Baptism reception quotes: count adults and children separately

Why one rate hides the real cost

An adult per-head rate is easy to compare, which is why it gets used. But it treats an 18-month-old and a hungry 14-year-old as the same line item. It also treats a carer who eats a full meal the same as a grandparent who only has coffee. When you separate adults and children, you can see what actually changes the total: the number of full covers, the number of reduced covers, and the number of people who need cake but no meal. A restaurant may offer a child rate, a teen rate, or a flat rate for under-12s. None of those is universal. Ask what the written quote includes for each group.

What to count before you ask for quotes

Build your own numbers first. Do not send a rough guess. Use three columns: adults (full covers), children (reduced covers), and non-eating guests (cake and drinks only). For the hypothetical example of 60 adults and 18 children, you might split the 18 into 10 children on a reduced menu, 5 teenagers on a full or mid menu, and 3 toddlers who share from a parent's plate. That is a planning example, not a market norm. Your real split will depend on ages and appetites. Also count high chairs, pram space, and whether the restaurant has a separate area where children can move without crossing the service path.

The comparison sheet: adult and child menu

Use this table for every restaurant you contact. Fill one column per venue. The point is to force the same questions and the same blank fields, so you are not comparing a full quote from one place against a verbal estimate from another.

Item	Venue A	Venue B	Venue C
Adult full menu rate (per person, as quoted)
Child reduced menu rate (per person, as quoted)
Age cut-off for child rate (years)
Teenager policy (full, mid, or child rate)
Toddler policy (no charge, shared plate, or fee)
Carer or non-eating guest rate (cake and drinks)
Cake service fee, if any
Cake cutting and plating included?
High chairs available (number)
Children's area or separate room
Drinks included for adults (what exactly)
Drinks included for children (what exactly)
Service charge (as quoted, and on which amount)
Tax (as quoted, and on which amount)
Minimum adult covers required
Deposit and cancellation terms
Quote valid until
Extras not included

Two things to watch. First, the service charge and tax may apply to the food and drink total, or to a minimum spend, or to the room hire. The quote should say which. Second, a child rate often comes with a narrower menu. Ask to see both menus in writing before you decide that the cheaper child rate is actually cheaper for your group.

Cake, drinks, and the guests who are not eating

Cake is where adult-child counting gets messy. A restaurant may charge a cake service fee per person, or a flat fee, or nothing. It may cut and plate the cake, or hand you a knife. Ask whether the cake service fee applies to every guest or only to those eating a full meal. For a baptism, the cake is often the moment everyone gathers, including people who skipped the meal. If you have 5 non-eating guests, that is 5 people who still need a plate, a fork, and a drink. Put them in the sheet as a separate line. Also ask whether children count toward the minimum adult covers. Some quotes require a minimum number of adult full menus; children may or may not count toward it. That single answer can change which quote is cheaper.

Questions that change the total

Ask these in writing, not on a call. How many hours does the rate cover, and what is the charge for each additional hour? Is there a room hire fee separate from the food and drink minimum? What is the latest time for music, and does the restaurant provide a sound system or do you bring one? For the venue shortlist itself, browse restaurants in Greece and filter by the area and the room size you need. One honest tradeoff: a restaurant with a dedicated children's room may charge more per adult because it is giving up covers elsewhere. The lower adult rate is not always the lower total.

How to compare two quotes without guessing

Once the sheet is filled, calculate two totals for each venue. Total A uses your full adult count and your actual child split. Total B uses a lower adult count, in case some adults cannot come. Then look at the gap between the two. A venue with a high adult rate but a low child rate may win on Total A. A venue with a low adult rate but a high cake service fee may lose once you add the 18 children and the non-eating guests. Do not assume that hire fees favour small or large groups; do the arithmetic for your own numbers. If a quote is missing a field, ask for it in writing before you compare. A blank field is not a zero.

What to send to suitable restaurants

Send one short message with your real numbers and your questions. Include: the date and time window; the total guest count split into adults, children by age band, and non-eating guests; whether you need a children's area; whether you bring your own cake and whether you need it cut and plated; your preferred menu style; your budget range as a total, not a per-person rate; and a request for a written quote that lists food, drinks, cake service, service charge, tax, and any room fee separately. Ask for availability and a written quote together, and ask how long the quote is valid. That message gives every restaurant the same brief, which is the only fair way to compare. The Ecali Club social events page is one example of a venue that lists baptisms among its event types, though terms and availability always come from the venue's own written quote. Once the quotes arrive, fill the sheet, calculate both totals, and choose the one that fits your actual guest list rather than the one with the simplest headline rate.

Keep the guest groups mutually exclusive. If the venue charges a teenager at the adult menu rate, move that person into the adult calculation rather than counting them twice. Ask which groups count toward any minimum, and record that answer beside the quote.

Two useful next steps: A baptism reception in Attica: leave room between the ceremony and lunch and One celebration, two ceremonies: brief the reception clearly.