Crunch the Numbers
It can be tempting to agree to a large private party to drum up business on a slow night. But you have to plan and price accordingly, or it could end up a money-losing operational disaster.
Tom Bergin’s, a 150-seat Irish pub in Los Angeles, has held more than a few parties in its nearly 80 years, including recent events for NBC Universal, ABC Family, Untitled Entertainment and other large companies.
Managing partner Jordan Delp expects Tom Bergin’s to host 10 to 15 holiday parties this year, with 200 to 300 guests each. These are “mix and mingle,” so the pub will exceed its seating maximum when closing down for such events.
The cost for a holiday party at Tom Bergin’s depends on many factors. Chief among these is the need to take in what would have been a night’s usual cut, had all or some of the pub not been rented out.
Mondays have a buyout fee of $5,000. Busier evenings cost from $10,000 to $15,000, though larger parties can require the same fee regardless of the day of the week, Delp says, due to necessary staff, food and drink.
A party as large as 200 guests at Tom Bergin’s can take four bartenders, a busser, a barback, three servers, four kitchen employees, a dishwasher, a runner and two managers.
“You have to make sure that you have your numbers in line, because you don’t want to undercut yourself,” Delp says. “Make sure you get people’s budgets right off when planning. Then you can know right away whether you can make it work.”
Create a Special Menu
Unless it’s a very small group, allowing partiers to order off the regular menu can be a recipe for an overwhelmed bar and kitchen staff. Most operators will offer a special or pared-down menu for private events. A smaller menu also helps to maintain balance between needs of the party and those of other customers.
At Luce Ristorante E Enoteca, “We’ll offer a condensed four-course menu, a few choices for antipasto, salad, main entrée and desert,” Moore says.
This strategy allows the kitchen employees to work more efficiently, putting together a large number of the same several dishes. Otherwise, the staff may be pulled in too many directions at once, and fall behind or make mistakes.
Seasonal offerings typical for the Luce Ristorante E Enoteca party menus include butternut squash soup with braised escarole and pancetta ($6), and meatier dishes such as osso buco, with fregola and toasted garlic vegetables ($28).
The restaurant will work to fit the party budget. “We try to stay around a cost of $50 per person,” Moore says.
At Café and Bar Lurcat, the menus reflect seasonal fare. Winter brings heartier dishes. For an appetizer, Lurcat might serve braised Nueske’s bacon with hoisin, brandy and compressed Asian pear ($14).
Main-course items on the party menu can include the prime dry-aged rib eye steak with caramelized onions and roasted garlic ($48 for 12-oz., $64 for 16-oz.), or the Colorado rack of lamb with toasted garlic puree and cabernet sauce ($52).
[…] week for party-throwing. But don’t limit your venue to offering only weekend booking dates. Pros suggest that weeknight events will keep business booming, and open you up to a ton more potential clients, […]