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I originally planned to buy the booze for our wedding and then just hire bartenders to serve our one, sad little cocktail. That was BEFORE we found out about Cali Craft Cocktails. THANK GOD. Everyone told us it was the best wedding they've ever been to! |
"can we provide the alcohol?"
SHORT ANSWER: No.
LONG ANSWER: Before I get stuck into the long answer; the alcohol is the least of my pricing concerns in any single job, so you're not saving money or reducing my costs by providing this yourself. My main outgoings are my awesome staff who bust their asses at every event and I refuse the pay them less than they deserve. :D
THIS FAILS 100% OF THE TIME. We have tried it in the past where clients have brought half, or all of the ingredients we need, but it simply does not work and is much more stressful for both parties There are items missing, things switched, not enough of something, the wrong size, something runs out, endless emails/texts/phone calls and picture messages from the aisles of Costco making sure the right thing is purchased. Just let us do what we do!
A lot of clients think that by providing their own alcohol, they will be saving boatloads of money. This is not the case. Because our prices are all-inclusive, you will find that once you have shopped around, forgotten straws, realized that Bevmo doesn't have what you're looking for, run out of ice on the night, you will just wish you'd left it to us in the first place!
REMEMBER THIS: If something goes wrong on the day, people won't be blaming you, they'll be blaming us!
LONG ANSWER: Before I get stuck into the long answer; the alcohol is the least of my pricing concerns in any single job, so you're not saving money or reducing my costs by providing this yourself. My main outgoings are my awesome staff who bust their asses at every event and I refuse the pay them less than they deserve. :D
THIS FAILS 100% OF THE TIME. We have tried it in the past where clients have brought half, or all of the ingredients we need, but it simply does not work and is much more stressful for both parties There are items missing, things switched, not enough of something, the wrong size, something runs out, endless emails/texts/phone calls and picture messages from the aisles of Costco making sure the right thing is purchased. Just let us do what we do!
A lot of clients think that by providing their own alcohol, they will be saving boatloads of money. This is not the case. Because our prices are all-inclusive, you will find that once you have shopped around, forgotten straws, realized that Bevmo doesn't have what you're looking for, run out of ice on the night, you will just wish you'd left it to us in the first place!
REMEMBER THIS: If something goes wrong on the day, people won't be blaming you, they'll be blaming us!
"Only half the people attending my event will be drinking, so just charge me half."
SHORT ANSWER: This is a hard thing to prove and short of a religious celebration, or giving out wristbands, this is hard to police.
Generally speaking: We need to charge for everyone over the age of 21. (However, we will ALSO need a count on those people, to ensure we bring enough soda etc.)
WHY MOCKTAIL BARS COST MORE THAN ALCOHOL BARS click here.
LONG ANSWER: Alcohol is not what you are paying for. You are paying for the prep, service, staff salaries etc. All of your guests will still be able to come to the bar and order mocktails. It's the fresh fruit, syrups and juices that are where the cost lies, not the 1.75oz of spirit.
For weddings or events that are entirely non-drinking, we have a separate fee, please contact sarah@calicraftocktails.com for more information.
Generally speaking: We need to charge for everyone over the age of 21. (However, we will ALSO need a count on those people, to ensure we bring enough soda etc.)
WHY MOCKTAIL BARS COST MORE THAN ALCOHOL BARS click here.
LONG ANSWER: Alcohol is not what you are paying for. You are paying for the prep, service, staff salaries etc. All of your guests will still be able to come to the bar and order mocktails. It's the fresh fruit, syrups and juices that are where the cost lies, not the 1.75oz of spirit.
For weddings or events that are entirely non-drinking, we have a separate fee, please contact sarah@calicraftocktails.com for more information.
"we don't want full bar; does that change the price?"
SHORT ANSWER: No.
LONG ANSWER: You are more than welcome to to remove things or to provide additional beer/wine/spirits where you see fit, but this does not change the price.
Our prices are a package deal and everything is included in this price. Once people try to take one thing off, then we find ourselves in a tug of war between every single little detail, like "well we don't need Diet Coke, how much does that reduce the price?"
LONG ANSWER: You are more than welcome to to remove things or to provide additional beer/wine/spirits where you see fit, but this does not change the price.
Our prices are a package deal and everything is included in this price. Once people try to take one thing off, then we find ourselves in a tug of war between every single little detail, like "well we don't need Diet Coke, how much does that reduce the price?"
"We only need a bartender for a few hours to pour beer and wine / make simple mixed drinks."
We are not a staffing company so we don't do this. We are full service only. Plus we don't do beer and wine only events as our focus is on fresh craft cocktails :)
"We have two separate bar areas, can we split them up and have one out the front and one out the back?"
SHORT ANSWER: We can, but wouldn't recommend it.
