Minimum Spend at Clubs: What You Pay and Get Back
A minimum spend is the amount you commit to spending on drinks and food to hold a table — not a charge on top of what you order. Meet it, and the table has cost you nothing beyond the bottles. Fall short, and you pay the shortfall anyway. Then tax, service and venue fees of 20 to 38 percent are added to whichever figure is higher.
How the money actually moves
Think of it as a prepaid tab with a floor. The club sets the floor; you order against it through the night. Three outcomes are possible at close.
| What you ordered | What is billed | Then added on top |
|---|---|---|
| Exactly the minimum | The minimum | 20–38% tax, service, venue fees |
| More than the minimum | What you ordered | 20–38% on the full amount |
| Less than the minimum | The minimum — shortfall included | 20–38% on the minimum |
Source. Minimum-spend mechanics and the 20–38 percent add-on range as described by Discotech for Amsterdam venues, consulted 1 September 2026. The exact percentage depends on the club, and on whether service is folded into the menu price or added at settlement. Ask which before you book.
A worked example
Say a venue quotes a minimum spend of 1,000 for your table and adds 30 percent at settlement. Three bottles from the menu come to 1,050.
- You have cleared the minimum, so the tab is the 1,050 you ordered.
- Thirty percent on top brings it to 1,365.
- Had you ordered two bottles at 700, you would still be billed the 1,000 minimum — plus 30 percent — for 1,300. Two bottles cost almost as much as three.
That last line is the one to internalise: below the minimum, every euro you do not spend is still charged. The rational move is to order to the floor rather than below it.
What counts toward the minimum?
Usually drinks and food ordered at the table. Usually not: entry fees, coat check, or anything bought at the bar by someone in your group who wandered off. Some venues exclude service charge from the count, so 1,000 of drinks on a menu that already includes service may only count as 800 toward the floor.
This is worth asking in one sentence when you book: "What counts toward the minimum, and is service included in the menu price?" The answer changes the arithmetic above by a third.
Why do clubs work this way?
Because a table is seating capacity that could have gone to a walk-in crowd buying at the bar. The minimum guarantees the venue at least that revenue from the space. It is not a scam and it is not negotiable in principle — but the level is negotiable, and moves with the night, the group and who asks. How VIP table booking works in Amsterdam sets out what drives it.
Minimum spend versus a table fee
A few venues charge a flat table fee instead, or in addition. That is a different product: a fee is paid whatever you order, a minimum is only "paid" if you under-order. When two quotes look similar, check which one you are reading. A 500 fee plus drinks can cost more than a 1,000 minimum you were going to meet anyway.
The distinction between a table, a guest-list entry and bottle service — which are often confused — is set out in guest list, table or bottle service.
Common questions
Is minimum spend the same as a deposit?
No. A deposit is money paid at booking and offset against the bill; a minimum spend is a floor on what you will be billed. Some clubs take a deposit toward the minimum, in which case you are dealing with both — and both should be stated at booking.
Can the minimum be split across the group?
The venue bills one tab per table, so the split is between you and your guests, not with the club. Agree the arithmetic before the night: a 1,000 minimum plus 30 percent across eight people is about 163 each before anyone orders a cocktail.
Do bottles on the menu include tax?
Sometimes, and it matters. A menu price with tax included and a service charge added at settlement is common; a menu price with neither included, and both added, is where the 38 percent end of the range comes from. Ask which applies.
What if we leave early?
The minimum still applies. Leaving at 01:00 having spent 600 against a 1,000 floor means paying 1,000 plus fees. If the night is winding down early, order the remaining balance in bottles to take rather than leave it unspent — most venues allow it, some do not, and it is worth asking before you settle.
Getting the real number first
We quote tables with the add-on percentage stated and the minimum-spend rules confirmed with the venue, so the figure you agree to is the figure on the bill. Tell us the night and the group and you will have the all-in cost before anyone decides.