Post # 1
Member
344 posts
Helper bee
My caterer said she could provide a half-off discounted dinner for vendors. We won’t have tons of vendors, but I can think of the DJ, photographer, his assistant, day-of-coordinator who would be getting these dinners. Dinner is about $80/person, so I would be saving at least $160. It’s not a lot, but still something! Do you think this would be rude? I can’t imagine that they’d be served poor-quality food becauese the caterer is great. But I’m not sure what the etiquette is for this. What do you think?
Post # 3
Member
3979 posts
Honey bee
I actually took notes at the last wedding I went to lol. The vendor meal is usually just the entree that is served to your guests. They don’t get any of the other courses… no dessert either! Poor vendors!
I don’t think it’s rude at all… It’s rude to NOT serve a meal!
Post # 4
Member
4479 posts
Honey bee
- Wedding: March 2010 - Calamigos Ranch
It’s not rude. Vendors won’t have time for a three course meal, anyway. Would you want to eat that much while you’re working? Food coma! 😉
Post # 5
Member
4485 posts
Honey bee
Vendors don’t have time to eat that much anyway. Which is why so many caterers offer “vendor meals” which are basically a boxed sandwich and chips and don’t cost more than $10 or so. If you want to give them something more substantial, that’s fine. I honestly can’t imagine that any reputable caterer would serve second-rate food to the vendors. The things being cut out of the vendor price are the alcohol, the cocktail hour appetizers, the soup or salad, and the dessert (if there is something in addition to cake). However they should be fed something, because if they aren’t, they will fall over from exhaustion and you won’t get the great product in the end that you would if they were properly nourished.
Post # 6
Member
4122 posts
Honey bee
Lol, sorry but the quote about a reputable caterer NOT serving second rate food to a vendor is not necessarily true.
As a photographer, at least in my area, I will say that the more reputable the caterer… the worse off my food is! I’ve been given frozen sandwiches before! I’ve also been given STALE sandwiches before! Usually the smaller caterers and locations are nicer… but not by much.
Just ask 😉 Ask what it is they are serving and go from there. We don’t need a Filet but we need more than airline food 😉 Seriously though, I’ve eaten better food on planes numerous times! Just the chicken and potatoes – minus the other courses – goes a long way!
If it’s a buffet the vendors can just go through it…
Just make sure your vendor knows to feed at least your photographer at the VERY very beg. of dinner. If you wait until ALL your guests have food the first half will be dancing and your photographer won’t get to eat at all. The first half of dinner is usually the only time that NOTHING of note is going on and no guest appreciates a camera around while they’re shoving the yummy meal into their mouth 😉
Post # 7
Member
41 posts
Newbee
im providing the real dinner and a dinner choice to our vendors but the price will be different since they won’t be drinking. i think vendors really appreciate it when they’re fed well 🙂
Post # 8
Member
2680 posts
Sugar bee
Ask your caterer what is included for the half off price? I think serving just the entree is fine, most vendors will not have time to eat the appetizers, salad, entree and dessert. We had the option of doing a vendor meal (boxed sandwich, chips and drink) for $25 or paying full price minus site for for the actual meal our guests were getting for our vendors. We chose to give the vendors the actual meal. Also check their contract, some vendors (Ive found it to be mostly bands) will stipulate in the contract what they are to be fed (full meal, snack, etc).
Post # 9
Member
344 posts
Helper bee
KLP2010– Thanks for that suggestion about getting the caterer to feed the vendors first! I will definitely ask them to do that.
And frozen sandwiches?! Really! I can’t believe that a caterer would do that! I’ll make sure to ask what vendors will be served. Thanks, everyone!
Post # 10
Member
7172 posts
Busy Beekeeper
I think the point is to be able to provide a meal for your vendors – I’ve always assumed it’s an ‘at cost’ type of fee vs. being charged at a guest rate. I definitely would ask what they are serving, though!
Post # 11
Member
2015 posts
Buzzing bee
You should definitely provide a meal to your vendors. Any vendor that’s there for more than six hours should get one. Our venue (who also did the catering) provided “vendor meals” which were not our dinner entrees, they were sandwiches, chips and a beverage of their choice (non-alcoholic). Our venue also did offer the entree option for our vendors at a discount, but they said that usually, vendors are so busy, they prefer a quick meal so they can get back to work. So that’s what we went with.
The cost was $20 for the sandwich meal, and our entree price would have been $40 (which was a 60 percent discount than what we had to pay for our guests).
Post # 12
Member
3997 posts
Honey bee
Yes! Save that money! I thought this was pretty much standard. All of the venues we looked at had this policy as a given. I’m sure the vendors will be expecting something less than the dinner for the guests.
Post # 13
Member
124 posts
Blushing bee
Ours is the same way, like people have said the vendors won’t have time to sit and eat the full meal.
Post # 14
Member
1011 posts
Bumble bee
Interestingly, one photog contract I saw said that she would be fed the same meal as the guests.
The photog I ended up with would probably be happy with just the entree.
Post # 15
Member
4122 posts
Honey bee
Based on all of the “sandwich” box meals I’ve received, I would rather you save $10 and order me a $10 Jason’s Deli boxed lunch!!! At least I know that’s premium ingredients and made fresh 😉 I can’t believe those boxes cost $20! What a rip off, those sandwhich boxes are awful! Or, give me the $20, I’ll pack my own sandwich and stop at Carrabba’s for a steak and potatoes after! ;-0
But it all honesty, I’ve only suffered from those things on one hand in the last few years… Most people these days have buffet’s and as I mentioned above, with a buffet you can just join the line 😉 mmmmmm