How to Calculate Gratuities for the Wedding Reception Catering Staff

Figuring tips is sometimes hard for people because while you don’t want to be seen as an unappreciative jerk, you also don’t want to break the bank. With a few guidelines, it is easy to calculate the gratuities for the wedding reception catering staff. Read on to learn how to calculate gratuities for the wedding reception catering staff.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Things You’ll Need:

• Calculator

1. Total the cost of catering at your wedding reception. This total is used to figure your tip.
2. Consider the level of service you and your guests received at the reception. Rate the service as poor, average, good or excellent.
3. Give nothing extra for poor service. If the catering was a black mark on your reception, there is no reason to encourage the catering staff to repeat their miserable performance.
4. Add 10 percent of the total catering bill for average service. Average service is polite and efficient, but nothing about it stands out.
5. Give 15 percent if the catering staff gave your wedding reception good service. If you received many compliments on the behavior of the catering staff or the food, you enjoyed good service.
6. Give a 20 percent gratuity if you heard almost nothing but rave reviews about the caterers at your wedding. Excellent service deserves an excellent reward.

Tips & Warnings

• Find out if the cost of catering includes a gratuity. Many catering services automatically include a certain percentage of the total cost as an automatic gratuity. If so, your tip will be in addition to the standard charged by the catering company.
• If your catering company automatically charges a gratuity fee, find out what percentage of the total cost was used by the company to figure the tip. Knowing this percentage lets you show your appreciation without breaking your budget.
• Realize that a gratuity is a token of appreciation for a job well done. There is no reason to give a tip for sub-standard service.

Who Can Help:

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