Every touring musician has a hospitality rider. Most of them get ignored. Not because venues are lazy — but because the rider is a three-page wish list with no structure, no priorities, and no sense of what's realistic for a 200-cap room on a Tuesday.
Here's how to write a hospitality rider that venues actually read, respect, and fulfill.
The single biggest improvement you can make is splitting your rider into two sections: requirements and requests.
Requirements are non-negotiable — allergies, dietary restrictions, medical needs, towels on stage, a private changing area. If someone in the band has a severe nut allergy, that's a requirement. If the singer likes a specific brand of honey, that's a request.
When everything is presented at the same priority level, the venue has to guess what matters. They'll get some things right and some things wrong, and the wrong ones might be the ones that actually affected the show.
Don't write "bottled water." Write "12 bottles of still water (room temperature) on stage, 6 cold in green room." The venue needs to know how much to buy and where to put it. Vague requests get vague results.
Same goes for food. "Hot meal for 6" is better than "dinner." "Hot meal for 6, served by 5:30 PM, one vegetarian, one gluten-free" is better still. Include your party size, dietary restrictions, and a meal time tied to your schedule.
Real talk: Most club-level venues have a food buyout budget of $10–15 per person. If your rider asks for charcuterie boards and sushi platters at a 300-cap room, you're going to get pizza. Know your venue tier and write accordingly.
Smart touring acts maintain two or three versions of their hospitality rider:
Sending an arena rider to a dive bar doesn't make you look professional — it makes you look like you've never played a dive bar.
Your green room request should cover the basics that actually affect the show:
Skip the scented candles, specific furniture, and decor requests unless you're at a level where those get fulfilled consistently. A clean, private, well-lit room with power and Wi-Fi covers 90% of what you actually need.
Put dietary restrictions at the top of the food section, not buried in a paragraph. Format them as a simple list:
The distinction between preference and medical condition matters. "Vegetarian" is a preference. "Celiac" is medical. "Nut allergy" is potentially life-threatening. Make the severity clear so the venue's catering handles it appropriately.
Brand-specific drink requests are the most commonly ignored part of hospitality riders. Unless your contract specifically includes a drink budget, most venues will substitute with what they carry.
A better approach: specify the category and quantity, with a brand preference noted as optional.
Vocalists should get a dedicated line item for throat-care supplies: honey, lemon, caffeine-free tea, room-temperature water. This is a show-affecting need, not a luxury.
Always include a buyout clause: "If catering cannot be provided, a buyout of $X per person is acceptable." This gives small venues an easy out and guarantees your band eats. Common buyout rates range from $15–25 per person depending on the market.
Your hospitality rider should look as polished as your stage plot. Use clear headers, bullet points, and consistent formatting. Include your tour manager's contact info at the top so the venue can ask questions during advance.
One page is ideal. Two pages maximum. If your hospitality rider is longer than your technical rider, something is out of proportion.
Your hospitality rider is one piece of a larger advance packet. See our guide on building a full tech advance to see how it all fits together.
Build a stage plot that's as clean as your rider.
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