Setting the Bar Straight: The Difference Between Hosted Bars and Cash Bars

Food and drinks are essential details to include for any large event. When you choose All Occasion Catering to orchestrate the culinary details for your event, you’ll be able to choose from 38 menus with customizable entrees, sides and desserts so that your options are endless. However, the thought of supplying wine and spirits can be befuddling. There are so many options, like a hosted bar or a cash bar, but what are the differences?

At All Occasion Catering, we offer three types of bars: a hosted bar, a cash bar and a combination of the two. Here, we’ll outline what the differences are to help you make the right choice for your event.

Hosted Bar

There are two types of hosted bars: a pre-paid bottle service or an open bar by the drink. The pre-paid bottle service means that before the event, you’ll choose a specific amount of wine, liquor or beer to supply your guests. The open bar option lets your guests order any drink they’d like throughout the evening, and you’ll pay for the entire final tab.

Cash Bar

With a cash bar, your guests will purchase all of their own drinks. We’ll supply house wines, beer, and an assortment of liquors and mixed drinks so that your guests will have plenty to choose from.

Hosted/Cash Bar

This combination is very popular for many large events. With this option, you’ll purchase drink tickets for each of your guests to use at the bar. After they run out of tickets, they’ll need to purchase their own drinks at the bar on a cash basis. As the host, you’ll only be responsible for your portion of the bar tab.

So are you ready to get the party started? Our professional bartenders will be more than happy to serve alcohol at your event. Just give us a call at (865) 521-1300, so that we can get started!