[shellyjo68]

I am preparing a proposal for a banquet. I need to give a general idea of the cost of the meal. I was wondering if there is any sites that compare cost of brands or stores.

[tickle]

I don't think knowing the cost of brands or stores will do you any good estimating the cost of a meal. You will have to know portion size, etc. It isn't all that easy. The prep time would have to be considered too; what type of meal are you quoting on, sit down meal or buffet ? Portion of chicken or steak, or grd. Beef in a cabbage roll, etc. is what I am getting at. If you have prepared any kind of meal, you should be able to estimate what it cost you to pu it together. Once you do one, record it, and go onto the next so you can always update your menu and have prices on demand.

[shellyjo68]

Oh, I realize all that I'm just trying to get it all together. Usually when I get to this point I will go to Sam's Club & Gordon's Foods to check out current prices. I was just hoping there was a way to do it from here (gas $$). It is for a private club that does not serve meals on a regular basis so every time we do it is like starting over.

[chuckhole]

Every single food item you intend to use needs to be accounted for in your recipes. Collect them all together and adjust them all for portion sizes and number of servings equal to the expected number. Then complile all of the ingredients together into a single shopping list. Then go to the stores and shop your prices. You will find some non-perishables online but that is about all.

Companies such as Sysco Foods - Sysco Corporation will be able to offer complete pricing to their customers with accounts and they package their foods with portion management in mind.

[shellyjo68]

Maybe I didn't word the question correctly. I am wondering if there is a website that compares the cost of food items. I have taken into account the staples I have already available, I have a list of needed items and I have an two alternative menus in case of a snafu some where along the line. I have done this several times before. Where I run into the problem is for the presentation I have to give an estimated cost. In the past I have just run to the warehouse stores in the area wrote down prices then figured the per plate cost. After the dinner is approved by the officers we then have to make a 2nd trip to the stores. Neither store offers prices or complete list of goods online. I am just trying to save myself two 60 round trip trips.

[morgaine300]

I understood your question perfectly fine, and don't have an answer. You asked if there was a web site that would compare the costs of brands or stores. It's not a difficult question. I just think no one knows.

I don't see how a website could compare the cost of food, considering that not only can prices be regional, but even within the same area, different stores charge different prices and they are constantly changing. And there's a LOT of different food out there. I just can't see a web site making any attempt to even do this.

There are sites out there like that for other types of products, but they're generally comparing places that are online. For instance, there's several sites where you can enter a book, and it will come up with lots of online places where you can order that book and their prices. It might either be a search engine going out and finding them, or it might be a list of only sponsored online stores. But you're talking about comparing prices of local stores where you have to buy it, not stuff you're ordering online.

I would have suggested trying to get a list from the stores. But if the stores themselves can't give you a list and don't have any list online, why would you expect some website to have them?

If you want to run a business of this type, you're going to just have to learn your costs. My specialty isn't cost accounting (though I've worked at a restaurant), but trying to price each individual item of food every time seems like a rather inefficient way to do it. You might do better to find a way to price a "typical meal" and work around that. Seems like you're wasting half you profits in gas money.

[morgaine300]

That negative was completely uncalled for. I gave you a more complete answer that was directed at your actual question than anyone else who answered this! And that was exactly what you were saying -- you thought no one was answering the actual question cause they were misinterpreting you. So I give an answer, and get cut down for it.

And my last paragraph wasn't meant to be a lecture. It was just some honest advise. And maybe you aren't attempting to run a for-profit business, but if you're trying to put a proposal together for the cost of a banquet, you certainly are doing something business-like. I was merely stating what you realistically need to do if you want to do this. There was no lecture in there. You came for help -- I was trying to give information to help.

But jeez, there are some people who are impossible to help.

[DaBaAd]

.....
I don't see how a website could compare the cost of food, considering that not only can prices be regional, but even within the same area, different stores charge different prices and they are constantly changing. And there's a LOT of different food out there. I just can't see a web site making any attempt to even do this.

Morgaine... I worked at a grocery store for a while and you are right... we didn't want to publish prices because of the competitive nature of the business AND this was back b/4 the internet existed :)

The idea is good, but just a concept at this point.

[shellyjo68]

That neg was completely uncalled for. I gave you a more complete answer that was directed at your actual question than anyone else who answered this! And that was exactly what you were saying -- you thought no one was answering the actual question cause they were misinterpreting you. So I give an answer, and get cut down for it.
But jeez, there are some people who are impossible to help.

Do not dismiss other people's answers. And no I am not impossible to help. Just because you enter a long winded reply does not mean you are helping it means you are attempting to help. To actually answer the question you would say "No, I know of no such site" or "check Consumer's Reports" or maybe "A 70 year old in Rockfish had nothing better to do so she put together a list of staples and it is available for $19.95". Learn to run a business does not answer the question "is there a website".

Oh, and Chuckhole did answer the question. I was able to complete what I was setting out to complete. We are able to do the dinner at just over $3.00 a plate including all the staples I have available and the donated items.

[morgaine300]

Some people happen to like my long winded replies, because they like all the detail and information I give them. And some people don't like really short answers that hardly say anything.

Would you please explain to me when I developed ESP to know that you would dislike a long, more detailed answer? And why you're getting on me because I couldn't possibly know this? You were the one claiming people must have misunderstood your question -- so I was trying to give a more detailed explanation of perhaps why you weren't getting an answer to where you could compare prices online. Excuse me for trying to help you!

And would you please explain to me how I was supposed to have the ESP to know that you weren't trying to run a business for profit? That's certainly the way it sounded, and I imagine others thought the same thing. Why did you have such a hissy over this? You seem to be terribly insulted by that or something, and I can't for the life of me imagine why. Not to mention that even non-profits have to run like a business. You're trying to accomplish something & I was trying to help out with some extra info. Again, excuse me for trying to help you!

Other people were adding some hints to you about how you could maybe go about accomplishing this. Their answers weren't just simply "no, I know of no such place." Why aren't you getting on their case? Why pick on me specifically?

There are people who appreciate the extra time someone takes to try to answer something more thoroughly and give other suggestions besides what you specifically asked. We do it all the time, and people don't go around having a hissy fit over it. That's why I said some people are impossible to help. And since you obviously didn't quite catch the sarcasm in that statement, I'll put it literally: Some people are impossible to please.

I spend a lot of time on here volunteering my time, totally for free, just to try to help people. And then I get this BS from you.

You are really, really out of line here.