Online Section Manual

FOOD AND BEVERAGE TIPS

This is a very helpful section with pulling together numbers on amount of coffee needed, or amount of food and drinks to have on-hand.

• Most hotels are reluctant to quote/guarantee food prices more than 6 months in advance. Be sure and include a % increase in your budget over the current food/beverage pricing
• Don't forget to include tax and service charge in your budget!
• When signing banquet event orders read terms and make sure they are the same as your contract…if not, mark through them and put something like "see contract"
• Once guarantee is given you will be charged for the guarantee or actual number, whichever is higher
• Once guarantee is given, you cannot decrease the guarantee - but you can increase
• Hotel will typically set room and prepare for 3-5% over your guarantee
• Request that all food/beverage set up be complete 15 minutes prior to scheduled serving time
• Make sure beverages served in individual bottles/containers are charged on consumption
• The larger the attendance the more flexibility (and options you can offer) with your order
• To control cost & depending on size of item (cookie, Danish, brownies, bagels, etc.) - request they be cut in half/smaller sizes for serving
• For small meetings - many hotels will charge a service fee for groups under 25/30 people
• Methods for determining actual attendance for buffets will vary by hotel - ask the hotel what their policy is. Some base the fee on seats occupied, plates used, etc….

Timeline for Ordering Food and Beverages

Hotel Terms

Beverages and Coffee Breaks

$2238.38 for morning coffee break

Tips:

• When in doubt - order a smaller amount and increase beverage order when you are on-site
• If you are meeting multiple days - check with hotel staff to see how much you used on day 1 and increase/decrease* your order accordingly for the following days (*if hotel allows you to decrease)
• If limited budget - you can place a minimum order and let the staff know they can continue to replenish up to a specific amount and to check with you before replenishing anything over the set amount
  ***Based on example above - order 8 gal regular, 6 gal decaf, 2 gal hot water/tea & hotel can add up to 7 gal as needed
• Ordering by the gallon or by the dozen is usually more cost effective than paying per person - use a comparison to see how it prices out (costs can increase quickly if ordering per person!)
• If ordering per person check on any stipulations (limited to 30 minutes of service, etc.)

Receptions

• 50% of attendees will stay for cash bar after a meeting
• Consumption per attendee typically averages 1.5 drinks per person for a 1-hour cash bar
• 80% of attendees will stay for a host bar
• Consumption per attendee typically averages 2.5 drinks per person for a 1-hour host bar
• WINE = Estimate 5 glasses of wine per bottle
• WINE = Estimate 3 glasses of wine per person for a 2 hour reception
• WINE = Estimate ½ bottle of wine per guest at a seated dinner
• These numbers might be different for you -know your audience & your group history!

Tips for Food

• Foods that require the use of plates, forks, etc. tend to be more expensive - true "finger foods" are usually less expensive
• People tend to eat less if they don't have plates to load up!
• Butler Service is where servers are passing trays of food - another way to control consumption (if people have to ask what each item is before they choose it also slows consumption a little)
• Have trays/food set out on a time schedule rather than all at once - also decreases consumption
• If reception is scheduled right after a meeting - consumption tends to be less
• If people have an opportunity to go back to their room, change clothes and rest - they are more relaxed and will enjoy the food/beverage more (and consume more)
• The tighter the space for the reception - the less people consume
• Salty, greasy, spicy and sweet foods create thirst that guests will quench with additional drinks
• Seating for 20%-25% of the guests is optimal (if you don't want to encourage guests to sit and eat)

Tips for Bars

• Bartender fees are standard costs and are usually based on a set amount of time per bartender
• Bartender fees will sometimes be waived based on a minimum dollar amount in sales at the bar

Guidelines

On average, guests will eat seven hors d'oeuvres during the first hour of a reception. Additional Guidelines:

Bars (Host and Cash) Guidelines
Number of Drinks per Bottle: