longer to complete, why wouldn't you then charge more based on the labor costs for the requested design?
If you do charge more, how do you price that out?
Nic, just to give you an example, I (like many on here) have a buttercream price and a fondant price. My fondant price was $1 higher than the BC price. I had a handful of (wedding) cakes that I assessed a "Design Fee" ..... which meant the design was either involved or had extra expense (ie my City Skyline Design that used city skyline made of chocolate) and I would add on an extra flat-price to cover the extra time and/or materials. (I used a flat pricing method .... others use a rate x number of projected extra hours .... whatever method works best for you).
I have price levels. In KY, most everyone is really conservative about buying cake, mostly high priced cake doesn't go over well. I charge $2.50 as a base price for buttercream, $3.50.as a base price for fondant. Then it goes up. $2.50 for buttercream with ribbon and border. $2.75 for scroll work and roses and dots, $3 for all of the above on each tier, cornelli lace, tons of dragees, ruffles...stuff like that.
Please don't make blanket statements about a whole state. I'm in Louisville, charge more than what's listed above, sell several $1000+ cakes every year, year in and year out. Every state has a high end market, a mid priced market and bargain shoppers. And I have cakes and pricing for all three markets.
I think that part of what is being questioned here is the fact that you cannot always do a cake for the number of servings asked for. If they ask for a round number, most likely you can do it. But if the serving amount falls between (let's say they need 80 servings) and your serving sizes are 70 and 90, you tell them their options: My cakes will serve 70 or 90. You choose what you would like to do, but I cannot price for 80, as I cannot make the cakes equal that size.
Does that make sense? So technically, you cannot charge per serving on a cake like that, but you use the per serving prices to determine the cost of the 70 and 90 serving cakes.
I have set prices for my cakes that I developed using the per serving price, but now I just say a 10 inch is $X. You should get Y servings from it, but it will depend on how you cut it. I also provide a cutting chart. If they choose to cut away from that, that is their problem. I provided them with cake for Y amount of people based on that chart.
Carved cakes are a whole different animal!
Stephanie
My last 2 brides have asked for 6" tall tiers.... are the servings the same as a 4" tall cake...1 X 2? ...or do the go to a 1x1x6?? If its the same, they are getting more cake and I guess I should charge more per serving for a 6" tall cake??
My last 2 brides have asked for 6" tall tiers.... are the servings the same as a 4" tall cake...1 X 2? ...or do the go to a 1x1x6?? If its the same, they are getting more cake and I guess I should charge more per serving for a 6" tall cake??
The servings are the same because the surface area is the same for cutting. if you cut them smaller than 1x2, I guarantee you tht people WILL be talking about your "paper thin" pieces.
If the servings are figured at 1x2x6, then your price should be 50% higher, since there's 50% more cake (1x2x4=8 cubic inches; 1x2x6=12 cubic inches). If you get an order or fries that's 50% more than the small order, you pay mroe for it, right?
You COULD put a cardboard between the layers .... have a single layer cake on top of a 2-layer cake ..... and cut the single layer cake ito 2x2x2's and the double layer into 1x2x4's, but as a cake cutter, I wouldn't like messing with that kind of set up (nothing wrong with it ... just personal preference).
Advise yoru bride that most dessert/cake plates are 6" so her cake will either be wall-to-wall or it will hang over the edge of the plate .... neither option being very attractive when served to a guest.
I would charge more for 6 inch layers. Not necessarily a serving charge, but just a flat upcharge. It is above and beyond your normal pricing, so you should charge accordingly. THough it will change your servings. I think that a 1x6 piece would look pretty odd though. Hopefully they would understand that.
Stephnaie
Please don't make blanket statements about a whole state. I'm in Louisville, charge more than what's listed above, sell several $1000+ cakes every year, year in and year out. Every state has a high end market, a mid priced market and bargain shoppers. And I have cakes and pricing for all three markets.
I meant Northern Ky.
Isnt' Louisville right on the KY/Indiana border? I mean, ya can't , can ya?
Yes Louisville is on the border Indiana, but look at a map. Yes, you can get much more northern than that and stay in the state. I am in the Tri state area of Indiana, Ohio, and Ky. Specifically, Burlington, Ky. We are over 92 miles northeast of Louisville, where I grew up. There is 1 more exit off 275 after our exit, until you get to Indiana, about 8 miles from us, Cincinnati is about 15 miles away.
For the 6" tall tiers, I DO like to do the cardboard and support in between. I do two 3" cakes that will be structurally more sound than one 6" and also you can access all of the servings reasonably. And you charge for all of those servings.
I do 3 2" cakes, with a cardboard between. I like this idea better though, but how do you tell them how to cut it? and how do you determine serving sizes?
Going at the 8 cubic inch per serving guideline the pieces would be 3 x 2 x 1.3. That is a little difficult to explain, let alone cut!
Ditto cakesbycathy. I charge by the serving. I couldn't care less how many tiers it is. They will however, pay more in an equipment, because a three tier cake uses more equipment than a two tier cake.
The 8/12 combo has slightly less area to decorate, but not that much difference between the 6/8/10.
The real issue is that a 6/8/10 round serves 75 NOT 60.
A 6/8/10 serves 75 ? or 74?
I have a cake for 75 to do and when I look at the Wilton servings for weddings, a 6/8/10 serves 74 
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