What is a bar package?
A bar package is a flat-priced beverage bundle billed per guest or per hour, rather than by the drink. The client pays one predictable number for open-bar service over a set period, and the venue absorbs the risk of how much each guest actually drinks.
It is the alternative to consumption billing, where every drink is rung up and the final tab is unknown until the bar closes.
Priced in tiers.
Bar packages are sold in tiers defined by the quality of the pour. A typical ladder runs beer & wine at the low end, then house (well) bar, premium (call) bar, and top-shelf at the top. Each tier is priced per guest for a fixed number of hours — for example, $28 per head for beer & wine over four hours, rising to $55 or more for top-shelf. Some venues instead price per hour (say $18 per guest for the first hour, $9 for each hour after), which rewards shorter service windows. Packages are billed against the final guaranteed guest count, so the number is known before a single drink is poured.
The appeal is certainty for both sides. The client is protected from a runaway bar tab and knows the beverage line on the invoice up front. The venue gets a known number for staffing and inventory — how many bartenders to schedule and how much stock to order. Packages usually exclude shots, and set a last call before the package hours end.
Package vs consumption.
| Model | How it's billed | Who carries the risk |
|---|---|---|
| Bar package | Flat, per guest or per hour | The venue — cost is fixed for the client |
| Consumption (open tab) | Per drink poured | The client — final tab is unknown until close |
A rough rule: heavy-drinking crowds favour a package (they'd out-drink the per-drink math), while light or short events often cost less on consumption. Venues quote both and let the client choose.
A package priced out.
A corporate gala for 200 guests chooses the premium bar package at $42 per head for four hours. Billed against the final guarantee of 200, the beverage line is a flat $8,400 — set before the event, with service charge and tax added on top. The venue schedules five bartenders (roughly one per 40 guests) and orders stock to the package tier. Had the same event run on consumption, the tab could have landed anywhere from $6,000 to $11,000 depending on the crowd — which is exactly the uncertainty the package removes for both the client and the venue.
Keep reading.
- Full banquet & catering glossary — every booking and event term in one place
- Corkage fee — the charge when a client brings their own bottles instead
- Final guarantee — the count a bar package is billed against
- Cocktail reception — the standing-bar period a package often covers
- LightCater features — build and price bar packages into every quote
Quote bar packages in seconds.
Set tiers, price per head or per hour, and bill against the final guarantee — no spreadsheet math. Try LightCater free for 14 days, no credit card to start.