The inputs that change a private-event estimate
| Input | What it changes |
|---|---|
| Date and time | Lead-time rules, booking horizon, day-specific minimums, duration, and whether the request can proceed. |
| Guest count | Space fit, per-person food and beverage totals, and package eligibility. |
| Space | Capacity, room or buyout fee, and food-and-beverage minimum. |
| Food package | Per-person or fixed menu amount and package-specific guest limits. |
| Beverage choice | Hosted per-person or range-based pricing, or no hosted amount. |
| Add-ons | Per-person or flat additions, some of which may count toward a minimum. |
| Configured charges | Service charge and estimated tax, shown separately from the underlying spend. |
A transparent calculation order
- Add food, hosted beverage, and eligible add-on amounts.
- Compare eligible spend with the selected space's food-and-beverage minimum.
- If spend is below the minimum, show the remaining minimum-spend gap as a minimum—not as a made-up fee.
- Add room or private-use fees that do not count toward the minimum.
- Apply the restaurant's configured service-charge and estimated-tax rules to the correct base.
- Show a range when any approved input is a range, and explain what is included.
A simple illustrative example
Assume 40 guests choose a fictional $68 family-style menu and a $24–$38 hosted beverage range. The selected room has a $2,500 food-and-beverage minimum, no room fee, a 20% service charge, and 8.25% estimated tax. The calculator should show each component and explain whether the selected spend already meets the minimum.
| Layer | Illustrative amount |
|---|---|
| Food | 40 × $68 = $2,720 |
| Hosted beverages | 40 × $24–$38 = $960–$1,520 |
| Eligible spend before charges | $3,680–$4,240; the $2,500 minimum is met |
| Configured service charge and estimated tax | Calculated and disclosed as separate estimate lines |
This is example math, not a price offered by any restaurant. A live venue must approve every input and confirm how its own service charge and taxes apply.
Estimate, quote, and reservation are different
- Guest estimate: a deterministic preview based on approved configuration and the guest's choices.
- Manager-reviewed quote: the restaurant's current version after it confirms or revises the event details.
- Reservation: a separate commitment governed by the restaurant's availability, contract, deposit, and cancellation terms.
A calculator should never auto-charge a guest, promise the date, or turn a preliminary estimate into a financial request without review.
Fit checks belong beside the math
Price alone does not make an inquiry useful. Check capacity, lead time, booking horizon, budget basis, package eligibility, and relevant policies before the guest requests availability. When a rule needs judgment, label the option for restaurant review instead of silently rejecting it or presenting it as confirmed.
What staff should receive
The coordinator-ready output should keep the guest contact, event date and time, guest count, event type, selected or recommended space, food and beverage choices, add-ons, budget basis, pricing range, minimum-spend gap, policy flags, and guest intent together. See the full restaurant private-event inquiry form checklist.
Where Square fits
Square should receive the approved financial request after the restaurant reviews the event—not the anonymous estimate. The Square Invoices private-event workflow shows the preflight steps for deposits and payment schedules. For the software responsibility split, read private-event software for Square restaurants.