LONG ANSWER: We find that more often than not when we split up bar spaces, one of the bars will be the popular one and will get hit hard, while the other bar will have no one at it. This is not an efficient use of the bartenders and will anger guests who are waiting in lines. It is much better to have one designated bar space and a solid bar foundation with four bartenders all in a row, all making drinks. If you want to split the bars up then we also need separate bar backs for each bar, quadruple set ups etc. It takes us around 3 hours to set up a single bar, so having multiple bar set ups also costs extra.
If you are having two separate bar spaces - perhaps one for cocktail hour and one for the reception, this makes more sense, but there is an extra charge per extra set up. Please contact sarah@calicraftcocktails.com for more information.
LONG ANSWER: We find that more often than not when we split up bar spaces, one of the bars will be the popular one and will get hit hard, while the other bar will have no one at it. This is not an efficient use of the bartenders and will anger guests who are waiting in lines. It is much better to have one designated bar space and a solid bar foundation with four bartenders all in a row, all making drinks. If you want to split the bars up then we also need separate bar backs for each bar, quadruple set ups etc. It takes us around 3 hours to set up a single bar, so having multiple bar set ups also costs extra.
If you are having two separate bar spaces - perhaps one for cocktail hour and one for the reception, this makes more sense, but there is an extra charge per extra set up. Please contact sarah@calicraftcocktails.com for more information.
"I have a flat table space for you to set up on, will that be ok?
SHORT ANSWER: No. Never ever. Ever.
LONG ANSWER: Our bars are custom built for bartending craft cocktails. They are equipped with draining ice wells, rinse tubs, drip trays, speed racks etc. Once you see our set up and the amount of stuff we bring, you will understand completely. If we have everything laying on the same surface, it is very dangerous as things can and will, get knocked over, smash, break and spill. It also takes an extraordinarily longer time to make drinks and find products.
We are no longer able to accept jobs where our bars cannot be utilized.
Bar rentals are included in our pricing so there shouldn't be a worry. Please check out our full range on the pricing page.
LONG ANSWER: Our bars are custom built for bartending craft cocktails. They are equipped with draining ice wells, rinse tubs, drip trays, speed racks etc. Once you see our set up and the amount of stuff we bring, you will understand completely. If we have everything laying on the same surface, it is very dangerous as things can and will, get knocked over, smash, break and spill. It also takes an extraordinarily longer time to make drinks and find products.
We are no longer able to accept jobs where our bars cannot be utilized.
Bar rentals are included in our pricing so there shouldn't be a worry. Please check out our full range on the pricing page.
How long does setup take?
Usually 2.5 hours depending on size, location and how hard the load-in is.
What kind of cups do you provide?
We provide hard, clear, plastic cups as standard. Not the flimsy, white, paper cups you get in the doctors office!
Can you provide glassware?
SHORT ANSWER: Yes, glassware is $15 per person and includes staff to buss / wash / reset.
LONG ANSWER: Glassware is an entirely different beast. You are more than welcome to handle it entirely yourself / through your rental company. However, please note that you will need to factor in the following:
WE NEED EXTRA STAFF TO HANDLE GLASSWARE. The bartenders can't be running out from behind the bar to buss the venue or to restock the shelves.
OTHER COSTS THROUGH RENTALS:
1.) The extra cost of glasses;
2.) The extra cost of delivery from the rental company;
3.) Potential overtime charges for 24 hours pickups - ask your venue if you can do Sunday pickups, sometimes you can't, so the rental companies need to come at 2am, which is hundreds of extra dollars;
4.) Additional space to store all of the 3'x3' boxes the glasses come in;
5.) Additional back bar space to display the glasses;
6.) Any additional fees tacked on by the rental company for missing or broken glasses at the end of the night.
LONG ANSWER: Glassware is an entirely different beast. You are more than welcome to handle it entirely yourself / through your rental company. However, please note that you will need to factor in the following:
WE NEED EXTRA STAFF TO HANDLE GLASSWARE. The bartenders can't be running out from behind the bar to buss the venue or to restock the shelves.
OTHER COSTS THROUGH RENTALS:
1.) The extra cost of glasses;
2.) The extra cost of delivery from the rental company;
3.) Potential overtime charges for 24 hours pickups - ask your venue if you can do Sunday pickups, sometimes you can't, so the rental companies need to come at 2am, which is hundreds of extra dollars;
4.) Additional space to store all of the 3'x3' boxes the glasses come in;
5.) Additional back bar space to display the glasses;
6.) Any additional fees tacked on by the rental company for missing or broken glasses at the end of the night.
Can I change the drink names?
SHORT ANSWER: You can, but it's unadvisable.
LONG ANSWER: People tend to gravitate toward what they know, especially in an unfamiliar private event. They will be glad to have something that they recognize immediately and feel comfortable ordering. If you DO want to have different names, try to name them with the classic name included, so it's easier for everyone (including the bartenders). Eg. "Stan's Margarita", or "Pete is Old Fashioned".
