Is it acceptable for the caterer to do this?

amother

Tue, May 17 2022, 12:43 am

We're making a bar mitzvah soon and we priced several caterers. We chose the one we did based on her price and the fact that she's local so we feel a certain obligation toward her. The others we priced were 2-10 shekel more per portion. She sent us the menu yesterday, and this sentence was added to the end: "This is more or less the price, but it might increase by up to 5 shekels per portion (bold hers) since there are fluctuations in the prices of paper goods, drinks, and fruits and vegetables."

If she raises her price by 5 shekel a portion, it would make her more expensive than two other caterers which I would have preferred to take. We're on a tight budget which is one of the reasons we chose her. An additional 5 shekel per portion would make the total hundreds of shekels more. Is this just the way these things work and I should just accept it, or should I tell her that I need her to commit to the price she quoted? We have catered quite a few events in the past, and the price quoted was always the final price, but maybe others have had a different experience.

amother

Dahlia

Tue, May 17 2022, 12:46 am

100 percent she has to stick to the price she quoted. Be very nice and firm and tell
Her that you choose her based on price and if she is going to add 5 shekel then you will use someone else. I’m assuming your event is soon so the caterer can now buy the paper goods now before there is a price increase. It’s not like you got a price a year before the event.

essie14

Tue, May 17 2022, 1:07 am

amother [ Dahlia ] wrote:

I agree. The price of vegetables is not going to fluctuate that much in 3 weeks. She should have paper goods in stock. She can order in bulk. It's not like she's walking into the local expensive store.
I'd tell her that if the price isn't locked in today then you're using someone else.

DrMom

Tue, May 17 2022, 1:15 am

Was the price she initially quoted delivered as a written quote? If so, she should stick to the quoted price.

If not, ask her for a formal quote.

Get quotes in writing from the other places (to make sure they don't pull the same shtick), and then decide.

amother

Amber

Tue, May 17 2022, 1:24 am

I have learned that using someone you know isn't always the best. You might feel awkward if there's a problem and it sounds like they're already is one. Not that I have catered so many events but enough that I've never ever had anyone tell me that the price might go up. Then why wouldn't they make it go up five more they would make more money. I would definitely say you have to know the price or you can't commit..

amother

Lavender

Tue, May 17 2022, 1:38 am

Normally I would say stick to a quote but right now prices are fluctuating wildly. Just oil went up by a shekel a liter and who knows what will be next in line. I wondered how people in the food business are protecting themselves...

Amarante

Tue, May 17 2022, 2:16 am

This is not an acceptable business practice. A month is not such a long way from now that she shouldn’t lock in a price. Either she gives you a firm price or you should feel free to use another caterer.

Businesses of course have the right to put a time limit on their bid but once it is accepted the price is firm and can’t just be arbitrarily raised. What is to prevent her from just raising it to whatever she wants since there is no objective criteria except a vague statement that she reserves the right to raise it if she wants to. 🤷‍♀️

Get the quotes from other caterers and accept the one that gives you the best guaranteed price unless there is some other reason why you don’t want to use the lowest price. But whatever caterer you use should give you a firm price when you sign the contract.

amother

Milk

Tue, May 17 2022, 2:46 am

Devil's advocate here - maybe she hopes to stick to the lower price but won't be able to if prices go up? She could ask for a fixed higher price now in case, but then not need it, if you KWIM.

Tough one, if you're her....

amother

Tue, May 17 2022, 2:49 am

Thanks for the replies.

The initial quote was not in writing, but the menu she sent me yesterday has the price on the bottom. This sentence was in the email itself.

I will say that we've made quite a few brisses and bar mitzvahs, and we have never been given the price in writing. I've always been told it over the phone, and it was never changed afterward. This is the first time I'm coming across something like this.

The situation is a bit uncomfortable because these are people from our community, and her husband, who helps her in the business, is friends with my husband. We knew when we went into this that there might be some awkwardness if anything came up, but it's also uncomfortable for my husband not to take them in the first place.

amother

Cognac

Tue, May 17 2022, 2:57 am

I think its fair to tell the caterer you need a quote because you have a certain amount you can spend on the Simcha. It's very hard if someone tells you after the Simcha you owe me another $1000.

Bnei Berak 10

Tue, May 17 2022, 3:04 am

amother [ Milk ] wrote:

A professional caterer gives a quote and if they want and see they can get a discount at a later point then they give a discount.

Bnei Berak 10

Tue, May 17 2022, 3:09 am

amother [ Cognac ] wrote:

I think its fair to tell the caterer you need a quote because you have a certain amount you can spend on the Simcha. It's very hard if someone tells you after the Simcha you owe me another $1000.

I totally agree.
DH is friends with her husband but YOU have no obligation to feel you need to use her.
Ask your Rabbi a shayla. Point out you are on a limited budget.
It's not reasonable that you have to pay beyond your budget because of friendship. No way.

amother

Tue, May 17 2022, 3:17 am

It's awkward for me too. She's not a close friend of mine, but this is a small community where everyone is friendly. I would do it though.

A new minor issue just came up so now I'm really unsure what to do. Every caterer we've used in the past has offered 2 side dishes (usually rice and potatoes) and a vegetable dish. On her menu, it says to choose 2 side dishes, but the vegetable dish is included in that list. So you can have rice and potatoes, rice and vegetables, or potatoes and vegetables, and we've always had all 3: rice, potatoes, and vegetables. I don't want to be the difficult client, but I would not be so comfortable skipping any of those.

I didn't think to request the menu beforehand because I kind of assumed she would give the standard fare as all our other caterers have done, and we did use her in the past and I don't remember this being an issue. It was a few years ago though and it was for a bris, so I don't remember clearly (postpartum brain fog at the time).

Bnei Berak 10

Tue, May 17 2022, 3:23 am

I read your post a second time. You say you had other caterers that you preferred.
You may take yourself out of this sticky situation and tell her no based on a Rabbi's psak.
Mixing business and friendship isn't a good combination.
If DH is uncomfortable tell him you are prepared to be they "bad one who said no"
In worst of cases tell them it's a matter of "shlom bayit". Nobody dares to interfere or ask questions when you mention shalom bayit.

DrMom

Tue, May 17 2022, 3:31 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

So she's more expensive, delivers lower value, and changes her prices at whim?

Go with someone else.

Bnei Berak 10

Tue, May 17 2022, 3:33 am

amother [ OP ] wrote:

Another reason to say no. Just no.
Paying more and getting less is a bad deal.
You are not a difficult client! You want what's good for you!

DrMom

Tue, May 17 2022, 3:33 am

amother [ Milk ] wrote:

If prices are going up, you raise your prices for new quotes, you don't backtrack on quotes you've already given out.

amother

Tue, May 17 2022, 3:51 am

I just called her, thanks to your encouragement. I told her nicely that we needed her to commit to the price. She said it likely won't change, but since it's shmita and produce is expensive, and since paper goods are very high, she needs the liberty to raise it in case anything goes up. I told her those things are already high now and we need her to stick to it. She said fine.

Then I spoke to her about the menu. I told her we would want 2 side dishes plus a vegetable. She said it's either or. You can have 2 carbs and no vegetable or a carb and a vegetable. I told her I specifically remember that last time there were 2 carbs and a vegetable. (It came back to me a few minutes ago because I remembered that the couscous spoiled, but there were also potatoes and a vegetable so it wasn't the end of the world.) I told her that's the basic menu we've always gotten from other caterers. She said she'll ask her husband and get back to me.

If they say they can't accommodate, we'll take someone else. It will be a little awkward, but I have very good experience with the other caterers and will feel confident hiring one of them.