Parties and groups at your inn: from set menus to the final bill

Which celebrations suit your venue

For many families, an inn with a function room or a cosy back room (a Stüberl, as Austrians say) is the natural place to celebrate: familiar, easy to reach, with food every generation enjoys. But not every party suits every venue. Before you build packages, take an honest look: how many guests does your room really hold, with a dance floor or a buffet? Can you close off the room while the main dining room runs as usual? And how many parties per weekend can your team handle without hurting the à la carte business?

The funeral reception (Leichenschmaus in Austria, often Trauerkaffee in Germany) is a special task: the family calls at short notice, is going through a hard time and wants one thing above all, not having to worry about anything. A fixed package with few decisions, a quiet room and one clear contact person are worth more here than a big choice. Many funeral directors recommend venues they know will handle things smoothly.

Packages and set menus instead of negotiating every detail

If you discuss every party from scratch, you spend hours on the phone and rewrite every quote. Fixed building blocks that guests choose from work better: two or three set menus per occasion, one buffet option and clearly priced extras. Prices become comparable, purchasing and staff planning get easier, and guests feel confident because they can see what they are getting.

• Set menus: for example a classic three-course menu, a regional celebration menu and a vegetarian menu, each with a price per person.
• Buffet: from a minimum number of guests, clearly stating what is included and how long it stays out. Whether 30 or 120 guests: scale buffet quantities with the recipe scaler.
• Drinks: charged by consumption, as a flat rate for a set time or as a mix with a sparkling reception and wine with dinner. Write down what the flat rate covers and what costs extra. The drinks price calculator works out glass and bottle prices for billing by consumption.
• Children: a separate kids' menu or a reduced price up to a certain age.
• Extras: sparkling reception, late-night snack, cake service, decoration, extended opening hours, cloakroom.

Allergen rules apply to parties just as they do to normal service: guests must be able to find out which of the 14 major allergens the dishes contain. Ask about intolerances and dietary needs in the group at the enquiry stage so the kitchen can plan in time.

Function room, capacity and minimum spend

The function room is your most important product in the events business. Guests want to know how many people fit with banquet seating, at round tables or with a buffet, whether there is a dance floor, equipment for speeches and music, step-free access and parking. Record these details once, properly, and use them everywhere: on the website, in quotes and on the phone.

There are three common ways to charge for the room. Room hire is easy to understand but often feels like an extra charge to guests. A minimum spend on food and drinks is common for weddings and large parties: if it is not reached, the difference is charged. For smaller parties a minimum number of guests for the room is often enough. What matters is that the model is clearly stated in the quote and does not first appear on the bill.

Collecting enquiries through your website

Most parties start with a search like “wedding venue inn” plus a town, or with a recommendation after which guests visit your website. There they should find everything they need for a first decision: a dedicated events page with photos of the room, capacities, sample menus, the occasions you like to host and an enquiry form. Guide prices per person help, because they filter out enquiries that would never fit.

Groups do not belong in your normal table booking. Limit online reservations to a sensible party size and send larger groups to the enquiry form, as described in the guide to online reservations. What else belongs on a hospitality website is covered in the guide Restaurant website: what your guests look for.

Only ask for what you need to write a quote, and explain in the form what happens to the data (Art. 13 GDPR). Use details about intolerances only for that party. Announce Christmas parties and seasonal events on Google, social media and in your newsletter as well. How to do that well is explained in the guide Promoting events online.

Writing a quote that leaves no questions open

The written quote is your contract with the guest. What it says applies; what it leaves out gets argued about at the end of the night. Reply to enquiries quickly, ideally within one or two working days, because couples and companies usually ask several venues at once.

Work from a template you only need to adjust. The Austrian Chamber of Commerce (Wirtschaftskammer, WKO) provides model terms and conditions for hospitality businesses to its members; in Germany the regional DEHOGA associations offer their members advice and templates. Have your terms checked once before you copy them into every quote.

Deposit, guest count and cancellation

You carry the risk for purchasing, staff and the blocked room if a party falls through. A deposit at booking protects you and shows the guest is serious. It is usual to credit the deposit against the final bill. Just as important is a deadline for the final guest count, a few days before the party for example: until then the number may go down, after that the reported number is charged. For VAT purposes, deposits usually have to be recorded as soon as the payment arrives; check with your tax adviser how to book and document them.

On the day and afterwards

You can tell a good party by the fact that the hosts get to celebrate too. That takes a written schedule for kitchen and service: arrival of guests, aperitif, speeches, courses, cake, late-night snack, end. Name one person in charge for every party, on your team and on the hosts' side, so questions during the evening do not land on everyone at once.

Happy hosts are the best advertising for the next party. A friendly message a few days later, perhaps with a photo from the evening, is a good moment to ask for a review. How to do that within the rules is explained in the guide to Google reviews.