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[PRIME] Pre-PAX Dinner: Get Involved

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Posts

  • vgcvgc United StatesRegistered User regular
    redhalo wrote: »
    The homeless are a little harder to lose.

    I have heard that human flesh tastes like pork...

    Ok, I'll stop!

  • LexiconGrrlLexiconGrrl Registered User regular
    LONG PIG ROAST!!!

    Happily on Sabbatical. Don't bug me.
  • LexiconGrrlLexiconGrrl Registered User regular
    ALKADER wrote: »
    vespachica wrote: »
    I am totally on board with the Tom Douglas suggestion BUT it will be far too costly, I'm certain, and more than $30/per person. My pretend husband does not do things cheaply.

    Yes, we are scouting on 5/12 and I'm sure anyone who wants to join should drop us a line so we can all coordinate.


    I would love to go with but work on the 12th.What time are you guys planning your scouting trip?

    Could you join up with us later that evening?

    Happily on Sabbatical. Don't bug me.
  • ALKADERALKADER Registered User regular
    ALKADER wrote: »
    vespachica wrote: »
    I am totally on board with the Tom Douglas suggestion BUT it will be far too costly, I'm certain, and more than $30/per person. My pretend husband does not do things cheaply.

    Yes, we are scouting on 5/12 and I'm sure anyone who wants to join should drop us a line so we can all coordinate.


    I would love to go with but work on the 12th.What time are you guys planning your scouting trip?

    Could you join up with us later that evening?

    I don't see why not,I will just catch up with you wherever you are.

  • vgcvgc United StatesRegistered User regular
    Turns out I don't work on the 12th, so I'll be there for the scouting mission!

  • vespachicavespachica SeattleRegistered User regular
    vgc wrote: »
    Turns out I don't work on the 12th, so I'll be there for the scouting mission!

    W00t! The more, the merrier!

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  • LexiconGrrlLexiconGrrl Registered User regular
    Yeah! Wonder PAX Powers, Activate! We still need a scouting team name, btw. I'm coming up blank.

    Happily on Sabbatical. Don't bug me.
  • ALKADERALKADER Registered User regular
    I will PM,Lexicon,vespa,and vgc my phone number as well as anyone else that is going to join us.I am awful with team names,I usually come up with lame unoriginal ones.

  • ALKADERALKADER Registered User regular
    The Cereal Killers,Galloping Gourmets,or Team Meat.

    I warned you all beforehand!

  • TOGSolidTOGSolid Drunk sailor Seattle, WashingtonRegistered User regular
    The Masticators.

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  • TheMisanthropeTheMisanthrope That's Mr. Misanthrope to you Registered User regular
    The Langoliers (the ultimate scenery chewers).

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  • LexiconGrrlLexiconGrrl Registered User regular
    edited May 2012
    So here's a food idea that I'd like to throw out there to see what everyone thinks and initiate a discussion about it:

    Last night I spent some time talking to a successful restauranteur friend of mine, and we agreed that it's going to be pretty tough to match last year's catering costs that allowed us to sell tickets for only $17. Last year Beta had a friend of his cater, but so far, nobody that I've talked to has shown interest in catering this event at a similar price point except with Costco style food - not that that would be the end of the world (and we could end up doing that to keep costs down), but here's a really interesting idea she had that provides mo'betta options for less money.

    Seattle has a blossoming food truck scene. Just about any kind of food is available, mobile and within the price range that we want to
    spend. What if we arranged three food trucks at the dinner location?

    Logistically there would be some stuff to figure out, but here's sort of a preliminary idea:
    1. As attendees arrive, they'd purchase a ticket from the dinner coordinator. Presell tickets.
    2. The trucks would have specific prix-fixe meals available for PAXers that met the price point of the ticket.
    3. Attendees could go out to the curb, choose the meal/truck they wanted and redeem their ticket.
    4. At the end of the evening, the trucks and the coordinator would settle up for however many tickets got redeemed at each truck.

    We'd need to contact the trucks ahead of time to organize, and we'd need to figure out what to do about reserving parking for the trucks -like whether we'd need to contact the city for an event permit or whether the venue would handle that.

