I wanted a really smooth look for my wedding cake, and asked a banquet hall manager at Jericho Terrace (he was helping us temporarily as ours was busy) if we could do a fondant cake. He said we could, but it would cost an additional $800!
Since the cost of the cake is part of the package cost already, is it really reasonable for an extra $800 to add a layer of fondant? He said they have to make the cake entirely differently. I'm not sure how much the included cost of the more basic traditional cake is, but it would seem to me that the original cost plus the $800 fondant would seem to be the cost of a much fancier cake at an outside bakery which I would think would have more decorative work also.
Am I missing something? Or is this really an expected cost?
meara
Posted:
Member since
Re: JT cake - adding fondant for $800?
This seems like a RIDICULOUS add on. I know most places will charge more for fondant but not that much. . I would talk to your person again.
RitasEngaged
Posted:
Member since
Re: JT cake - adding fondant for $800?
i think that is ridiculous. i think my RH charges 250 extra
FallBride2010
Posted:
Member since
Re: JT cake - adding fondant for $800?
I know JT charged my sister an unreasonable amt for cake upgrade. And on top of it...they then also add the tax and gratuity on the upgrade.
RitasEngaged
Posted:
Member since
Re: JT cake - adding fondant for $800?
If that is the case you might as well go to an outside bakery and pay for your own cake
jtgarsik
Posted:
Member since
Re: JT cake - adding fondant for $800?
were u absolutely clear on what they meant??? Maybe they meant 800 total?? in that case jericho usually covers up to 600 for the cake, and u'd just have to pay the additional 200?? also, is the cake super detailed??? one u start getting into textures, special designs, color, etc. that all effects the price as well...
in any case, fondant is MUCH more expensive then regular cake..especially if the bakery makes it fresh with the right imported ingredients..a lot of bakeries with cheaper prices use local ingredients(and honestly if they do, it's not worth it because the taste is not all that great!)..the reason why some bakeries are more expensive is because they have certain ingredients shipped from overseas. when i was calling around, the price per slice(which is what u will pay by) SKYROCKETED with fondant...so call around & make urself feel comfortable with the price..if for some reason u do find it cheaper then what the guy at jt told u, call up jericho - negotiate & see what they say...
i will say...i wanted a very smooth look too..but i dont like the taste of fondant so i was nervous...JT assured me that they would use a really REALLY smooth buttercream...my cake(imo lol) was GORGOUS..everything i dreamed it to be and it tasted SOOOO yummy!
I'm going to speak to my own RH manager. I asked $800 extra??? And he said yes, as if it were the most normal thing in the world. I was absolutely floored. Will keep you guys posted. Thanks for the reality confirmation!
NYCPrincess
Posted:
Member since
Re: JT cake - adding fondant for $800?
Posted by jtgarsik
were u absolutely clear on what they meant??? Maybe they meant 800 total?? in that case jericho usually covers up to 600 for the cake, and u'd just have to pay the additional 200?? also, is the cake super detailed??? one u start getting into textures, special designs, color, etc. that all effects the price as well...
in any case, fondant is MUCH more expensive then regular cake..especially if the bakery makes it fresh with right imported ingredients(and if they dont, it's not worth it because the taste is not all that great!) .. when i was calling around, the price per slice(which is what u will pay by) SKYROCKETED with fondant...so call around & make urself feel comfortable with the price..if for some reason u do find it cheaper then what the guy at jt told u, call up jericho - negotiate & see what they say...
i will say...i wanted a very smooth look too..but i dont like the taste of fondant so i was nervous...JT assured me that they would use a really REALLY smooth buttercream...my cake(imo lol) was GORGOUS..everything i dreamed it to be and it tasted SOOOO yummy!
I didn't even get into cake details...just asked about adding fondant itself, which was why I was so shocked! I would think I could get a pretty detailed fondant cake for $1,400 outside.
jtgarsik
Posted:
Member since
Re: JT cake - adding fondant for $800?
also - just wanted to add - if the taste isn't all that important to u, and u'd rather just have the look that u want without breaking the bank - u can do 2 things;
1) obviously u can go with a cheaper bakery..
2) use a fake cake! a good friend of mine had a totally fake cake except for the teir that they cut! NOBODY knew... they then just served basic sheet cake that they had back in the kitchen
I will say, my wedding cake from jt (actually Dortoni's since that's the bakery they use lol) was the most amazing tasting cake i've ever had....the hubby & i STILL think about it from time to time! still to this day i've had nothing that compared
Espo22
Posted:
Member since
Re: JT cake - adding fondant for $800?
well JT doesnt make the cake themselves, they work with a bakery who makes the cakes. So the price all depends on what the bakery charges.
jeanettelovesjason
Posted:
Member since
Re: JT cake - adding fondant for $800?
I have to say imo there is no need to pay $800 more for fondant. Its not that much harder to use on cakes if your a professional bakery which they all are!! Theres no need for anything special, fondant doesnt taste as good as regular buttercream but yes the look is much nicer. Its just a way of them trying to get more money out of brides! If it is that much extra I would shop around, I mean its ridiculous bakeries us fondant all the time its not an uncommon thing your asking for!
