SC - Decline in members signing up for feast.... Opinions?

[Margo Hablutzel]

	> Just wanted to get an idea of what is happening elsewhere.  In
Bryn
	> Gwlad, we have noticed about 50% of the people coming into an
event
	> signing up for feast (at least this last feast we had).  And we
are
	> noticing a trend for people not to eat feast. Is this happening
	> elsewhere?  We are about to put out a 'feast' survey to see if we
can
	> get any answers to this.  I will post the results here. Just
wanted to
	> know if any of you have seen this happening.  And if so, what
reasons
	> have people given.  Just curious.

This is my first posting; I've been lurking for a while, but have not had
much to contribute until now.  I have not seen a feast not sell out, but I
have seen several where a week before they were maybe 40-50% subscribed.
Reasons I have heard:

1)	By signing up at the door, I know whether friends will be there or
if they have decided to go out, so we made the decision when we got there.
(ALSO:  It's too hard to get a table for all of us to sit together, so it's
easier for us to go out to eat.)
2)	Not sure we would stay that late, and so did not sign up ahead of
time.
3)	I remember something bad happened at a feast there years ago, and
would not try again.
4)	I wanted to find out if court would be before or after feast; if
before, then feast would be really late and I can't wait that long.  (Of
course, if after it cuts into time for dancing!)
5)	They had only 100 tickets and I figured they would sell out, so I
didn't reserve.
6)	I couldn't understand what the dishes would be on the menu.
7)	I have too many allergies (or travel with someone who does, etc.).
(ALSO:  I am a vegetarian and didn't think there'd be enough for me to eat.)
8)	It's too expensive!  (More on this below.)
9)	Feast always take too long, I could go out, eat, run an errand, and
come back and they would still have a course (or three) to go.
10)	As in 9, adding "and my children/bad back/other reason cannot sit
that long."
11)	I wanted beer and it's a dry site.
12)	I don't like a feast with bad service (or a buffet line), and that's
what that group has.

The biggest issues I have heard are the length of time a feast takes, and
the cost.  You really can do a lot to cut the time for service and between
courses.  Use skilled servers, or at least ones big enough to carry the
dishes.  I was at one recently where everybody made a big deal about how the
children would serve, but many of them were too small to carry the dishes,
or had to make multiple trips for the course.  Some had crying fits and left
when they did not get to serve a certain person or table.  Children are
cute, but often not big or mature enough to serve.  The situation was
exacerbated because the adult server, who did High Table, offered to help
serve the other tables, but insisted upon serving each person individually
and chatting with the table as he did so.  Chatting is fine after people
have food - not before.
The cook also needs to know the kitchen and the dishes, and have enough
in-kitchen help to be sure that everything is set up on schedule and at
temperature.
As for cost, well, I have seen feasts costing $12-14 per ticket.  Is this
worthwhile?  Some say that the high-ticket feasts are necessary for
Kingdom/Principality-level events such as Coronet, Crown, and Coronation.
But this prices the whole event very steeply, especially as site fees can
run $4-6 for the day.  Not everybody can afford that, or wishes to, when you
can go to a local chain restaurant with a salad bar and get as much food as
you can hold, with all the bits you like best, for less than that price.  If
you have kids, that kind of feast may be wasted in the food and time; it's
better to go someplace they like and can run around a bit.
Some places do this, some do not - offer a seating chart so that people can
sign up for tablespace.  This way they can guarantee that they will be able
to sit with friends, and it eliminates some of the
stand-by-the-door-trample-the-setup-crew problem you get at times.
To answer #6 and #7, try to be as clear as possible in the menu, and I've
usually named the dishes and put a statement in the ad that people wanting a
full ingredient list can send a SASE to the cook, or get a seneschal's
flyer.  My feasts tend to be vegetarian-friendly and have a variety of foods
so that if someone is allergic to one dish they won't be to another in the
same course.  (The worst I ever saw was when a man in the cook's household
could eat only bread for the first two courses because there was onions or
garlic in EVERY dish.)
All I can think of for now, back to lurking.
	
- ---= Morgan



	           |\     THIS is the cutting edge of technology! 
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	           |/    margolh at nt.com <mailto:margolh at nt.com>  *
Hablutzel at compuserve.com <mailto:Hablutzel at compuserve.com> 
	                   Morgan Cely Cain * Steppes, Ansteorra
	                     (although temporarily in Atlantia)
	                
	                     May God have mercy on my enemies
	                     For they shall certainly need it.

	         For every action, there is an equal and opposite criticism.

	                I intend to live forever -- so far, so good!
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