SC - Re: sca-cooks V1 #3109 - Poison Pen in full spread

[Seton1355@aol.com]

It's common to handle feasts separate from the event in Ansteorra, so that
is not an issue on pre-pay.  The problem is that most of the reservations
for pre-paid feasts come shortly before the event and purchasing may start
as much as six months in advance to take advantage of available prices.

I've seen very little overselling at the gate locally.  Usually all of the
seats have been reserved before the gate opens.  A waiting list gets started
so we can recycle no-shows and duplicate reservations.  The big problem
occurs when the reservation taker doesn't get the names of everyone combined
in a reservation and there is heavy duplication between some of the
reservations.  This occurred at the last feast I did.   

I have more problems with gate crashers and short counted tables (a cute way
of getting larger portions) than I do with overselling.  Last feast I wound
up feeding at least 12 gate crashers and had three short counted tables
according to the local exchequer tallies.  Producing a shrinkage of almost
10 percent.  The Barony was restrained by the Crown from correcting the
problem.

For us feast tokens are not so much to prevent oversell, but to alleviate
shrinkage.  I was so incensed by the blatant theft, I have been trying to
develop serving strategies based on period methods of portion control to
reduce the problem.

Bear



> I know of groups in Calontir that make you pre-pay the feast but not the
> event. that way the Cooks don't buy more than they need and the troll
> doesn't oversell the feast. Even with the tokens it does happen.
> 
> Thorbjorn
>