A confirmed private event is the highest-margin cover you'll book all year. Guaranteed spend, guaranteed count, guaranteed timing. Most restaurants under-price them and under-close them.
What a private event actually earns you
- Guaranteed F&B minimum (no walk-in variance)
- 22% service charge (goes to labor, not to the tip pool)
- Beverage package margin (2-3x the a la carte)
- No cover-conversion risk
Call it your break-even service in one seating.
The four-way close
Every inquiry that lands gets one of four moves within 24 hours:
- Send the full proposal. Menu options, minimum, deposit, cancellation, everything they'd ask over three emails, in one PDF.
- Offer a room tour. In-person or a 3-minute Loom of the room set.
- Anchor to a date. "Thursday the 14th is still open" beats "when are you thinking?"
- Confirm the food-and-beverage minimum before menu talk. Save yourself the negotiation loop.
The trap
Sending a menu without prices. The client goes silent, shops the concept to two competitors, and comes back with a lower offer.
Draft yours with the Catering Proposal Generator.