Hypothetical situation - what would you do (poll)?

[scrapquitler]

Let's play a game - what would you do? I'll fill in more info tomorrow sometime

Your boss decides to take your department out for lunch to celebrate the holidays and is picking up the check. You go to a casual eatery (wing place) that has a lunch buffet plus a regular menu. Standard stuff, wings, sandwiches, etc.

What do you order?

Probably a sandwich, but it would depend on what I was in the mood for. If I have the option to avoid a buffet, I do. I dislike buffets in general because I'm always wary of temperature, freshness and people touching the food, but I also strongly dislike buffets because I am very clumsy and I hate having to walk from the buffet to my seat carrying my plate.

 

[Marchand63]

Orther - because we are public employees we are not worthy of any parties.

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Other...Not a buffet gal and would probably order a chicken sandwich with fries.

 

[tvguy]

Other, because I would have to see the menu to answer more specifically.

Okay, not wings. No meat on them, messy, and too much work to eat, but otherwise, I would need to see the menu.

 

[Lilacs4Me]

We would never be taken to a wing joint for a department/business lunch, but if we ever did go, I'd order whatever I felt like that day. FWIW, my boss would probably order an entree, so I wouldn't feel weird about it if I wanted to as well. I dislike buffets....and honestly can't see anyone in a leadership position in my company taking their department out for a wing buffet lunch (not that there is anything wrong with it.....it's just not what is done in my company).

Although, we have done a catered pizza and wings lunch for "big game this weekend" type celebrations, but those are for the whole division/office and the food is brought in for us, and I guess that would be considered a buffet!

 

[Lilacs4Me]

Either a sandwich or soup/salad. Definitely would not pick the most expensive entree on the menu because bosses paying for this sort of thing usually pay attention to details like that.

Depends....I can say with certainty that my boss, her boss, and his boss do NOT pay attention to that in the least. But I work for a big corporation, and we all have company credit cards. The most senior employee (level, not age lol) in thr party uses his/her card to pay for the table per company policy, then expenses the bill. They do not care what people order.

 

[usnuzuloose]

Well after a while for a company as huge as ours is, I no longer work got real cheap and would not even buy us a lunch for meetings had to purchase our own. And they even stopped doing party's for work. So it was what I wanted to stop or make my lunch.

 

[shoney]

Never been to a restaurant with such a mix. Given an opportunity to not eat at buffet I would prob order a sandwich or wings.
Would only eat wings if other were. They are messy and weird to eat with others if they aren’t close family or friends.

Went out with coworkers once and They all said they were getting wings. Boneless wings. Well dear people under 30 those are just glorified chicken fingers. Yuck. No thanks. I ordered the tuna nachos. I was not going to suck on chicken bones if no one else was. Lol

Buffets aren’t a thing here. Very few with the exception of a bad Chinese buffet or very expensive brunch buffet.

 

[anniemae]

I would get something off the menu, most likely a sandwich and soup. I don't like buffet's. I suppose if everyone was going for the buffet, I might cave so I wouldn't be the odd ball.

 

[NYCgrrl]

Since the restaurant features a buffet I'd prolly opt for the soup and sandwich. Fast order and similar to a regular lunch for me.

 

[ols386]

Buffet because it has a bit of everything.

 

[cabanafrau]

Buffets are not my thing. I'd go with soup and salad because that's what I eat most of the time anyway, and with soup you don't wind up sitting and waiting for your meal while everyone else is eating already.

 

[design_mom]

With *just* the information you gave us, I'd probably go with a sandwich from the menu unless everyone else was getting the buffet. I am not a huge fan of buffets but if the expectation is "everyone is getting the buffet," I wouldn't make a fuss about it or be the only one ordering from the menu while everyone else did the buffet.

I was always taught that "the host sets the tone" and you should order accordingly... and if you have to order first, then choose something moderately priced. Sandwiches are generally moderately priced, and I'm pretty confident that I could find something I'd like (grilled chicken, burger, philly cheesesteak, club, etc.). It might not be the thing I'd want most if money were no object. But there's no way I'd pick anything "expensive" on the menu if someone else was buying unless they specifically recommended it to me, or ordered something similar themselves.

 

[soccerdad72]

Ok, so a little more info. Obviously, it was my staff and, because we're public employees, it was my treat (not expensed through or anything like that).

Admittedly, I thought the buffet was going to be better than it turned out. I had eaten there for lunch a year or two ago and it had a lot more selections than it did yesterday, so I was not surprised when a number of people didn't want the buffet. There ended up being 3 or 4 people getting the buffet, so like others said, it was a little strange having some people eating while others were waiting for food, but it is what it is.

I think a few of you kind of guessed where I was going with this - while everyone else who ordered off the menu got burgers or salad or some other kind of sandwich, one woman ended up ordering the surf and turf. Heck, I didn't even know they had surf and turf on the menu. At the end of the day, it doesn't make that big of a difference, but it was just one of those things I thought was a little on the tacky side (I know how the DIS loves that term )

 

[sk!mom]

I prefer light lunches so I would most likely go with soup/salad. I like wings but don't order them out because they can be so messy to eat. I really dislike buffets so I wouldn't want that but might do it if it seemed it was the expectation.

Whatever I ordered would be in line with the cost of the buffet or whatever my boss was ordering.

 

[Klayfish]

Yea I'm not really much of a buffet guy. I imagine people reaching over the food, hairs falling out into the food. Just can't deal with that.

Right, like the kitchens (and sometimes cook staff) of traditional dine in restaurants like TGI Fridays and Applebys are beacons of cleanliness...I encourage you to go check one out.

As for the question at hand, in that setting I'd probably do a lower cost dinner entrée...burger and fries type thing.

EDIT: Changing my vote, I misread the initial post. This is a lunch outing, not dinner. I don't like eating "heavy" lunches, like hot entrees. I'd probably do a salad...or maybe if I found a really good and healthy cold sandwich I'd consider it.

 

[GreatLakes]

Yea, if I knew my boss was paying and not expensing the meal I probably would not have gotten the buffet but would not have gotten the most expensive thing on the menu either. I definitely wouldn't have gotten wings though. A rule of thumb I go by is never eat anything with your hands at a business function.

 

[lovesmurfs]

I think a few of you kind of guessed where I was going with this - while everyone else who ordered off the menu got burgers or salad or some other kind of sandwich, one woman ended up ordering the surf and turf. Heck, I didn't even know they had surf and turf on the menu. At the end of the day, it doesn't make that big of a difference, but it was just one of those things I thought was a little on the tacky side (I know how the DIS loves that term )

Totally rude and tacky. I'm surprised her coworkers didn't give her a hard time about it.

 

[Micca]

because we're public employees, it was my treat

You're a great boss to treat your staff oop.

 

[mamamary]

I avoid buffets if I can so if it didn't matter I would have ordered off the menu - maybe not if I was the only one though. I never would order something so expensive as what that one employee did. Did they know you were paying oop? Even if the co was buying I wouldn't have. I think it was very nice of you to treat everyone to lunch!!!