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Event costing is often off

The wedding was fully booked, the evening went well, and the month-end figures still show next to nothing. Nobody can say where the contribution margin went.

Typical for: properties with weddings and celebrations as a side business · operations that roll banquet prices forward year after year · kitchens without their own banquet costing

Documented by Hospis

Updated: 23 September 2026

How you recognize it

  • Take your last five events and recalculate them: cost of goods, staff hours including set-up and breakdown, drinks, special requests.
  • Decide which services are included in the package price and which cost extra, and put it in the quote.
  • Build a costing template that includes staff hours as well as preparation and wrap-up.
  • Set minimum spends per room and day so a small occasion does not block an entire hall.
  • Put drinks packages and corkage in writing before any negotiation starts.
  • Run a short post-event costing with kitchen and service after every larger event.

Matching Hospi

VW

Valentin Walch

MAJOVA · F&B · Wine · Menu Architecture, Lech am Arlberg
Works with protel · Mews · Mews POS · Smart Host
AdviseImplement

Costs banquets the way they actually run: with staff hours, clear drinks rules and a post-event review the team can actually keep up.

Mapped to root cause
Only the plate gets costedDrinks without a rule
View profilePersonally vetted · independent match

Which path fits your situation?

01

Diagnosis

390 € fixed price

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02

Urgent support

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Cause fields and how to tell them apart

Banquets look good on paper because the revenue arrives all at once. The margin disappears in places no costing covers: hours before and after the evening, extras promised while talking to the couple, drinks without a clear rule.

These fields are complete, and many properties get there on their own. That is what this page is for. The cost simply does not appear on an invoice: internal hours, a few attempts, and a season that keeps running in the meantime.

01

Only the plate gets costed

How you spot it

The menu costing is right, but set-up, decoration, the late shift and cleaning run through the regular staff budget.

The way out

Record staff hours per event, including preparation and wrap-up, and add them to the costing as a separate line.

02

Quotes get made up in conversation

How you spot it

Prices and services depend on who runs the meeting. Small extras add up and nobody wrote them down.

The way out

A fixed quote template with a clear service catalogue. Extras are allowed, but they appear in the quote and carry a price.

03

Drinks without a rule

How you spot it

Packages are set too low, open drinks are estimated at the end, corkage gets negotiated.

The way out

Tier drinks packages by duration and guest count, record open drinks as you go, and fix corkage in writing beforehand.

04

No post-event costing

How you spot it

After the event the team is tired and the next date is coming up. Nobody knows whether the evening paid off.

The way out

A short post-event costing within a week, kitchen and service together. After three or four events you can see where the template needs sharpening.

Frequently asked

Should we stop doing events altogether?
Not too quickly. Banquets often pay off once staff and drinks are costed properly. The post-event costing shows which formats are worth it and which ones you should drop.
How high should a minimum spend be?
It depends on the room, the weekday and the season. Start from what the room would otherwise bring in that day, plus the fixed costs the event triggers.
Do we need software for this?
A good spreadsheet template is enough to start. Event software pays off once several people write quotes and you lose track of rooms and dates.

Describe your situation

The problem context is automatically included, you do not need to repeat anything.

Problem
Event costing is often off

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