SC - Estimating Crowds

[Decker, Terry D.]

When I do a feast, I plan the menu and determine the number of people I will
feed depending on the site and the event.  I normal feed Crowns, servers and
kitchen staff gratis.  My planning is based on units of 8 (about the number
a standard folding table will seat).  The feast reservations and fees are
normally handled separately from site fees.

Based on my menu and my planned attendence, I present a budget to be
accepted or rejected.  I may revise my menu and my budget if requested, but
I do not allow anyone else to tell me what my menu or my budget is to be.  I
plan for a profit if all goes well and to minimize loss in case of
catastrophic failure or rising prices.

For this kind of feast, the feast is limited to the number of people for
which I have planned and budgeted.  If necessary, I could probably expand
one of these feasts to handle an additional 10 to 16 people, but I do so
only on rare occasions (the last time was when a prized former member of our
group was able to attend unexpectedly and the Baroness requested he be
seated at the head table).

I have done feasts tied off to the site fee.  I don't particularly care for
this, since it is very often difficult to judge the number of attendees at
an Ansteorran event.  I plan and budget for an estimated number plus 10% and
work contingency funds into the budget.  The menu is planned so the
quantities can be increased easily.

In my opinion, as head cook it is best to decide what you are going to do,
plan and budget to your decision, then stand by your decision.  If an
authority figure tries to overrule you, hand them the wooden spoon and tell
them they are now the head cook.

While I use the term head cook, in reality I make sure I have absolute
control of every aspect of the feast -- the kitchen, the hall layout, the
servers, the menu, the purchasing and the entertainment.  I often give the
entertainment portion away, but I want initial control of it in case I want
to make the entertainment an integral part of the feast.  I normally work
with a hall steward and a head server, tell them what I want, and let them
execute my plan while I personally handle purchasing and the kitchen.

The extent of your flexibility needs to be set in the planning and
preparation and adhered to.

Bear   

 

 

>     I wanted to gather some information here.
> 
>     For those of you who have previously done feasts, how many do you 
> typically prepare for?  Specifically, I refer to being given 
> a budget, for a 
> certain number of people.  Do you stay at that number (100 
> for a starting 
> point), or do you prepare for 110 just in case?
> 
>     I would like to know how others handle this.  I was 
> dealing with a 
> situation last weekend where feast was supposed to be for 75 
> (local event), 
> and at a last minute request was for 85.  If this common?
> 
>     Khadijah