All calculators / Bars

Bottle Service Minimum Spend

What the table earns on a normal night, dedicated service and mixers, with a premium. The minimum spend in whole bottles.

$

What that table earns on an ordinary Saturday, per person.

A bottle table sits all night. A normal table turns 1.5 to 2 times.

$/h
$
$
$
%

Holding a table all night for one group should pay a premium. 20% is fair.

How this is calculated

Opportunity cost = seats × normal spend × turns given up. That is what the table earns if you do not sell bottles.

Profit required = (opportunity + dedicated service + mixers) × (1 + premium). Bottles = required ÷ (price − cost), rounded up. Minimum = bottles × price.

Profit at the minimum = bottles × (price − cost) − service − mixers. It has to beat the opportunity cost or the table was better off open.

Prices are before GST/HST. Add tax on top of the price shown, never inside your margin. Estimates, not advice.

Get cost tips for your trade

Occasional emails from ChickenPieces with cost tips and supply deals. Unsubscribe any time. Privacy.

Verdict

Bottle service beats a normal night

3 bottles at $320 to hit the minimum

Minimum spend$960
Table earns on a normal night
$504
Dedicated service
$66
Margin per bottle
$272
Profit at the minimum
$712
Better than a normal night by
$208
Conservative yearly leak$0

What a minimum set too low costs across a year of bottle tables, halved for the ones that over-spend anyway.

Save in workspace
Keep it

Want this saved, with your real numbers?

Every drink costed from the same bottle list as the kitchen. Saved on this device, free.

Open the bar workspace

More bar calculators

All Bars