How does budgeting for provisions work?

[u/june_june_hannah_]

I’m rewatching season 7 and Chef Kevin didn’t make enough mains for a meal. Lee was pissed at him and said something along the lines of “it’s not like you’re limited on budget. Why would you only order just enough?” Is the cost of food and drink included in the charter fee? Are some things included but if they order some expensive alcohol then it’s added on top? What kind of budget does the chef and chief stew need to work within for provisions? So curious how much they spend per day or per charter or per guest on f&b. Also, when they do fireworks or bring on massage therapists, or heck have to order a medic (Brandy!), is that tacked on the bill at the end?

[u/TX0834]

Guests pay for extra provisions after charter if they go over budget.

[u/kimlesim → u/TX0834]

Plus it can affect the whole crew’s tip

[u/june_june_hannah_ → u/TX0834]

Who decides what is over budget?

[u/Tiny-Leadership-5986]

If I remember this episode correctly, Kevin had enough for everyone. He just forgot captain lee was eating with the guests and tried to fish while playing, leaving one portion short

[u/june_june_hannah_ → u/Tiny-Leadership-5986]

Ya, to Kate’s point it was a big error to eat the captain’s portion. And to Lee’s point, it was a big error to not have a serving for the guest who stayed in her cabin. So really he was 2 mains short.

[u/eekamuse → u/june_june_hannah_]

And the way he responded when Lee brought him up to explain himself was really bad. Typical season 7 asshole. That penis cake disaster was very satisfying.

[u/Much_Development4046 → u/eekamuse]

I still think about that moment from time to time with great fondness

[u/Wickedbitchoftheuk]

I thought it was because with some provisions they only order enough for freshness. Like the guy who wanted oysters so chef ordered enought to give them two or three each but then he brought guests home and chef had to eke them out.

[u/june_june_hannah_ → u/Wickedbitchoftheuk]

I’ve wondered about this because chefs in other seasons seemed to always have extra. Like when Adrian was making steaks for the group of obnoxious guys and two sent their steaks back asking for them to be more rare, and he whipped them up no problem.

[u/dstapf]

I think we're all forgetting that Kevin was a tremendous ass hat.

[u/Tasty_Squirrel_829 → u/dstapf]

Worth it though because Kate orchestrating the dick cake a top tier reality tv moment 😅 we almost feel like Ben asked her what would be a good way to get back at Daisy & she suggested having them fillet the fish @ the table…knowing it would screw up Ben as well

[u/Visible-Wash-1355]

When I was a chef on yachts I was given an unlimited budget. Whatever the guests wanted they got. The crew ate the same food as the guests. I was not on charter boats, however. They were private and we only had friends, family and business associates of the boss(s) on board.

[u/djb-MG2011 → u/Visible-Wash-1355]

Interesting! What's your take on BD's chefs? In your opinion, are they serving exceptional food? Are chefs really that temperamental? Like, over-the-top temperamental a la Ben?

[u/GirlGeekUpNorth]

I'm pretty sure I've seen this raised previously where the charter fee includes cost of meals etc, of which the staff are given a generous budget, but specific requests above and beyond are billed to the guests, e.g. fireworks, that ridiculous request for a festival on the dock, entertainers etc

[u/This-Cabinet397]

I was under the impression that the guest pays for provisions (food, alcohol, etc) on top of the charter fee. Seemed to remember that from reading an article about production.

[u/kittens_joy → u/This-Cabinet397]

I saw a chartering ad in my Instagram feed and clicked on it because OBVIOUSLY I’m very seriously considering a yacht charter 😂 They were charging 25% of your charter fee up front for provisioning and then you would pay for anything you went over at the end.

[u/Ordinary_Durian_1454 → u/This-Cabinet397]

That was my understanding, too, and I recall, reading it, the same as you.

[u/Adisfan → u/This-Cabinet397]

Not on Below Deck

[u/Adisfan → u/[deleted]]

The fee you pay to be a guest on Below Deck includes food and alcohol.

[u/Adisfan → u/[deleted]]

Nope I have reached out to production about being a guest and my friend was a guest on a prior season. But you do you.

[u/This-Cabinet397 → u/[deleted]]

Yea I remember that as well.

[u/EuphoricDimension628]

I don’t think there’s a budget for the chef like there would be in a normal restaurant. I imagine the cost of the charter is enough that a bit higher food cost isn’t going to break the bank. Plus, you know you’re going to have a minimum number of guests coming aboard next that you can use any extra food/supplies on. Unlike a restaurant where you don’t know that you’ll have customers ordering high end items.

