[Sca-cooks] Re: Cost of feast

[Barbara Benson]

<Gorgeous> Chaffing at $8 for a feast, even poorly cooked, when it costs
nearly $5 to
> get a burger, fries and a shake at any of the fast food joints.  I don't
get it.

Greetings,

Here is something I have been thinking about re: the concept of comparing
what we pay for feast vs. what can be purchased at a restaurant, fast or
otherwise.

I do not see that the comparison works out. The pricing structure for
restaurants is based on an unbelievable number of things including but not
limited to: facilities overhead, personnel, insurance, food costs, equipment
costs yadda, yadda, yadda. All of this is with the understanding that when
you walk into to said eating establishment you typically have upwards of
25 - 30 different dishes that you can choose to eat. The kitchen has to be
prepared to prepare and serve every one of these dishes to a large number of
people. On any given day the kitchen may or may not sell even a portion of
the food that they are prepared to prepare.

What am I getting at? At a feast there are no options. You pay a fixed price
and eat a menu that was chosen for you. If the feast is planned properly
there will be a minimum of leftovers and the head cook will not be left
looking at a refrigerator full of the fish special that he was sure that he
was gonna move, but is now no more than dead fish that has to be paid for
somehow.

What you are paying for when you pay $5 for the #2 special at a fast food
place is the opportunity to have a large choice. If said restaurant only
offered one dish then the pricing would be completely different and that
burger and fries would probably cost about .50. AND they would still be
making buttloads of money because all they would have to keep in stock is
said hamburger.

Being a volunteer organization, the head chef at an SCA feast does not have
to pay anyone. The site fee covers the facilities overhead. The only thing
your feast dollar goes to is the actual food being prepared for your
consumption. We expect more for our dollar and rightfully so. I have been to
any number of feasts that (in this false analogy) would have easily cost
over $100 at a restaurant that served food of that quality. So being charged
$8 for a feast that I would not have paid $8 for at the local diner - well
some people may feel ripped off.

Wow, that was quite a run! Sorry guys. Please note that this is just
something I have been thinking of, it may be utter moose hockey. Feel free
to poke holes in it at will.

***This is only a test! If this had been an actual rant you would be
notified of proper safety procedures***

Glad Tidings,
Serena da Riva

I need to get a hobby.