Xmas party. How much?.

balletshoes

Mr_Toad wrote: »

Just had a read through this thread and it seems to be all about the money.

Nobody seems to think that it's more about celebrating Christmas or the company and a good time out with colleagues and friends.

i can safely say, in over 30 years with my company, even when i used to go to every "do" there was, it was never about celebrating Christmas or the company! I celebrate Christmas with my family and close friends, and at work I'm usually found at my desk with a tinsel garland round my head in December.

Lunar_Eclipse

elisebutt65 wrote: »

Would you pat that much for a works do?

No, I wouldn't. But I wouldn't necessarily pay anything to attend a 'works do' unless I had great friends at work and thus it felt more like a 'night out' than a 'works do.' I certainly wouldn't feel obliged to go if you're expected to pay.

That said, I think the £14.50 price differential is negligible in the big scheme of things. Many people buy new outfits, drink loads and taxi on nights out, making them far more expensive than the meal cost (not me obviously given above comment, but I do think that's in the realms of normality for many.)

Pixie5740

Is this really about the cost of the first place or the fact that someone else was trying to organise it?

I'm lucky in that my work pays for everything, meal, drinks, taxis home but I have paid to attend Christmas nights out with previous employers. Some were good, some were bad and others downright ugly.

I do know that organising work dos can be a thankless task though. A few years ago (at a difference place of work) I was organising a meal before a bunch of us were going to the theatre. I found a restaurant near the theatre that was doing a 3 course meal for £14.95 ahead that I had been to before and liked the food and several people came back asking for somewhere cheaper. I told them there was a Burger King near by.

I also agree with the vegetarian options being poor. It's often risotto (with parmesan which isn't a vegetarian cheese), the amount of risotto you might eat if you were training for the London Marathon or an Olympic rower to make up for the fact you're not having meat.

duchy

nearlyrich wrote: »

My employer puts on a Christmas do, usually a black tie dinner in a posh hotel where people who need to travel can stay.

Which is fine for a private company who chooses to do so -however a college can't justify that kind of freebie for staff as they are publically funded so you are comparing apples with oranges.

duchy

PenguinOfDeath wrote: »

I might be, but as I said in my earlier paragraph, it could be the difference between a good time and spending hours praying to the porcelain god


Result! :j

I've pretty much avoided works Christmas do;s since the one everyone who had a particular dish went down with food poisoning.
Most places are under massive pressure with big group meals at Christmas and that pressure can lead to corners getting cut.

I don't think price has anything to do with it can happen even at the more expensive places.

LameWolf

I always avoided works parties, on the basis that "colleagues" and "friends" are two entirely different things. Also, as a vegetarian, I find it offputting sitting with a whole lot of people all eating meat, as the smell of meat makes me nauseous - quite apart from the fact of the abysmal "single vegetarian option on the menu" issue - and if you don't happen to like spinach lasagne you're stuffed - and not with food!:D

WeAreGhosts

Mr_Toad wrote: »

Just had a read through this thread and it seems to be all about the money.

Nobody seems to think that it's more about celebrating Christmas or the company and a good time out with colleagues and friends.

when i worked for a local council the 'Christmas' do took place in an Indian restaurant, with no reference to Christmas at all, in case we upset the two Muslim colleagues ... who thought it was absolutely ludicrous and were very embarrassed ...

BarryBlue

LameWolf wrote: »

I always avoided works parties, on the basis that "colleagues" and "friends" are two entirely different things. Also, as a vegetarian, I find it offputting sitting with a whole lot of people all eating meat, as the smell of meat makes me nauseous - quite apart from the fact of the abysmal "single vegetarian option on the menu" issue - and if you don't happen to like spinach lasagne you're stuffed - and not with food!:D

I agree so much with your first sentence there. I stopped going to works Christmas meaals long before I retired as they were invariably some sort of 'lowest common denominator' combination. This involved being cheap because some were tightwads, and bland because Mrs so-and-so didn't like any spicy food. So you ended up at some sort of carvery.

Your point distinguishing friends from colleagues is also so true. You go to work in order to work, not socialise. I always kept the two separate. I had no problem with the odd lunchtime pint and sandwich, but formalised events are best left well alone. In any case, I don't do Christmas.

I'm not a vegetarian but I find the comments about an unimaginative menu interesting as I do eat quite a lot of vegetarian food. I think the best options are at Indian restaurants, as their cuisines are so much more veggie-inspired. I suppose, though, that Mrs so-and-so takes precedence over how ever many vegetarians are in a workplace.;)

Mr_Toad

balletshoes wrote: »

i can safely say, in over 30 years with my company, even when i used to go to every "do" there was, it was never about celebrating Christmas or the company! I celebrate Christmas with my family and close friends, and at work I'm usually found at my desk with a tinsel garland round my head in December.

I meant the company, as in the people you are out with, not he company you work for.

Perhaps I'm in a minority but I made a lot of life long friends through work, people I still see regularly even though I took early retirement.

I celebrate several times over Christmas, with old school and Uni friends, with work friends and with family, there is also some overlap as the groups aren't mutually exclusive.

ciderwithrosie_2

OP you say the more expensive place has not long been open, well I definitely wouldn't be paying £35 for untested territory, as it were. If they've never done a Christmas dinner service before, how would you know if they're going to cope and the food will be up to scratch (I'd expect something rather exceptional for that price).

I think ours is £25 this year - 3 course meal, glass of prosecco on arrival and entertainment. However, we are having a more 'lively' evening on a different night, for those in the department who wish to attend, as the age range is 18 - early 60s