Just set out huge mounds of donuts and a big 'ol coffee pot. People at these things will eat anything if its free, allergies or not. I don’t think I have ever in my life seen even one person turn down a donut or coffee.
Same w/ pizza. All of a sudden even the most religious of vegetarians will say “I’m not supposed to do this, but I might try just one thin slice”. Turn around, and they’ve eaten the whole thing.
Yeah, no. 
I think that you order the food, whatever kind, and if people cannot eat it/stand it/be in the same room with it, then they can look elsewhere for what they want.
I attended a conference once where I could eat nothing. Seriously, nothing that was served for lunch was something I could eat. (This was a served lunch, and the organizers did not check attendees’ preferences/allergies first. There were no choices or a buffet.) Well, in fairness, I could handle the fruit juice on offer, but nothing else.
The conference was at a hotel, so I simply went to the hotel restaurant, and got something that I actually could eat. Out of three hundred attendees, I was one of two or three who did so. Yes, I footed the bill on my own for lunch, but it was no big deal; hell, I’ve had to deal with similar before, and I did the same. If 297 people could eat that lunch, great for them. I didn’t expect the organizers to bend over backwards and get something special just for me.
So, OP, I’d suggest that you order things that most people can handle. Don’t try to accommodate everybody. If an attendee finds that they cannot eat anything that you’ve ordered, they can go elsewhere. Just like I have had to.
I strive, when possible, to be a better host than that.
I think this is a good thing. When dealing with people, I tend to take them at face value unless presented with evidence suggesting I should do otherwise. When you’re talking about honored guest, you try to accommodate their needs where possible even if it’s a pain.
In the past at my conference we’ve had a repeat attendee with some pretty severe dietary restrictions. I do not know if it was allergy/sensitivity related or a vegan kind of thing.
At first we offered all kinds of ways to accommodate, but he finally got it through to us that what he really wanted was to just eat his own special food that he would bring. Once we understood, then everybody was happy.
Sometimes the best way to be a good host is to just back off.
This is what Mr. Pancreatic Disorder seems to be like.
Spoons, what did the luncheon serve, and what are your intolerances?
Most definitely…but if I can slip in an unexpected treat, more the better.
Eggs. I can tolerate them, when mixed with other ingredients (as in cakes, bread, etc.) but not on their own. The lunch was a kind of “brunch,” where eggs benedict was the only offering, and if you wanted something different, you were out of luck.
No problem. Like I said, I went to the hotel restaurant and had a burger and fries, and a beer. (Ha! Those people who got the conference lunch/brunch only got fruit juice.) Really, no biggie. I’ve learned to live with it.
Now, if all North American restaurants and diners didn’t start every item on their breakfast menus with, “Two eggs, any style …” I’d be a happy guy. I’d prefer that the menus stated, “Home fries, sausage or bacon, toast, and coffee and juice, $6.95; add two eggs any style, $2.00 extra.” That way, I can have a nice breakfast without eggs included, as they always seem to be. In other words, and in my humble opinion, eggs should not be the default breakfast entree.
But I came to realize that if they (restaurants and diners) can all manage the rest that they offer along with eggs, then they can do a BLT sandwich, which is always my go-to, even if it’s not on the menu. In the kitchen, and among the waitstaff, they get where I’m coming from, they understand. And I get a BLT, orange juice, and coffee for breakfast, just like I like.
I have severe dietary restrictions. I handle my own choices just fine.
The “snack” area at my diabetic clinic even has things I can’t have. You’d think at least they’d be able to accommodate a brittle diabetic better than the average place.
Not so much.
I never trust free food without thought.
Aren’t you paying THEM and not the other way around?
Seems a bit precious to be paid to do a job and demand that the employer cater to your food whims.
I was trying to guess the name of the group being catered to, but I’m hung up between the local chapter of PETA and the Bandidos MC.
Say what now? The break room is part of the benefits package, so to speak. If you want the guests to come back next year, you pamper them in little ways that make them think well of the experience.
Thinking about this and it occurred to me potatoes aren’t on the list of problem foods. Since this is a buffet and you want to be cost effective why not a baked potato bar? You have all the add-ons clearly labeled and make sure there is no cross contamination during prep and everyone can put together their own meal.
It wouldn’t be the most exciting or gourmet menu but who doesn’t enjoy loading up their own baked potato? Just a thought.
Sure, but there’s having a reasonable break room, and that absurd list that @Czarcasm has to deal with.
That’s the thing- it’s not reasonable to for everyone to expect their specific whims to be catered to, especially in a situation like this.
I’d think getting some vegan snacks and some normal snacks would be fine. Nearly everyone has something they can eat, even if its not exactly what they want.
@Czarcasm specifically asked the folks about their dietary restrictions. They weren’t expecting whimsical catering, they were just answering the question they were asked.
The list isn’t absurd, it’s just inconvenient. If you ask a question, you can hardly complain about the answer.
Right–which is what most people are suggesting. It’s reasonable for folks to answer the question honestly, but if anyone insisted that all the snacks met their needs, that’d be unreasonable.
Ideally, most folks should be able to get something:
-Salty
-Sweet
-Proteiny
-Fatty
The suggestions above (fruit snacks, crackers, meat and cheese trays, chip packets, etc.) let nearly everyone choose items from those categories.
If they can’t do French fries, and they can’t, baked potatoes aren’t much easier
Plus most Cons even BNAs’ compensation is mainly a room comp – they might get air fare – and the green room. Media celebs expect some cashy money which is why you don’t see too many at literature Cons, just ComicCons and “Experiences.”
Agreed. The key things are 1) everybody will find a couple of things there they can eat, and 2) the food/drink doesn’t require constant attention and/or elaborate prep. Everything needs to be as simple as possible. You never know how much help will be around at any point in time. Most likely it will just be Czarcasm, and he’ll be busy with other stuff as well. So long as he shows an effort to be inclusive in the food/drink/snacks, the guests will be happy.
So long as everything is plainly labeled and separate, there should be no problems. Make a run through Trader Joe’s of Sprouts for premade stuff. A variety of canned juices/nectars is always nice.
Wait, buffet? A buffet is usually open for limited hours at a mealtime and is constantly tended and restocked by people with access to a complete kitchen. I’m not in any way reading this as a buffet; rather, it’s a break room with a side table covered in snacks.
People are almost certainly not coming here expecting complete meals. They expecting something they can snack on.
Is that about right, @czarcasm?