I dunno, we went to a swanky hotel bar for New Year's and (standard prices for this place, I understand) the drinks were really cheap by Edinburgh standards. Prices here seem to vary dramatically regardless of the, uh, intended audience. I have no idea how much London fits to this.Originally Posted by Shauna
One thing I will note is that when you're dealing with a large number of people having an actual meal, it'll often be the case that you have to choose between 2-3 meals for everyone rather than having a really open buffet, although again, this will depend on the venue and how much we collectively are willing to pay.
No way would I suggest an open bar, never in my life would I want to pay into that. Some people drink really cheap, some people drink really expensive. I'm on the cheaper end. I'm also a person who likes to pace himself and there are drinkers out there that are the opposite, and feeling the pressure of having to get my drinks ordered fast if I want to "beat the cash limit" isn't something I'd like. I imagine that with 60 people, many of them young adults, that we wouldn't want to put that kind of pressure on them either. I'm sure there will be some irresponsible drinkers amongst us, somewhere, if we have enough people in one place.
I also agree with the various people about how we shouldn't invest too much into the bar/food overall because we're all just friends hanging around and in the end, people will want to go to less formal environments where they don't feel like they have to act a certain way. Personally I like both environments but we should consider how many of the younger people and/or people with tighter budgets might like to nip out for a cheaper option.
Again, I'm up for pretty much anything when it comes to venues but I have noticed that the number of people mentioning they could duck out is pretty high and I'd be gutted if half the people I wanted to hang out with had left early.
Also, kegs? Please. This is the UK. You should drink your beer out of a pint glass or a bottle (or a can, I guess).
Shortened version in reply to the first post, this is what will probably happen: At the venue meetup, you'll have paid your share to someone before arrival and they'll have in turn paid for the venue and the meals (and any drinks that may come with the meal). Any additional drinks or food would be paid for out of your own pocket or the pocket of someone else if they're feeling generous. There will be a bar at the venue where the drinks will be served for that venue, outside of it the food and drink is wherever you want to buy it from. I'm sure there will be other big/little parties that are less formal that people will organise at some stage but that'll be down to the individuals rather than an EoFF planned thing.
I am glad that I am not organising this, though. It sounds like a real headache. I'll be happy to offer input or advice when requested though... otherwise I'm happy to just go with the flow for the most part (outside of paying for an open bar).
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