How much should I charge per cupcake?

Question

I am going to be making cupcakes for a wedding. I need to make about 250-260 cupcakes. They will all be decorated nicely with buttercream. I make everything from scratch and this is very time consuming. I have a culinary degree and have done weddings before. Is $3.25 to $4.00 a good price range?

Answer 1

I am assuming each person is getting their own cupcake for dessert at a wedding. If they are all the same flavor I would go on $3.50 per CC but if they want different flavors I would charge $4.00 per cc

Answer 2

First I'm not clear...is each cupcake going to be a supstitute for a slice of wedding cake? If so does that mean that it will be larger than a standard cupcake. And when you say nicely decorated with buttercream do you mean nicely iced or some fancy decoration including flowers? All these factors would affect what I feel is reasonable.

And as someone said what is the going price in your area. But I do know one of the top bakeries in Boston specializes in mindboggling stunning designer cakes and cupcakes that are literally works of art. Their cupcakes come in 4 sizes and have a wide range of the amount of decoration. But a larger sized one with choice of fillings/fancy designs/cakes is, if I recall correctly in the $3-$4 range individually, but they used to offer a discount on bulk so that would likely drop.

So if these are in the same catagory/caliber I would say the price is close but a little on the high side. But that's only if yours are equal to these.

If you want to see what I'm referring to you can see them at ;
http://www.partyfavorsbrookline.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=128&Itemid=128
And there is an option to see their menu with their choices.

I have done event planning and thought of this as a comparison because it is one of the best in a pricey area. So obviously if you are not in as major a location or offering as much, then I would consider accordingly.

If this is for a bid, I would strongly suggest adding how you can a wide range that comes with a wide range of pricing. Like I said hard to reply for sure without more info.

Good luck with it!

Answer 3

Dont just take a price range without consideration. There is a lot more thought put into identifying a price for your product/service that a value that seems reasonable.

In your pricing decision, I suggest that you do this in order:

-Estimate all your direct costs (ingredients, transportation, electricity, etc);
-Your time and expertise is not free, so add a rate of return that you feel justifies you spending time doing this;
-Add all marketing and distribution costs of your cupcakes (I dont mean that you have a huge televised marketing campaign, but any phone calls, meetings, and others used to get your clientele;
-Use the sum of your costs and get an average cost figure for a cupcake;
-Consider the clientele you will be selling the cupcakes too, are they very price sensitive and will hunt for bargains or are they more service oriented where they pay for the presentation and prestigue of buying from you without shopping around;
-Find the prices of other bakeries that make cupcakes to that clientele you want to target, how does your costs compare to that?;
-If your costs are lower, use that as an strategic advantage against them, or raise your profit margins to close that gap a bit more.

Hotels can sell small packets of peanuts for $5 in mini-bars in the ir bedrooms, small caterers may not be able to sell deserts at breakeven prices... it all depends on how you approach your target market and if your price refelcts the quality they value. Just remember that generally higher orders will have lower prices per unit, and that weddings or other formal ceremories prices charged are larger than those found in bakeries and grocery stores.

Answer 4

Since you have a culinary degree, I am assuming that you took classes in restaurant management and catering, which also included formulas on pricing and such. You will need to figure in the cost of the ingrediants for the number of cupcakes you intend to make and then add a percentage for your time and energy. I've been told that 10 to 20 % is about right.

Answer 5

Based on your price it would be $1000. for 250 cupcakes at $4.00 a piece, that sounds a bit steep to me. Where I am from you can get a H#ll of a wedding cake for that kind of money. I would say figure out how much your ingredients are and then tack on an hourly rate that you think is fair. But I do think that $1000 for cupcakes is a bit much.

Answer 6

i say around $2.75- to the $3.25, Think about it, if you were to buy a cupcake at a store for $4.00 each taht would be alot. But since your doing a bunch of them make them a little deal. Make sure your price is worth it, meaning if its too low you probably wont make much profit. Choose whats best for you, not what other people say.Trust me, i know it time consuming! good luck!

Answer 7

Each cupcake would be considered a piece of cake, if you were making a wedding cake. The cost of a wedding cake for 150 people could be upwards of $700 depending on the area you live in. So I think your price is more than fair.

Answer 8

I'd only pay that much if the cupcakes were ornate and made with high-quality ingredients. I'd expect the decoration to be well-executed and created by a skilled artist. I'd also expect the cupcakes to be very moist and delicious with a gourmet touch. It would help to describe these cupcakes. Sugarpaste, fondant, floral accents, dragees, ect? What flavor? I think the price is right ...though.

Answer 9

are you freakin kidding me? A thousand bucks for a bunch of cupcakes?? A 3-4 tiered wedding cake is much more cheaper and lot more formal and traditional than cupcakes. Nice try though...

Answer 10

for cup cakes?! NO....that's too much. You won't sell much if your price is too high. If anything, people can just go directly to any Bakery where they can get a cupcake for less, even Starbucks has muffins/cupcakes for $2.75 or less. If you want to make a profit, it's best to sell it for less than what any ordinary bakery would. I say 1 cupcake should cost around $1.25 - $1.75