Hello Mamas! A coworker just graduated from culinary school in december. I asked her to help me prepare some apps for my husband's 40th bday party (about 20 guests). we met once to discuss ideas and narrow down the items to prepare and then another day she came over for us to sample some items. she did all the shopping and preping ( she said the food cost was about $80). on the day of the party she was here two hours. my question is how much do I pay her? She said whatever i want to pay her would be fine!? I don't want to be cheap but at the same time she is not an experienced caterer. The food she prepared was tasty and had a nice "presentation". she made choc covered strawberries, scallops wrapped in prosciutto, stuffed mushrooms, bruschetta, and a dip for fresh veggies. please help!
I would give at least $50 on top of food. (Up tp $75.) She had her shopping time, prep time, and serving time all involved. You don't want her to feel taken advantage of.
I just had a bridal shower luncheon catered for 20 people. We had pasta salad, broccoli-raisin salad, 3 kinds of "fancy" sandwiches, cut up fruit, and a dessert tray with choc covered strawberries. The food was delivered in/on attractive serving pieces which the caterer helped arrange on my table. No one stayed to help at the party but they returned that evening to pick up the used serving pieces. Total cost: $275. I was very pleased with the food and thought that was a reasonable price for Naperville. Catering is an expensive proposition and I would pay her something comparable to what you would pay if you hired an official caterer. Look at Belgio's and MyChef's menus on line and that can help guide you toward a fair price. I would think you're looking at $200 minimum though. Good luck.
She is a friend, yet you should not "take advantage" of her, even if she is not a professional caterer. I would check the prices from a caterer and give her nearly the amount that they would have charged.
If you had to do the same thing yourself, how long do you think it would have taken you. Sounds to me like an hour at the store, a half day cooking, plus two hours. About 8 hours. I would pay for the supplies and her time. 8 hours at $20/hour= $160 + 80 for food $240. I know you said she's "not an experienced caterer", but you got the results of an experienced caterer. Don't be cheap, but if the total is too much at once pay her for the food and half the money for her time. If she's a friend she'll probably say $80 is plenty.
Sounds like a wonderful event.
S.
$40- $50 seems reasonable to me!
I would pay for the cost of the food and then $15-$20 per hour. So, about $120. She's not really making that much since she paid for the food out of pocket. I think that's reasonable. Don't you just hate it when people say "whatever you want to pay me is fine!"? Urgh. Hope the party was a success.
Yep, pay her the going rate as the other's said below.
I would pay here more than $50... plus for food costs/labor/travel etc.
I would NOT under pay her, or pay her "cheap" because that would be an insult. And she is a co-worker.
Pay her respectfully and all that time and effort.
Just put the money in an envelope... and give it to her properly. Not just handing over a check or cash. Put it in a nice envelope with a short thank-you. Classy like.
And, if need be, maybe offer that you can be a 'reference' for her in the future if need be.
She did a great service for you... without expecting anything. She worked hard.
Pay her accordingly.
all the best,
Susan
I would pay for the food cost plus about $30 per hour for labor
M.
$15-20 an hour on top of food.
Well, if a coworker is all she is to you, can't you give her an equal hourly wage? Could you pass out her business card to the 20 guests? She probably saved you money making all that for 80 bucks. What do you pay your babysitter per hour? What do you pay your landscaper? What about your cleaning lady? Give her a hundred, plus the food cost.
Most places run a 30-40% food cost, so you should pay her between $200 and $260. Just because she is not an 'experienced' caterer does not mean she doesn't deserve decent compensation for her time. Most caterers would not have stayed at the event, or if they did you'd have been paying them at least $50 extra to do so. Your post suggests you think she did a nice job, so you should reflect that in how much you pay her. I know it's awkward when someone says "just give me whatever", but she obviously isn't comfortable with the business side of things yet.
I think SH had a wonderful suggestion. I think all of the $$$ suggestions were fine, but she is probably trying to build up a business, so the notecard of thanks, offering to be a reference, and asking her for cards or brochures that you can hand out to friends, neighbors, etc. would lead to future business!