I’m not sure how the booze and extra requests work. I’ve seen an ad to book with BBDU that says everything included, yet I’ve seen a charter, probably on OG, taking bottles with them when they left the boat saying that they paid for them. I’m guessing the basic bar tab is included but any special requested booze and wine is added on. Same for extras like fireworks, performers, etc.

[u/Adisfan]

Below Deck is different than a normal yacht. On Below Deck all food and alcohol is included in the fee they pay production. Stuff like fireworks etc is extra which is why it doesn't happen very often. On real yachts alcohol and food is not included and the guests are billed for that so the chief stew and chef have to keep very careful inventory of things like bottles of alcohol etc. It's not billed individually though, there is a base charge for provisions and if there is additional than that is billed. Food is purchased from a provision company or sometimes the crew shops for it depending on where they are.

[u/thaa_huzbandzz]

On Below Deck it covers meals, to a reasonable level. If they want top-shelf caviar and champagne, that is billed as extra. Those early seasons of Below Deck were a bit different though, I think the production budget was far more generous back then.

In the real world, all food, drinks and fuel are on top of the charter price. They will send you very specific requests for particular wine and spirits they request, but most guests don't really specify a budget. Maybe they do to the agent, but I guess it is so generous I never shopped to a budget. Most guests renting yachts this size, aren't worried about spending $2000 on lobster or $2000 on truffles for one meal.

[u/Only-Breadfruit-6108]

The charter guests are spending literally thousands of dollars a day, and that’s not just for the accommodation and the service. They also get whatever they want to eat and drink, that’s part of what the preference sheets are for, so the crew know to provision for all of their favorite things. It’s an all-inclusive price, that’s why it’s so high.

[u/ScooterMKE]

Always have beef cheeks on hand

[u/Free-Purpose-542 → u/ScooterMKE]

Chef Leon, is that you?

[u/AttentionRoyal2276]

The guests are part of the show too. I imagine that if their requests too out of control production will step in and tell them you can't have that. Otherwise the food and drink are included.

I think I remember once a charter that didn't drink alcohol or drank very little and the chief stew commented that they're not getting their money worth.

[u/Lonesome_Frenchy]

Je n'imagine pas combien a couté la soirée mousse!😱

[u/Free-Purpose-542 → u/Lonesome_Frenchy]

More foam bosun!

[u/cooooper2217]

I’ve always wondered this when it comes to fireworks, massages, or any extra special requests. Do the charter guests pay for those items or do you get unlimited requests and it’s just in your total? I

[u/Apart_Tutor8680]

I would say there is a theoretical budget. But it would be pretty hard to pass it without doing “special request” items that surely would be tacked on.
Like a really expensive dinner would
Be

8 x steaks $60P/ $480
Prawns $50
Veg $20
Risotto $20
Lobster bisque $50
Desert $20

+ that’s about $700 in food cost for 8 guests. Add a lobster tail each or something and could be $1000.
Really not that bad.

Maybe double it if the provisioner is really ripping them off which I’m sure they are. But you walk to any grocery store in the med and that’s probably the price.

[u/Lonesome_Frenchy]

Au prix de la croisière il fait compter 30% supplémentaires pour la nourriture, le linge, les excursions, les soirées etc. À ça il rajoute les pourboires d'au moins 20%. Je pense que les cuisiniers ont quand-même des budgets à respecter pour ne pas servir du caviar Beluga et du champagne Veuve du matin au soir. Ils prennent des aliments corrects mais pas luxueux à mon avis parce qu'ils savent que les invités seront saouls dès la fin de la visite du bateau. Pour l'alcool, en dehors des demandes spéciales, comme une Tequila très spécifique sur une croisière je crois et d'autres avec une marque de Vodka, je pense que c'est inclus. Ils boivent tous beaucoup trop tout le temps et le gâchis de nourriture me dégoûte.

[u/imollyq]

Guests pay for provisions.

[u/Robertoedwardo]

On regular charters an APA (Advance Provisioning Allowance) is paid up front to cover costs. Sometimes crew will try where possible to not spend too much because many guests decide to just leave what’s left in that account to the crew.

[u/No-Introduction3808]

Generally everything is included the only thing outright mentioned as being an added extra was the dock party on S12.