    Pros
    -More dietary options: We could have non-restricted food, plus vegan, vegetarian, gluten free, dairy free, or any special allergy-sensitive meals that anyone wanted to arrange with the trucks ahead of time.
    -Lower price points
    -Less cleanup as everything is disposable
    -Less catering overhead - no equipment rentals, service dishes, plates, etc...
    -Great exposure for the food trucks and a fun experience for out of town folks

    Cons
    -Lines. We'd need at least three trucks to handle the crowd.
    -Weather. It's unlikely to be raining but hey, it's Seattle. People would be getting their food outside.
    -Parking and Permits. There might be pushback from the other restaurants on the block. Hard to know at this early stage.
    -Space. There would need to be enough physical curb space in front of the venue or an associated parking lot.

    Thoughts? Comments? What do you guys think? Good idea? Bad idea?

    LexiconGrrl on
    Happily on Sabbatical. Don't bug me.
  • LewieP's MummyLewieP's Mummy Registered User regular
    OK, having only ever seen food trucks on US TV, never IRL, I have no idea whether this would work or not, but it sounds like it could be fun!

    I've tried to think of stumbling blocks that we'd need to sort out beforehand:
    Numbers:
    Wouldn't we need to know the numbers of people planning on coming first so as to tell the food truck people how many to cater for?

    Ticket sales:
    If people don't have to buy a ticket beforehand, what's to make them turn up if they change their minds and then the caterers have too much food left?
    Conversely, what if more people turn up than expected and buy up the tickets before the expected people turn up (if that makes sense).

    Menus:
    Would we know in advance what would be available?
    Would people who needed gluten free/kosher/vegan/lactose free have to book their meals in advance so as to definitely have food available?

    I think this could be a great idea, though!

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  • TheMisanthropeTheMisanthrope That's Mr. Misanthrope to you Registered User regular
    edited May 2012
    ^ So, my worrywart senses are tingling because we'd have to find a space that had outdoor/indoor capabilities, in case of rain (I agree with you that it's highly unlikely to be raining, but we both know that banking on no rain in Seattle...) that also has a parking lot. I wouldn't want to organize something food truck catered that has the food trucks on the street as that seems to say "Open to the public" which would be annoying to everybody when the non-PAX crowd tries to get food.

    I'm tempted to suggest Auto Battery/The Mercury or the bar next to Po Dog. The Merc is a bit dark and dank, though, which would be depressing on a sunny day. But, the bar next to Po Dog looks open and accessible. I think they have a parking lot, which would allow the food trucks to park in a private place off street so they don't look open to the public.

    I should note, that I otherwise love food trucks, and that I'm a notorious worrywart about things and an over thinker. But, this is just my thoughts.

    TheMisanthrope on
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  • vespachicavespachica SeattleRegistered User regular
    @LexiconGrrl you are in my head. Get out. I totally was thinking food truck + PAX = made of win.

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  • SageheartSageheart Tampa, FLRegistered User regular
    Food trucks could be a good idea if the space and other logistics can be arranged. We might even be able to skip pre-paying for food/tickets and just pay at each truck if you want to save the step of having to divvy up money to the trucks afterward. It'd also be convenient for people who want more or less food to just be able to buy what they want or even get something from more than one truck.

    And there's always the possibility they could pick up some additional sales after the PPD is done from TWDT foot traffic if they're willing to stick around (and provided we aren't too far from one of the TWDT bars).

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  • LexiconGrrlLexiconGrrl Registered User regular
    edited May 2012
    DISCLAIMER: So it's early, and I'm avoiding having to do my Real Work right now so here's my lengthy 2 cents (or whatever it's worth):

    @LewieP'sMummy - A good question. I think that regardless of whether we have a private caterer, restaurant or food trucks, an event this large always leaves the last folks choosing from whatever is left. It's the nature of the beast. If we get the event privately catered, we're locked in to portion control a lot more strictly than if we get food trucks, and it would be nice to be able to provide some flexibility for any PAXers who "just show up".

    Ticket presales like last year are a better idea - I was not paying attention. Post updated.

