It’s the most wonderful time for private parties and you still have some time to up your in-house party game and to take advantage of this festive time of year. Here’s our last-minute checklist to get you ready to start booking some parties through the New Year.
Price out your private parties
What factors should you consider when determining your pricing for private parties?
Here are the top four you’ll want to consider:
How much does staffing a private event cost you?
You’ll want to consider if you need to bring on additional help to cover a private event, or if you’ll be good to go with your existing staff.
How many covers are you turning away per private event?
Do you have a private room you’ll be renting out or will you be reserving a portion of your main space for a party? Your price per head should be modified when you’re taking space away from your regular seating areas.
How will pricing vary based on day of the week?
It’s no surprise to your customers that parties on a Friday or Saturday night cost more than parties scheduled for a Sunday or a Monday evening. You should be sure you’re factoring in your busiest nights—parties scheduled on your busiest nights should be priced much higher per-head.
To offer an open bar or not to offer an open bar?
If you do offer an open-bar package but you’d still like to save money on the cost of alcohol, you could do one of two things. Allow customers to bring their own alcohol with no corking fee and offer your bar services to serve and store. Or, alternatively, you could provide wine and beer only for your open-bar packages to avoid the cost of liquor.
Create a holiday prix fixe menu
It’s the holidays and people usually expect something a little bit special for their holiday parties, especially if they’ve invested in a private party at a restaurant. Creating a special prix fixe menu will make the party feel special but it can also help your kitchen staff execute the menu…BIG TIME.
Make sure you’re adequately staffed
Most importantly, you can’t host private parties without the appropriate amount of full-time and hourly staff. If you’re on a time crunch and you desperately need some hourly help, check out our post on hiring for the holidays.
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