Valet pricing follows the staffing: more cars means more attendants and longer events mean more hours. Multiply attendants by hours by the hourly rate and add a flat setup fee for cones, signs, and the valet stand.
Four attendants for five hours at $30 is $600, plus a $120 setup, for a $720 event quote.
The example
Three events, each with the attendants staffed, hours, the hourly rate, and a flat setup fee.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Event | Attend | Hours | Rate | Setup | Total |
| 2 | Wedding | 4 | 5 | 30 | 120 | 720 |
| 3 | Gala | 6 | 4 | 32 | 150 | 918 |
| 4 | Dinner | 2 | 3 | 30 | 90 | 270 |
The formula
The labor is a three-way product; the setup is added once:
How it works
Staffing cost plus a flat fee:
B2*C2is total attendant-hours — how many hours of labor the event needs across all valets.*D2multiplies by the hourly rate to turn attendant-hours into a labor charge.+E2adds the flat setup fee for the stand, signage, cones, and key box, charged once per event.- Size the attendants to the expected car volume — a steady arrival rate needs fewer valets than a everyone-at-once gala.
Sum the quotes across a weekend to forecast, or divide the total by cars parked to see your revenue per car.
Try it: interactive demo
Enter the attendants, hours, hourly rate, and setup fee.
Variations
Gratuity included
Fold an 18% service charge into the quote.
Overnight surcharge
Add a flat fee when an event runs past midnight.
Pitfalls & errors
Setup is a one-time fee — do not multiply it by hours or attendants. Keep it outside the labor product so a long event is not charged for the valet stand over and over.
Staff to the arrival pattern, not just the headcount. A gala where everyone arrives in fifteen minutes needs more attendants than a dinner that trickles in, even for the same number of cars.
Practice workbook
Frequently asked questions
How many attendants does an event need?
Why a separate setup fee?
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