SC - Survey

[Michael F. Gunter]

Hola, folks. This message is being forwarded to the sca-cooks listserve AND
the Aethelmearc listserve. Aethelmearc folks may be confused, so let me
take this opportunity to point out that on the sca-cooks listserve it has
been noticed that feast attendance is declining society-wide. In an attempt
to give the cooks  and autocrats in this area a report card, a survey was
conducted. 

While at Aethelmearc Crown this weekend, won, joyously by Sir Cygnus the
Blissful and his lady Mistress Dorinda Courtenay, I had time to conduct a
brief survey of the folks who were huddled in the hall around the fire for
warmth. Some were peers. Some were at their first event. Some were local.
Some came from very far away. They were all happy to answer my survey
anonomously on paper, and I think you will be surprised by the results.

I encourage all of you to do this survey or something similar in your areas
(even if it's at a business meeting so as not to detract from the period
atmosphere of an event). Of note, the cooks who took the survey (3 of them)
told me, in discussing the matter,  that a cook's reputation was paramount
to the reservation process, contrary to the results I obtained. However, a
minority of the respondants supported this theory in that they named cooks
from their home groups for whom they will always reserve onboard. Names DO
have value in a limited circle. Cooks also felt, in discussion, that wierd
food turned people off (in opposition to the results where people called
themselves adventurous eaters). I suppose we cooks don't know everything!
Lastly, the cooks who took the survey felt (in conversation) that feast
attendance was not dropping off in their groups WHEN THEY COOKED, but could
not answer for other cooks in their groups with any reliability.


I had 20 respondants, and some of them didn't follow my directions (which
may have not been all that clear--the survey questions below are an exact
copy). Some checked items rather than ranking them. Some gave 1 rank for
every question answered. And, some did not answer all the questions. Below
you will see the results, but let me point out the informative bits, since
e-mail spacing could make a mess of my nice columns and figures. I
reccomend you read the stats anyway (print them out if you have to), and
the comments at the end. But here are the highlights:

The scale:
1		2		3		4		5
Never		Ocaisionally	Sometimes	Frequently	Always

1) A majority said they eat onboard at events frequently .
2) A majority ranked the cook's reputation as only occaisionally or
sometimes important to the onboard decision.
3) A majority answered that the GROUPS's reputation is sometimes to
frequently important to the onboard decision.
4)Very few people got reccomendations before reserving.
5)A majority CAN afford to eat the average cost feast (and also indicated
that a lower price would not effect frequency).
6) A majority of respondants eat onboard at Kingdom evens, but....
7) A higher majority eats onboard at local events.
8) Routinely,  few respondants took the site's rural location into
consideration when deciding to eat onboard.
9) A majority will frequently (or higher) make onboard decisions based on
their friends' plans (ie: the group, cook, autocrat has no control over
this) .
10)A majority's decision whether to eat onboard never or only occaisionally
occurs onsite.
11)A vast majority consider themselves to be adventurous eaters Always or
Frequently. This surprised me!

The section entitled "I would eat onboard more if:" was answered less
satisfactorly, but the numbers are intriguing.
A) It was a clear decision as to whether seating charts were desirable (7
of 12 said yes). Those who gave them a low score gave them a VERY low
score, however.
B) A lower price (than average) had moderate to no effect when making
on-board decisions.
C) 16 out of 17 felt that feasts are served too late (Ranking it sometimes
{score 3 of 5} to always {5 of 5} or simple check marks indicating "yes").
D) 10 out of 13 felt feasts took too long.
E) Special foods for health concerns or diets ranked very low (but dieters
were rather opinionated). Only one vegetarian wanted special foods (the
only vegetarian respondant).
F)It was a split decision about avoiding Buffet lines. Half the scores were
very low (no opinion), half were only moderatly enthusiastic about avoiding
them. Those with negative opinons were very negative, however.
G) 7 of 10 felt that posession of experienced servers in a group influenced
their on-board decisions.
H)11 of 16 respondants would eat onboard more if there was more Pomp and
Ceremony is involved.
I) A slight majority of respondants thought that seperate kids
accomodations were good. Few people asmwered this question at all, which
indicated they either don't care or don't have children. Examples included
a kid's table (2 0f 3 said yes); a kids feast with familliar and neat food
(2 of 3 said yes); activities for kids during the 2nd half of feasts (2 of
3 said yes, one said no).

