General Etiquette > All In A Day's Work
you pay and we'll choose the food
wetblanket:
Our office has decided to go to a pub for drinks and snacks this year as our holiday celebration.
Someone decided it would be “easier” if we pre-ordered the food. I have my doubts about this, since after all pubs are usually ready to take orders for nachos and chicken wings and the like at any time, they don’t need two weeks’ notice! I also would prefer to decide what to eat when I get there, rather than being stuck with whatever gets decided in advance. From past experience I know that the self-appointed organizers will choose whatever they want.
Pre-ordering the food wouldn’t be so bad if we weren’t expected to pre-pay. Well, “pre-pay” as in hand over some cash to the organizers in advance and assume that all of the cash will get spent on food for us. I really can’t believe that the pub will require payment two weeks in advance. Our group will be about 15 people, we are located downtown, so there will be a kajillion office parties like ours going on in the area, so the pub (which is quite large) should be well-prepared for us.
In the past we have had catered lunches and the organizers got to choose the caterer and the food and the rest of us just had to hand over our $$$. From the amount and quality of the food we’ve gotten at these catered lunches, it’s hard to believe that ALL our $$$ went to the caterer. I always wondered if the organizers kept something for themselves for “all their trouble” even though no one asked them to organize the party.
Evidently we are going to tell the pub to do separate bills for drinks. I’ve proposed we ask the pub to do a separate bill for the food, which we can divide amongst the group at the end of the party. I just know there is going to be a fight about this, but I think it’s rude to ask me to pay in advance for food I don’t get to choose for no other reason than that’s what the organizers would prefer.
Your thoughts, comments?
MadMadge43:
You're not a wet blanket and I can be picky about my food too. but it is hard to organize such event and they're probably trying to make it easy on themself. There is always a lot more involved than what the party goer thinks.
Next year get on the organizer committee, this way you'll have some input. Otherwise, talk to them once, if they can't do it, then suck it up.
graceh9:
Nothing endears one to a group of peers like being the one who doesn't do the work but endlessly complains about those who do. This is one night -- not much money -- an attempt to create a convenient party. How big a deal is it if you don't get to choose exactly what you want at that very moment? I think you should either a. suck it up and have fun b. when you hand in your money say 'you know I really love those cheese sticks, can we be sure to include those' or c. suck it up and get on the organizing committee next year.
Cupcake Fiend:
From what you are describing, it doesn't sound like prepaying/preordering should be necessary. You are paying for your own food and drinks, so why not just order when you get there? It doesn't sound like you are even getting a private room or anything, so I don't see the need for any organizing beyond "let's meet at xx pub at xx time on xx day. It's everyone pay for themselves."
Or am I missing something?
wetblanket:
For context:
There is no "organizing committee". It's not that formal. The organizers appointed themselves. I can guarantee that NO ONE in our office is pressuring these people to put together a party. It doesn't take a lot of effort to phone up a pub and say "I'd like to book a table for 15 people, separate bills for drinks and one bill for the food". That's all the "organizing" required. No private room or anything like that.
I'll put it this way: The organizers are asking us for $15 each. $15 x 15 people is $225, which would buy us far too much food, far more than just snacks. So I have to wonder: Where is this money going? Why must we pay in advance? Why must we order in advance?
The last two Christmases I dutifully handed over my cash and then was confronted with a pretty sorry meal that couldn't possibly have used up all the $$ that was collected. So, I'm suspicious. And since it's a pub, I really can't figure all this "pre" activity is necessary.
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