Help with the bride's mother.

We have catered about 6 wedding in the past 2 months. My biggest problem is the bride's mother. She/They are constanly want to add dishes after price quotes, dictate presentation, cook thier recipes, and so on. I understand I have much to learn, but give me a break. How do I handle these problems? Please help!Please visit us at www.cateredvibes.com

Bob:

This is the most sensitive market and possible the most complex one to work with.
Reason : It's all about emotional thinking !

Mother-zillas need to be dealt with firm diplomacy and turn the table on them - you are doing this to make money - not for charity / love. There are several ways to deal with this:

1) In your proposal, drop in a line that states "...we will be happy to add on menu items at an additional charge". Based on your most frequent requests, creat an "Enhancers" list. IN hotels this is a great upselling opportunity.

2) Another line that states "There's no better cook than my mother! We will be happy to create your homestyle cooking." Add a fee that will cover your time and effort. Back youself up with a disclaimer that indeminfies you against quality, presentation and taste of the product.

Decades ago the saying went "The customer is always right".
Today it is "The customer is not always right but they are always the customer."..find a way to make a buck out of it !