    Menus: We'd have to work with the trucks on the menus but there's no reason why we couldn't post them ahead, or even sell the tickets for specific meals. There are a few common diets that the trucks would most likely provide group options for: Pescetarian, Vegetarian, Vegan, Dairy Free, Gluten Free are the biggies. Most trucks are willing to work with individual diet requests if they're contacted ahead of time, so I'm sure that folks who very specific meal needs could get whatever they needed if they planned ahead.

    If the trucks hang around and get business from the TWDT and other folks wandering Cap Hill, it's a win-win for everyone. Their profit margins are tiny so the more sales, the better.

    @Sageheart - Tickets v. Cash: If we did tickets, it might help cut down on the line waits. Handing over a ticket just takes a second, while running a credit card or a register can take a minute or two. But if the trucks were planning on sticking around for the TWDT or just regular business, they'll be set up for cash and there's no reason we couldn't do both.

    Also, going back to the whole discussion about how we take over the Hill that night, During the dinner service anyway, I don't think anyone else could get to the trucks. We could always put up a sign on the trucks "reserved for private event" or something. I've got a giant flipchart and a massive, massive sharpie that would work great!

    Y'know now that I'm thinking about it.... At East this year they did something interesting - the restaurant had us choose from their full menu but order and pay ahead of time. So everyone got to order exactly what they wanted and spent however much they wanted - in exchange for being locked in to choosing your meal a few months earlier. Since they had most of the PAX dinner foods ordered correctly, we had tons of flexibility to add on to our meals once we got there and the restaurant was really accomodating. I wonder if that would work here?

    Space, logistics and permission to have the trucks there are probably our biggest issues. We'll have to check out the feasibility of the truck option on the scouting mission!

    LexiconGrrl on
    Happily on Sabbatical. Don't bug me.
  • thedragongemthedragongem Registered User regular
    This site may help. http://www.seattlefoodtruck.com/

    Also can we get one of the donut trucks to come...yummmmm!

    badge.png
  • vespachicavespachica SeattleRegistered User regular
    Do you think that having the option of tickets OR cash that we wouldn't get as firm a number? I worry that people wouldn't commit until the last minute and it would be difficult for the food truck(s) to plan.

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  • vespachicavespachica SeattleRegistered User regular
    edited May 2012
    Also: my dream list is Marination Mobile (they're going to be getting their B&M place just started on Alki, though, so they may not want to), Skillet, Where Ya At Matt, Lumpia World, Athena's, and a dessert truck that's not Molly Moon. There might be a couple others. I don't know if My Beloved Mexico would want to come from West Seattle to Cap Hill but that would be awesome. Their food is so good and they use organic chicken.

    The newest Seattle magazine has a great article on food trucks, btw.

    vespachica on
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  • ALKADERALKADER Registered User regular

    Space, logistics and permission to have the trucks there are probably our biggest issues. We'll have to check out the feasibility of the truck option on the scouting mission!

    Agreed.This is my only concern right now but we will know more after checking the locations out.

    I think it is a fantastic idea though.I am a season ticket holder for the Sounders and we always eat at a food truck outside the games,Maximus/Minimus being a regular for us.Great food,flexibility,and good price points.Brilliant!

  • LexiconGrrlLexiconGrrl Registered User regular
    Just to be clear, lets not rule out the option of a conventional caterer. The trucks might not work, but let's check it out and keep on looking for a caterer just in case.

    Happily on Sabbatical. Don't bug me.
  • vespachicavespachica SeattleRegistered User regular
    I am going to stop by and talk with a friend who is getting into catering (he cooked at my place and now at Library Bistro) today so we'll see what he has to say.

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  • SaldekSaldek Registered User regular
    The food truck idea is interesting.
    If we went this route, hopefully a place could be found where an awning or tent could be set up in case of rain would be good. What about tables/seating?

    I've emailed a couple caterers requesting quotes, so maybe I'll hear back from them soon.

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  • TheMisanthropeTheMisanthrope That's Mr. Misanthrope to you Registered User regular
    Another idea for a venue might be Sun Liquor distillery. But, I fear that they would be like the Elysian and requesting a boatload of extra $$$ for the space, since they run a regular shop. Also, may be 21+?

