Aha!

I emailed Lilibeth about the open bar:

Hi Lilibeth!

We have a combined $1500 minimum to meet for Prom food and bar. The consensus I've been given is that we do an open bar.

How would that work? Right now, we're looking at about $800 or so in food, $700 toward drink, and possibly more. Would we prepay that, or would your bartender keep the tab on it, and we would make up any difference?

And she wrote back:

Let's do a prepay at least the minimum of $1,000, then have the bartender keep the tab after that. We are going to have a credit card on file anyway. What ya think?

Does this work? It would simply be a matter of refunding the difference, if I'm reading this right.

I'm okay with that, but it looks like a prepay, not an open bar.

yes, but it's prepay for the event, not for us, the attendees (still an open bar for attendees). Someone's gotta pay for the booze in the end, and it ain't gonna be the hotel.

OK. Someone please explain the difference between a prepay and an open?

Because I'm missing something. We have a minimum we need to meet. We have X number of people who are planning on drinking. How can the bar be "open" unless it's prepaid? What's the difference between the two and why is one better?

There's something in the mechanics of this bit that I'm not getting.

I'm okay with that, but it looks like a prepay, not an open bar.

Yeah, I'm confused. And open bar should be a flat rate for a set time, not a prepay deal.

How can the bar be "open" unless it's prepaid?

It can't. I think you're OK with your understanding. The open bar status only affects the end user, the attendee, the party guest.

Deb, an open bar would be, say $1000 for two hours (made up numbers). There's no accounting - what ever you drink or don't drink during that time period is covered.

And open bar should be a flat rate for a set time, not a prepay deal.

Really? I've not come across that definition. Someone has to pay for what's drunk. If it's not the attendee/guest, it's the planner.

How I'm reading it is thusly:

1) Buffistas, Inc. gives Lilibeth $1000 for an open bar which will prsumably cover bartender and usage.

2) attendees of the Buffistas, Inc., party, do their best to damage their livers and the deposit.

3) if we don't use it up, we get it back?

Deb, an open bar would be, say $1000 for two hours (made up numbers). There's no accounting - what ever you drink or don't drink during that time period is covered

Right. An open bar buys unlimited alcohol during a set amount of time for a flat rate.

What she's offering is $1000 of prepaid a la carte drinks, which is a whole different set of rules.

It may work out to costing us the same amount either way, but I'd prefer a standard open bar if she's willing.

Like I said, the current arrangement works for me, assuming the refundy bit is correct.