Bar Catering Packages: How to Build Silver and Gold and Price Tiers by Guest Count

A mobile bar usually needs two or three packages and two or three price tiers by guest count: for example Silver at €36, €33 and €30 per guest for up to 29, from 30 and from 50 guests, with Gold €7–10 higher. Packages should differ in what guests see and taste, and anything the client might want on top is better sold as an add-on.

How many packages does a mobile bar need?

Two or three. A single package gives the client no choice and pushes them to compare you with other bars, while four or more drags out the decision.

• Two packages (Silver and Gold) suit most bars: easy to explain, easy to buy stock for.
• Three packages (adding Platinum) make sense if you regularly do large weddings. The expensive third tier may rarely sell, but it makes Gold look like the sensible choice.

The typical Latvian market is all inclusive per guest, excl. VAT, at €29–50. More in How much does mobile bar hire cost.

What goes in Silver and what goes in Gold?

Silver holds everything a good bar needs; Gold adds what guests will notice and remember. The difference should be readable in ten seconds, not buried in brand names.

What to avoid: stripping Silver down so far that the bar looks poor. Silver still sells your name, and guests do not know which package the client chose.

How do you calculate price tiers by guest count?

Work out the cost of one guest at three typical event sizes and set the price so that each tier leaves at least 30–35% of the ex-VAT price. The formula is simple:

cost per guest = fixed event costs / number of guests + variable cost per guest

Fixed costs: staff, transport, counter, breakage and glass washing. Variable costs: drinks, ice, garnish, consumables.

Put tier breaks where your team changes: for example one bartender up to 29 guests, a barback added from 30, a second bartender from 50.

Worked example: tiers for the Silver package

Silver's variable cost is around €12 per guest (drinks about €10, ice and consumables €2). Staff hours including set-up are 7, at €20 per hour. These are rule-of-thumb figures; use your own.

The middle tier is the weakest: the team has grown but the guest count has not caught up. That is normal, but it means you should not deepen the discount on that tier, and extra hours and add-ons matter most at that size. Gold is calculated the same way with a higher variable cost (say €16–18 per guest) and priced €7–10 above Silver.

What minimum order should you set?

Set a minimum of about 20 guests, or a flat minimum fee for small events. Below 20 guests the fixed cost per guest rises so fast that the standard per-guest price loses money.

Two approaches that work in the market:

• Guest minimum: "the package is available from 20 guests", and 15 guests are charged as 20.
• Flat fee for small events: for example €1,200 excl. VAT for an event of up to 29 guests. Simpler for the client: one number, no arithmetic.

Which add-ons should you sell on top?

Sell add-ons that show up in photos and need almost no extra staff. They carry the best margin, because the team and logistics are already paid for by the package.

Typical add-ons and market guide prices:

• champagne or cocktail tower, around €5 per guest;
• coffee station, +€50;
• photo or welcome wall, €60–140 per day;
• jelly shots in sets of 50;
• an extra hour of bar service (price stated up front);
• brand upgrade;
• a named signature cocktail for the couple or company;
• an extended alcohol-free menu.

Keep 3–5 add-ons in a quote, no more. A long list turns choosing into work.

How should you name and describe packages?

Name packages briefly and clearly, and describe them through what guests get. "Silver" and "Gold" work because the hierarchy is obvious; "Classic" and "Signature" work too.

In the description, put the per-guest price by tier first, then 5–7 lines of contents, then "not included". Mark one package as recommended, usually Gold. How to lay this out is shown in How to write a catering quote, and payment models other than all inclusive are covered in Bar payment models.

How this works in Garnify

In Garnify a package is stored with a per-guest price and tiers by guest count, so the quote uses the right tier for the number of guests. Add-ons go in as separate lines, and costs are optional. The client opens the quote by link and approves it in one click.