Hi,
I make cakes of all kinds on the side and I've done a few wedding cakes. I'm trying to get better about pricing the cakes so they are reasonable for the customer and so that I actually make a profit from them. I'm a one-woman operation so I think the cost of ingredients is the base factor plus all the work involved from prep through delivery.
So here's my dillema: I quoted a bride for a 3 tier wedding cake for 120 guests. I used 6"/10"/14" double layers (128 servings). Top tier is vanilla cake, middle and bottom layers are marble. They only want buttercream, no fondant. I've attached a sketch of the design we agreed upon (the flowers are silk). I quoted her $4.00 a serving plus $25 for delivery. So the total for the cake would be $512, plus $25 delivery = $537.
The bride's friend, who referred her to me (I used to work with her at my FT job) emailed me and asked if there was any way I could do the cake for $300-$400 or if there was a way we could "make it work". Now I'm stuck! I would like the business and an opportunity to get the word out about my cakes. However, I feel like taking $400 for the cake, nevermind $300 is a lot of money to lose.
Am I being unreasonable or over-priced? I did research on my prices and for the area they are reasonable. My cake are all from scratch and like I said it's just me doing all the work. I've priced cakes similarly for weddings and special events and never had any complaints about price and customers return/rave. So anyone that could give me advice on how to handle the situation, I'd REALLY APPRECIATE IT, so I can email this woman and her friend ASAP.
Thanks!
Nicole[/img]
I make cakes of all kinds on the side and I've done a few wedding cakes. I'm trying to get better about pricing the cakes so they are reasonable for the customer and so that I actually make a profit from them. I'm a one-woman operation so I think the cost of ingredients is the base factor plus all the work involved from prep through delivery.
So here's my dillema: I quoted a bride for a 3 tier wedding cake for 120 guests. I used 6"/10"/14" double layers (128 servings). Top tier is vanilla cake, middle and bottom layers are marble. They only want buttercream, no fondant. I've attached a sketch of the design we agreed upon (the flowers are silk). I quoted her $4.00 a serving plus $25 for delivery. So the total for the cake would be $512, plus $25 delivery = $537.
The bride's friend, who referred her to me (I used to work with her at my FT job) emailed me and asked if there was any way I could do the cake for $300-$400 or if there was a way we could "make it work". Now I'm stuck! I would like the business and an opportunity to get the word out about my cakes. However, I feel like taking $400 for the cake, nevermind $300 is a lot of money to lose.
Am I being unreasonable or over-priced? I did research on my prices and for the area they are reasonable. My cake are all from scratch and like I said it's just me doing all the work. I've priced cakes similarly for weddings and special events and never had any complaints about price and customers return/rave. So anyone that could give me advice on how to handle the situation, I'd REALLY APPRECIATE IT, so I can email this woman and her friend ASAP.
Thanks!
Nicole[/img]
