Ever see the moms gets sued for spaghetti dinner fundraisers at school ? Nope!ever see chili dinner competitions at a school get someone sued ? Nope! Ever see a baked good fund raiser get someone sued? Nope... In a different situation sure but cooking for a group of people who asked you to do so isn't going to bring a law suit
Price to charge?
- Thread starter T Bounds
- Start date
Len Dennis
TVWBB Diamond Member
The school is charging/had insurance in those fundraisers Colby. This is a private party charging for food, not the school. Huge difference. Unless the schools' liability policy is covering him, he's on his own.
Rich Dahl
TVWBB 1-Star Olympian
I know the laws vary from state to state, but a pot luck or a chili contest is completely different from a for profit catering affair, I would think. I know of one person that jumped into catering and was astonished at what was required in equipment to make sure everything was kept hot and cold and clean. It had to be commercial grade equipment and that cost lots of dollars. The equipment had to be inspected and certified on a regular basis plus all the license requirements, permits, insurance, etc. Not for the faint of heart.
Wow! Who knew my query would elicit such concern and responses?! Thank you all for your efforts, although there was not much in the way of price suggestions.
As it is, I'm doing this for the school because my boys go there and every single person at the school knows me, my wife, my kids. They know I'm a pastor who makes the best BBQ around. And they know I'm glad to do it because I will save them a boat load vs. some local bbq shack serving yesterdays q. They asked me to do this both to help them save bucks and to enjoy fresh, excellent bbq. As for cost, I'm looking for a reasonable fee that recovers me cost (projected at around $125) and something that respects my time commitment without seeming greedy, which I definitely am not. So, I think I'm going to settle for $3 per person, projected at 65, so a final of $195. That suggests my 2 hours of prep and 2 hours of delivery, clean up and supplies are worth, roughly, $70. I think it's a fair bargain for them, and a treat for me to do.
You've given me some thought, something to chew on (ba dum bum) for the future. I may look into that "layer of protection", although the phrase gives me a chuckle, in case I do make any move to cater or make some petty cash. Blessings, all, and enjoy National Smoke Day, as I like to call it.
As it is, I'm doing this for the school because my boys go there and every single person at the school knows me, my wife, my kids. They know I'm a pastor who makes the best BBQ around. And they know I'm glad to do it because I will save them a boat load vs. some local bbq shack serving yesterdays q. They asked me to do this both to help them save bucks and to enjoy fresh, excellent bbq. As for cost, I'm looking for a reasonable fee that recovers me cost (projected at around $125) and something that respects my time commitment without seeming greedy, which I definitely am not. So, I think I'm going to settle for $3 per person, projected at 65, so a final of $195. That suggests my 2 hours of prep and 2 hours of delivery, clean up and supplies are worth, roughly, $70. I think it's a fair bargain for them, and a treat for me to do.
You've given me some thought, something to chew on (ba dum bum) for the future. I may look into that "layer of protection", although the phrase gives me a chuckle, in case I do make any move to cater or make some petty cash. Blessings, all, and enjoy National Smoke Day, as I like to call it.
May not matter since it seems you've made your decision but I would have them buy the supplies and donate my time, treat it as just having a party. Most of the liability concerns are not so much because of the fact that you're cooking but because you're charging a fee for a service to be performed, once you accept payment you become a professional.
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Dave Russell
TVWBB Honor Circle
Me, too, whatever you do. I hope your BBQ event runs smooth!
Jerry N.
TVWBB Emerald Member
Couple points:
On getting sued - you don't have to lose to lose a lot of money. Just the act of defending yourself, even if you are just one of the people named in the lawsuit, will cost you a lot of money. It is a serious issue.
On getting paid - it's good to get paid. It let's people know your time has value. Even a nominal charge brings a different level of respect. Of course, as mentioned, this is my understanding of where the liability line gets crossed.
Something to consider - fundraising. If you do the cook with the expressed intent on giving the money to your favorite charity, that's a win-win. You might be able to do this in a way that the school would cover the liability. I'm sure they'd know how to do that. Also, you said you're a pastor so you likely know more about this than I.
Original question - I think you're way under estimating your time. You said a couple hours for prep and a couple for delivery. Did you forget the cooking time? Man, if you can get a cook out for 65 people in for hours (excluding cook time) maybe you should be in the catering business. But you seem to be doing this for fun and $3 per person fits your goals. Personally, I don't think they'd flinch at $5 per person. And that's what I'd recommend. They could buy meat for that and as you indicated, it wouldn't even be as good. I bet you'd more than double your income if you said that it's a donation to your church. I know I'd throw in at least $5 (probably $10) if someone just passed a hat to defray costs and make a donation.
Good luck with your cook and I hope you have fun. Sound backwards, but I do enjoy the work of BBQ'ing and watching people enjoy it. For me, that's only been family, but I like it.
On getting sued - you don't have to lose to lose a lot of money. Just the act of defending yourself, even if you are just one of the people named in the lawsuit, will cost you a lot of money. It is a serious issue.
On getting paid - it's good to get paid. It let's people know your time has value. Even a nominal charge brings a different level of respect. Of course, as mentioned, this is my understanding of where the liability line gets crossed.
Something to consider - fundraising. If you do the cook with the expressed intent on giving the money to your favorite charity, that's a win-win. You might be able to do this in a way that the school would cover the liability. I'm sure they'd know how to do that. Also, you said you're a pastor so you likely know more about this than I.
Original question - I think you're way under estimating your time. You said a couple hours for prep and a couple for delivery. Did you forget the cooking time? Man, if you can get a cook out for 65 people in for hours (excluding cook time) maybe you should be in the catering business. But you seem to be doing this for fun and $3 per person fits your goals. Personally, I don't think they'd flinch at $5 per person. And that's what I'd recommend. They could buy meat for that and as you indicated, it wouldn't even be as good. I bet you'd more than double your income if you said that it's a donation to your church. I know I'd throw in at least $5 (probably $10) if someone just passed a hat to defray costs and make a donation.
Good luck with your cook and I hope you have fun. Sound backwards, but I do enjoy the work of BBQ'ing and watching people enjoy it. For me, that's only been family, but I like it.
JeffB
TVWBB Pro