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  • TOGSolidTOGSolid Drunk sailor Seattle, WashingtonRegistered User regular
    edited May 2012
    What the fuck is a food truck? >.>

    *runs to google*
    EDIT:
    MaximusMinimusTruck.jpg

    Bhahaahahaha.


    So these things actually serve legit good food and not like...low tier garbage?

    TOGSolid on
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  • courtneyjcourtneyj Newcastle, WARegistered User regular
    I wonder if FRED has a caterer they go with normally http://fredwildliferefuge.com/rental-about/?t=rental

  • TOGSolidTOGSolid Drunk sailor Seattle, WashingtonRegistered User regular
    Oh and these guys seemed to be pretty reasonable on their prices: http://www.seasonedinseattle.com/

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  • ALKADERALKADER Registered User regular
    TOGSolid wrote: »
    What the fuck is a food truck? >.>

    *runs to google*
    EDIT:
    MaximusMinimusTruck.jpg

    Bhahaahahaha.


    So these things actually serve legit good food and not like...low tier garbage?

    This is Maximus/Minimus.Good stuff!

  • TheMisanthropeTheMisanthrope That's Mr. Misanthrope to you Registered User regular
    courtneyj wrote: »
    I wonder if FRED has a caterer they go with normally http://fredwildliferefuge.com/rental-about/?t=rental

    OOOO...pricing starts at $500 for rental of either studio, and Studio 1 has a catering kitchen.

    Also, I'd be down with being part of the scouting mission next weekend, if you all still are going to be going. I like discovering new places.

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  • LexiconGrrlLexiconGrrl Registered User regular
    edited May 2012
    courtneyj wrote: »
    I wonder if FRED has a caterer they go with normally http://fredwildliferefuge.com/rental-about/?t=rental

    OOOO...pricing starts at $500 for rental of either studio, and Studio 1 has a catering kitchen.

    Also, I'd be down with being part of the scouting mission next weekend, if you all still are going to be going. I like discovering new places.

    Good snooping! Shoe Repair is a bit cheaper - $525 for the event if we use their caterer, and only $337 if we bring our own caterer. They've got a $1000 bar minimum but with 100+ people, that's a snap to meet. Plus it's wheelchair accessible and all-ages.

    I think @TOGSolid and I have both reached out to Barca but I haven't heard back yet. TOG - any news?

    Scouting mission is still on: May 12th at 5:PM at the Comet. Scouting Team Names were being debated earlier on the thread; nothing has been picked yet. Also, I will buy a drink for anyone who arrives on a Vespa. TWO if it's raining.

    (EDIT: On an unrelated note, for years I thought that "Barca" was pronounced "BAR-kah" as in "The Barca-Lounge". Turns out it's pronounced "BAR-sah". I think mine is punchier.)

    LexiconGrrl on
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  • TOGSolidTOGSolid Drunk sailor Seattle, WashingtonRegistered User regular
    I hadn't emailed them because I thought we were holding off on Barca. >.>

    I guess I know what I need to go do after I finish my tea and oatmeal. o_q

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  • TheMisanthropeTheMisanthrope That's Mr. Misanthrope to you Registered User regular
    courtneyj wrote: »
    I wonder if FRED has a caterer they go with normally http://fredwildliferefuge.com/rental-about/?t=rental

    OOOO...pricing starts at $500 for rental of either studio, and Studio 1 has a catering kitchen.

    Also, I'd be down with being part of the scouting mission next weekend, if you all still are going to be going. I like discovering new places.

    Good snooping! Shoe Repair is a bit cheaper - $525 for the event if we use their caterer, and only $337 if we bring our own caterer. They've got a $1000 bar minimum but with 100+ people, that's a snap to meet. Plus it's wheelchair accessible and all-ages.

    I think @TOGSolid and I have both reached out to Barca but I haven't heard back yet. TOG - any news?

    Scouting mission is still on: May 12th at 5:PM at the Comet. Scouting Team Names were being debated earlier on the thread; nothing has been picked yet. Also, I will buy a drink for anyone who arrives on a Vespa. TWO if it's raining.

