Tipping a caterer

[MrsBB]

Hello, I recently had a party that was catered. The Chef and his assistant/waiter were payed 25.00 per hour each 5 hour minimum. At the end of the party I tipped the Chef 100.00 and the assistant 60.00. I still don't If I payed them enough. Is there a rule for tipping a catered party? I've read that you can tip on the total food bill but that would have put the tip at about 300.00 (20%) and that seems a little high. Any advice? Thanks

[Dude111]

Welcome to frappydoo :)

I always tip someone cause 'I WANT TO' not because "Your supposed to" .. I usually give $2.00 for example if my bill is $5.00 or so........

That sounds OK what you gave :)

I hope you like it here!

[Grimey]

This comes from www.findalink.net -

Tipping Caterers can be a real mystery. The best thing to do is to talk to the caterer in advance. Most caterers have a service charge that is included in the bill and is distributed to the cooks, driver and wait staff. If there is no service charge or it is not for the people doing the work, then tipping 15% of the entire bill is appropriate. This amount should be divided among the servers by the on-site manager. If it is included, you don't need to tip any more. Of course, if someone really goes out of his way for you, then feel free to tip that individual extra, remembering that it will be extra.It sounds like if they were getting paid by the hour then you might not have needed to tip at all. Jim Lewis always recommends that people discuss it with the catering company before they sign the contract.