RadiantBride
Posted:
Member since
Re: JT cake - adding fondant for $800?
Posted by jtgarsik
were u absolutely clear on what they meant??? Maybe they meant 800 total?? in that case jericho usually covers up to 600 for the cake, and u'd just have to pay the additional 200?? also, is the cake super detailed??? one u start getting into textures, special designs, color, etc. that all effects the price as well...
in any case, fondant is MUCH more expensive then regular cake..especially if the bakery makes it fresh with the right imported ingredients..a lot of bakeries with cheaper prices use local ingredients(and honestly if they do, it's not worth it because the taste is not all that great!)..the reason why some bakeries are more expensive is because they have certain ingredients shipped from overseas. when i was calling around, the price per slice(which is what u will pay by) SKYROCKETED with fondant...so call around & make urself feel comfortable with the price..if for some reason u do find it cheaper then what the guy at jt told u, call up jericho - negotiate & see what they say...
i will say...i wanted a very smooth look too..but i dont like the taste of fondant so i was nervous...JT assured me that they would use a really REALLY smooth buttercream...my cake(imo lol) was GORGOUS..everything i dreamed it to be and it tasted SOOOO yummy!
Your cake was beautiful. I also used the same type of material for my icing as I dont like the fondant taste either.
I would call back and ask again if you would have to pay $800 extra bc that does seem very high for an upgrade.
TrueLoveIn2008
Posted:
Member since
Re: JT cake - adding fondant for $800?
I go to dortoni alllll the time - they are NOT that expensive. So JT is upcharging you A TON for fondant. It's not expensive really - my sister is a baker and uses it allllll the time. I say screw the fondant or go somewhere else. That's absolutely insane.
Espo22
Posted:
Member since
Re: JT cake - adding fondant for $800?
Posted by jeanettelovesjason
I have to say imo there is no need to pay $800 more for fondant. Its not that much harder to use on cakes if your a professional bakery which they all are!! Theres no need for anything special, fondant doesnt taste as good as regular buttercream but yes the look is much nicer. Its just a way of them trying to get more money out of brides! If it is that much extra I would shop around, I mean its ridiculous bakeries us fondant all the time its not an uncommon thing your asking for!
actually EVERY bakery anywhere you go does charge ALOT for fondant cakes. The average price is $6-8 per slice and thats on the lower side. Many charge even $8-10 per slice and ive seen higher. But anywhere from $6-10 is average
for e-party i seriously called over 50 bakeries and asked for their fondant cake prices and those were the prices i got. I only found one place in suffolk that was charging $4.50 a slice but i didnt even want to check them out since when i called the person was so lost and didnt know what was going on
RockysGirl
Posted:
Member since
Re: JT cake - adding fondant for $800?
i agree that fondant looks better than the average cake, but i just don't think $800 would be worth that. Whatever you wanna do though!! It's your cake but i like Taryn's idea - about the fake one. I know that my sister had a very pretty cake, but it was definitely not enough to feed everybody. They had extra sheet cake in the back. So a beautiful fake one would probably just be the same same deal. Something worth looking into!
Espo22
Posted:
Member since
Re: JT cake - adding fondant for $800?
well how many ppl is the cake for? Many fondant wedding cakes are around $1k-2k if you have alot of guests. LEts say you were to go somewhere and found it for $6 per slice which is one of the lower prices you can get it for and you had 250 guests, then the cake would cost $1500. So not sure if $800 is good or bad depends on how many guests.
BUT if you never had intentions of paying that much for a cake and dont care to then don't do it. Just go with a buttercream look and tell them to smooth it out. Even if you were to go to an outside vendor that JT doesnt use for cakes which is dortoni's, you will actually end up paying a bit more than $800 for a fondant cake.
BAL5-9-05
Posted:
Member since
Re: JT cake - adding fondant for $800?
I wouldn't......what ever came in the package.
lila
Posted:
Member since
Re: JT cake - adding fondant for $800?
That sounds pretty expensive, but I don't really know the going rate for fondant. We just went with what our hall included, and asked for something very basic (4 tiered round stacked cake with very smooth buttercream, no embellishments. then we provided ribbon to go around the base of each layer, and our florist added fresh flowers)
kristin597
Posted:
Member since
Re: JT cake - adding fondant for $800?
I wanted to have a different cake than what JT offered. My BM pretty much told me that it would be cheaper for me to order it on my own since JT would obviously bump up the price to make a profit. My cake was blue fondant with swirls on it and it was milky way flavor in some of the teirs. It may be in your best interest to call Dortonis (JTs bakery) and tell them exactly what you want and let them give you a quote.
joshisgirl
Posted:
Member since
Re: JT cake - adding fondant for $800?
i thought i remembered a bride psoting about the same thing on the 08 board, but when i searched, it was for a diff. RH but similar situation. maybe this thread might help you with some pricing info. fondant