    (EDIT: On an unrelated note, for years I thought that "Barca" was pronounced "BAR-kah" as in "The Barca-Lounge". Turns out it's pronounced "BAR-sah". I think mine is punchier.)

    Hehe...Barca has that C-Cedille (Spelling is so wrong, I imagine), which is that little curvy thing underneath the C, turning it into a soft C. French class in high school comes useful once in a blue moon.

    Also, confession: I was being Mr. Hyper Snoop because I thought that that FRED Wildlife Refuge was closing, but I was confusing it with the Hunter Gatherer Lounge, which is already closed.

    Addendum: Maybe we should start a non-profit group called The PAX Party Committee or something snappier. FRED has special non-profit pricing, and we're definitely non-profit. /now I am overthinking it because I'm procrastinating.

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  • LexiconGrrlLexiconGrrl Registered User regular
    D'oh! That's probably my bad - many apologies. I vote to compare and contrast all options, Barca included.

    Happily on Sabbatical. Don't bug me.
  • TOGSolidTOGSolid Drunk sailor Seattle, WashingtonRegistered User regular
    edited May 2012
    No worries! I'll get em emailed here in a few.

    EDIT: Email away!

    TOGSolid on
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  • vespachicavespachica SeattleRegistered User regular
    OK, how many people are we expecting? 170-200?

    I'd love to give my former cook the business but I'm afraid it's just too pricey although I know he would bang out some great stuff. I guess I shouldn't totally write it off until we know competitors!

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  • TOGSolidTOGSolid Drunk sailor Seattle, WashingtonRegistered User regular
    vespachica wrote: »
    OK, how many people are we expecting? 170-200?

    I'd love to give my former cook the business but I'm afraid it's just too pricey although I know he would bang out some great stuff. I guess I shouldn't totally write it off until we know competitors!

    If I remember correctly, Beta said the average attendance is 120 people.

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  • Zoroark173Zoroark173 Registered User regular
    Maybe if we do the Food Trucks/Tickets, we can pre-sale VIP tickets for around 15$, and then on the spot for around 16$, there can be just "normal person" tickets. The Food trucks would have 3-5 options for people with "Normal Person" tickets, and then an extra option for "VIP" Tickets. At the place, there would be 3-4 Food Trucks (maybe they could be Mexican,Veggie,Asian, and "American"(Hotdogs/Hamburgers)) and they would be set up in a big circle, and there would be benches set up inside of the big circle (optionally with big tarp things over them in case of rain). At the entrance, right outside of the food trucks, there would be two tables, one for people to buy "Normal Person" tickets, and the other for will-call of "VIP" tickets. Once you go in, you just go up to the truck you want, hand them your ticket, order, and go sit down. If you want more then one dish, you would have to buy more then 1 "Normal Person" ticket at the start, but you can't buy extra VIP tickets after they sell out though. Each ticket would probably get you 1 meal, a side, and a drink.

    Pros:
    Offers Food options to all.
    Keeps it PAX people only
    If it rains, the tarps will be put to use

    Cons:
    Non-PAXgoers could buy "Normal Person" tickets and sneak in. Maybe have your PAX badge be required to buy a ticket?
    Lines for trucks would be weird with circle shape and benches inside
    Hard to find an area for this sort of setup.

  • LexiconGrrlLexiconGrrl Registered User regular
    Clarification: If we did food trucks, it would be in conjuction with a 'real' restaurant/bar space where there would be seating. The trucks would be in lieu of a standard caterer.

    Happily on Sabbatical. Don't bug me.
  • beta_angelbeta_angel ColoradoRegistered User regular
    edited May 2012
    I want to very clearly throw my hand up and say food trucks are a BAD idea. We did it one year and not only are they slower, they have a tendency to under-prepare. It's a choice you guys can go with, but I would recommend heartily against it.

    Also: Absolutely, 100% disagree with the suggestion of the Mercury. It's way too dark, the concrete floors are incredibly uncomfortable, there's next to no seating (which means table and chair rental) and on top of that...getting Adam (the owner) to agree to this would be a large task indeed. Barca has better space, more seating and they're easier to deal with.

    My two cents on that.

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