LONG ANSWER: People tend to gravitate toward what they know, especially in an unfamiliar private event. They will be glad to have something that they recognize immediately and feel comfortable ordering. If you DO want to have different names, try to name them with the classic name included, so it's easier for everyone (including the bartenders). Eg. "Stan's Margarita", or "Pete is Old Fashioned".
Do you provide Champagne for a toast?
SHORT ANSWER: No.
LONG ANSWER: Champagne is actually so unpopular when cocktails are on offer that we took it off our full bar set and no longer bring any to events. After 100 weddings and ONE glass poured, we decided enough was enough.
Now for the toast: We do not recommend doing a Champagne Toast. People prefer to toast with whatever they are already drinking, rather than forcing Champagne upon them. It is an unnecessary expense and we end up pouring it down the drain every. single. time. It's very sad for us to waste that much alcohol. :(
Should you choose to ignore us in our infinite wisdom, we can of course provide Champagne / toast and flutes (hard plastic) for an additional cost.
LONG ANSWER: Champagne is actually so unpopular when cocktails are on offer that we took it off our full bar set and no longer bring any to events. After 100 weddings and ONE glass poured, we decided enough was enough.
Now for the toast: We do not recommend doing a Champagne Toast. People prefer to toast with whatever they are already drinking, rather than forcing Champagne upon them. It is an unnecessary expense and we end up pouring it down the drain every. single. time. It's very sad for us to waste that much alcohol. :(
Should you choose to ignore us in our infinite wisdom, we can of course provide Champagne / toast and flutes (hard plastic) for an additional cost.
What is your uniform?
We wear fun button up shirts with sleeves & aprons :)
How long does the bar stay open for?
1 - 5 hours, but you can of course extend this.
Do you include gratuity in the price?
In lieu of putting tip jars on the bar, we add $100 for each staff member for gratuity. If you do not want this included we will put tip jars on the bar.
How far do you travel?
Wherever you want! We've gone up to San Francisco and down to San Diego before :)
Do we get to keep the alcohol?
The cocktails are unlimited, so we obviously cannot leave you anything as the amount is infinite! :O
I ONLY WANT THE BAR OPEN FOR 3 HOURS, DOES THAT CHANGE THE PRICE?
No. The actual serving behind the bar is a breeze compared to our set up / breakdown and prep for your event. We spend around 30 hours to prep for your event, we pack the exact same amount of stuff, it takes us the same amount of time to set up, the same amount of time to breakdown and the same amount of time to reset everything the day after. The open bar part is the easiest! :)
WE DON'T NEED OPEN BAR, JUST THE ALCOHOL FOR THE COCKTAILS.
It's the same thing. The spirits that are in the cocktails are going to be the ones that are consumed the most anyway, so it doesn't matter if we don't bring that extra bottle of gin. When we say "Open Bar", we mean we bring the couple of spirits (usually gin & scotch) that are not contained in the cocktails. These always remain unopened. The price remains the same.
CANCELLATIONS
Payments are nonrefundable, but completely transferrable should you need to change your event date.
my crowd only drinks beer / WINE
This is a three part answer:
1.) We are Cali Craft Cocktails, not Cali Craft Beer & Wine ;) The LAST thing people want to do when they approach our bar is order a beer or wine. There are fresh ingredients on the bar, including fruit, vegetables, spices and home-made syrups. There are bartenders shaking tins, measuring things, cracking eggs (and jokes!) and a fully customized menu staring at them. We very rarely even open a bottle of wine, or serve a couple of beers.
2.) We have had this concern brought up many times whereby people say that their crowd "only" drinks beer, or ONLY drinks wine. One time the Bride's Signature Drink was a beer and we opened a grand total of four all night for a crowd of over 250 - not even the bride had one!! Please trust us on this.
3.) If your crowd only drinks beer, then we recommend just hiring a staffing company as our level of service will go to waste :)
1.) We are Cali Craft Cocktails, not Cali Craft Beer & Wine ;) The LAST thing people want to do when they approach our bar is order a beer or wine. There are fresh ingredients on the bar, including fruit, vegetables, spices and home-made syrups. There are bartenders shaking tins, measuring things, cracking eggs (and jokes!) and a fully customized menu staring at them. We very rarely even open a bottle of wine, or serve a couple of beers.
2.) We have had this concern brought up many times whereby people say that their crowd "only" drinks beer, or ONLY drinks wine. One time the Bride's Signature Drink was a beer and we opened a grand total of four all night for a crowd of over 250 - not even the bride had one!! Please trust us on this.
3.) If your crowd only drinks beer, then we recommend just hiring a staffing company as our level of service will go to waste :)