Hope you find this enlightening. At the least we should serve faster,
earlier, and with better servers! My apologies for spelling error. I
tabulated late at night with a 4 year old on my lap!

In service

Aoife

Feaster's On-board Frequency Survey----conducted in Sterlynge Vayle, at
Crown Tourney, Oct 10th 1998.
Number of respondants: 20
Answers are ranked thusly:
1		2		3		4		5
Never		Occaisionally	Sometimes	Frequently	Always

I eat on-board at SCA events  #  % & +
		2		2		10		4	
The Cook's Reputation is important to me. #  % + @
1		5		5		2		4
The group's reputation is important to me. #  % +
		1		7		5		4
I get reccomendations before reserving. #  % +@
7		5		1		3		1
I can afford to eat at the average feast  % & +
1		1		2		7		7
I eat onboard at Kingdom events #  % & +
		1		4		8		4
I eat onboard at local events #  % & +
		1		3		10   		4
I will take a site's rural location into consideration of eating onboard# 
% & +
9		1		4		4
I will make a decision about onboard based on my friends' plans #  % +
4		1		3		9
I will decide to eat onboard when arriving onsite  %
6		7		2				1
I am an adventurous eater # & +
1				3		6		8


I would eat onboard more if (some folks just checked spaces, so I will try
to take those into consideration here):   %
Number  Ans		Ranking1-2                  	3-4		5+         Ck Mark
A Seating chart was available (so I could garuntee a friendly table)*&~
12				4			4		1		2	
The price was lower
12				6			2		2		2
The feast was earlier 
17     # % &+			1			6		3		7
The feast took less time
13       #%&+			3			3		3		4
I could get special food for my health concerns:
8**   ***  *****		6			2		1		1
A) Vegertarian
1							1
B) Allergies
C)Food Likes/Dislikes
My friends ate onboard more	
9				3			5		1
The group avoided buffet lines.
10 ****			5			4		1
The group was more generous with servings.
13     # & +	 1 vote  .5)	6			1		1		4
The group had experienced servers
10				3			6				1
There was more pageantry and ceremony
16    # % & +			5			4		1		6
There was special accomodation for my children
10@				4			5				1
A) Kids table
2							1		1
B)Kids feast (familliar foods mixed with neat stuff)					
3							1		1
C)Activities for my kids while the 2nd and 3rd remove was served.
3				1					2

Notable comments:
*Wanted a few more tables than strictly necessary so that friends could sit
together.
Also wanted servings to be more generous, because food ran out before all
at the table were served, upon occaision.

Had a problem with "picky eaters" ruining everyone's appetite at the table.
Suggested a card to be placed on the table to keep the picky eaters busy.
Card would be a 'critic's choice survey' during the feast, ranking the
dishes descriptively. They are then involved more and complaining less!
Also suggested less of servings that required "massive adjustment to the
palate" such as turnips+raisin mash), so ppeople can have 1 or 2 tbsp to
taste it.

Noted that there can be ceremony and pageantry and still run a feast in a
timely manner. it all depends upon scheduling between the autocrat and
feastocrat.

Travel distance between site and home most frequently affects out plans.
With hubbie travelling so much we are unable to travel on Friday nights, so
we have to daytrip more often, because he usually has to leave again on
Sunday afternoon.

** would eat onboard more if there were special considerations for diets.

*** Can always be accomodated--dietary needs are simple.

****" Buffet lines are awful!"

*****Specific Dietary needs

@ scored cook's reputation and reccomendations as 10 on a 1 to 5 point
scale. Also noted that they did not have kids but appreciated children's
accomodations.

# Respondant merely checked the items rather than ranking them.

% Respondant merely checked items indicated, and wrote "I DID" at the
on-board at Kindgom event and on-board at local events questions.

& Respondant  circled 4 as the score for all questions marked, and checked
the lines that apply.

+ Respondant circled a score of 4 for all question answered, and added that
they are adventurous eaters when the cook is a local well known cook .
Respondant gave 4 check marks to "group was more generous with servings".  

One respondant noted that this was her first feast and she could answer
better after she'd eaten it!

~ Respondant did not indicate an answer but asked for less stringent
table-seating (see first comment)





 





  














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