[Sca-cooks] Fw: [Aten_Cooks](long) Feast Policy Draft for Review

[Susan Fox-Davis]

Hmm.  This warrents close reading.  Much of it details what the Kingdom
is willing to pay for;  if for instance you want to comp other diners,
you must fund it privately.  OK, I'll buy that [and have!]  My
permission is granted to relay this post in its entirety to the
Aten_Cooks list and anyone else who cares to read it.

My comments inserted between bits of edited text:

> The following costs must be estimated and provided in the event bid:
>
> •      Per-Person Cost: A reasonable estimate of the Per-Person
> Cost for the feast must be provided. The per-person cost may not
> exceed $7 per person.

I wouldn't set specific figure that into kingdom law if it were up to
me.  Our country's economy is in enough flux that this could go from
"mildly chintzy" to "impossible" in five years.  My opinion only, your
mileage may vary, etc.  I dearly hope that I am wrong, and there we will
all have greater problems that this if I am right.  :-(

> •      Number Of Maximum Feasters: An estimate of the expected
> number of feasters must be stated in the bid OR the maximum number
> of feasters who the feastocrat is willing to feed must be stated.
> This number shall be used as the Number Of Maximum Feasters
> explained in the article, i.e., "A feast for [INSERT NUMBER] will be
> offered..."

I would compute this using the "Maximum number permitted for dining"
occupancy minus 25 percent for garb.  We take up more space than people
in modern clothing, who do not have to contend with hoop skirts, big
lined sleeves, etc.  My opinion, based on tough experience last Caid
Twelfth Night.  The room occupancy designated 250, so that's what we
sold... eeek!  We had serious problems trying to get any table served
past the first row closest to the kitchen.

> •      Estimated Total Cost of the Feast: The total feast cost must
> be stated in the bid.  This is computed as:
>
> Per-Person Cost MULTIPLIED TIMES Number Of Maximum Feasters
> PLUS Kitchen/equipment/Supplies
> MULTIPLIED TIMES 1.10
>
> NOTE: The "Estimated Total Cost of the Feast" computed here, or the
> superceding "Estimated Total Cost of the Feast"computed 15 days
> before the event, is the maximum dollar amount that the Kingdom
> Financial Committee will advance or reiumburse to the
> feastocrat/autocrat for the feast. Feastocrats must be aware of this
> maximum when spending advanced funds, or monies they intend to ask
> that the Kingdom reimburse.

Only a ten percent fudge factor?  I'd hold out for twenty percent.
Maybe I'm over-cautious, but I follow The Way Of The Worrier. <g>

> E.      Setting the Feast Fee
>
> Feast fees for adults must be stated in the bid and set to:
>
> a.      Cover the per-person feast cost plus $1.00 (the per-person
> cost may not exceed $8 per person), and
> b.      Provide the extra cost needed to cover all comp'd feasters

B is reasonable, but A really does not take into consideration HALL
RENTAL as part of the per-person feast cost.  The feast of a one-day
event is likely to take up half of your total hall rental hours and that
has to be covered too.

> Feast fees for children must be stated in the bid.

Don't forget that reduced fees for children's tickets are not subject to
the Non-Member Surcharge.

> F.      Advanced/Reimbursed Funds/Recomputing No. of Maximum Feasters
>
> a.      No monies for the feast shall be advanced earlier than
> fifteen days before the feast without special written permission
> from the Kingdom Financial Committee.  If funds are advanced
> earlier, every effort will be made to not advance more than has
> already been collected in pre-paid reservations.

Um.  This will work against the strategy of buying fresh food in season
and freezing it until feast time, unless the head cook or somebody has
the cash-in-hand to front the purchase.  Not fair to poor-but-talented
cooks.  I have fronted this kind of cash before in more prosperous times
but right now I know I would have a real problem in this situation.
Possibly the hosting barony or shire can help out here, but not all
baronial officials will want to extend a loan event to their own
kingdom.  Sad but true.

> b.      Fifteen days before the event, the feastocrat and exchequer
> collecting pre-paid feast reservations shall re-compute the Number
> Of Maximum Feasters as follows:
>
> 1.      Pre-paid Reservations PLUS
> 2.      20% of Pre-paid Reservations PLUS
> 3.      Comp'd feast reservations.
>
> Feastocrats will be asked to only purchase supplies and cook for the
> Number Of Maximum Feasters determined with this computation.

This fails to take into account the Universal Law of the Last-Minute
Payers;  50 percent of your prospective ticket buyers will remember to
buy their tickets within the last week of the event.  Tell me I'm wrong
and I'll call you a Phaoroah -- king of denial!

> 5.      Extra feast seats will be available for purchase at the
> event at the Troll table.  The number sold shall be the difference
> between the Number Of Maximum Feasters computed by the
> feastocrat/exchequer when preparing the feast, and the number of
> feasts sold onsite and being held by reservations.

That number could be Zero, remember.

> 6.      Paid feast reservations may be transferred to another
> feaster if:
> a)      The person holding the reservation AND the person using the
> paid reservation appear together at the troll/site table asking for
> the reassignment, OR
> b)      A written, signed note from the person holding the paid
> reservation is presented at the troll/site table requesting the
> reassignment.  The Group Exchequer will retain this note at the
> troll with the receipts for the feast.

I'm not sure I could have written a note the last time I was sick enough
to have to go home from an event. ["Walking" pneumonia was too generous
a description.]  Possibly the spoken word of next-of-kin, in person or
by phone, would suffice in an honourable society?

> 7.      Pre-paid feast reservations and comp'd feasts must be picked
> up 30 minutes before the serving of food has begun or the seats will
> be sold by the Troll booth.

That's reasonable I suppose.  There will always be someone to buy
them... I hope.

> 8.      Paid feasters who do not use their paid reservations and
> wish a refund must submit a written request for the refund from the
> Group Exchequer in the 30 days following the event.

Insert the clause "of seats that have been re-sold" in there, or else
you lose money on no-shows whose food was left uneaten.

Yours in service,
Dame Selene Colfox, Caid
OP, OLC [cookery], OHA [cookery], Crescent Spoon, etc. you get the
idea...