Put the budget and the clock on the same board.

A buffet typically runs $30–50 a head, family style $40–80, plated dinner $60–120 and a food truck $20–35. Those are food only. Once bar service, a 20% service charge and sales tax are added, the real all-in figure is commonly 40–50% above the quoted per-head rate.

A service charge is a mandatory fee the venue sets and, in most states, keeps — it is treated as revenue, not as a gratuity, and it does not have to be distributed to staff. A tip is voluntary and belongs to the employee. Ask directly whether the service charge goes to the team, and whether additional gratuity is expected.

It is the number you commit to pay for, usually locked 7 to 14 days before the event. You pay for that many regardless of who shows up, and you can normally add guests afterwards but not subtract. Guarantee slightly below your expected attendance and add later.

Fifteen to twenty percent for sit-down table service, with 20% standard in high-cost metropolitan areas and 15% still common in much of the South and Midwest. Counter service, where there is no table service to speak of, is discretionary and much lower — the tablet prompt asking for 25% at a coffee counter is not a norm, it is a default setting.

Most commonly at parties of six or more, at 18%, and it must be disclosed on the menu or the bill. Always read the itemised bill before adding a tip: adding 20% on top of an 18% automatic gratuity is an easy and expensive mistake.

Technically the pre-tax subtotal, since the tax is not part of the service. In practice most people tip on the total, which simply produces a slightly larger tip. Neither is wrong; the difference on a $120 bill is under $2.

It is accepted, but understand what it does. In most US states tipped employees are paid a cash wage well below the standard minimum and depend on tips to reach it, so a withheld tip lands much harder than the same gesture would elsewhere. If the problem was the kitchen or the wait for a table, that is usually not the server’s doing — raising it with the manager achieves more.

For a beginner playing live, roughly half into the instrument, 30% into amplification and 15% into accessories, leaving a little for recording. If recording is the point, move 35–45% into the recording chain instead. The category people skip is accessories, and then they discover that cables, a stand, a tuner and a case are not optional.

Divide the session by the song length plus the gap between songs. At 4 minutes a song and a 1-minute changeover, a two-hour room fits about 24 songs. The changeover is what people forget, and it is worth 20% of the night — building the queue in advance rather than choosing at the machine gets most of it back.

Take the hours you need to cover and multiply by about 17 songs an hour at a 3.5-minute average, then add 25%. A five-hour reception needs roughly 105 minimum, so build 130. Download it rather than streaming — venue wifi is the most common single point of failure at an event.

Food and beverage, typically 40–50% of the total, with the venue next. Entertainment, flowers and photography together usually come to less than the catering alone — which is why the guest count, not the choice of vendor, is the variable that actually controls the budget.