I am skipping the banquet this year. I was wondering if anyone else was planning to do something other than attend the banquet on Saturday?
I’ve had some bad experiences at the banquet. Some friends and I are going for a nice dinner at a brewpub instead.
I’m not sure if I’m going yet… based on past years experience I may need to just lay low by Saturday night.
I with you on that one, guido!
I have been thinking about remaining sober on Saturday and driving home after the conference closes. However, seeing that my hotel room is booked through Saturday night, I may just hang around and do something with other conference attendees who are skipping the banquet.
None of my NHC entries advanced, so we got a refund on our banquet tickets, and I also plan to cancel our Saturday night hotel room. The Spousal Unit wants to just head home after the Saturday seminars are over, but I am lobbying to spend some of our savings on a great dinner at Woodberry Kitchen with another couple, then heading home.
You paid for the room, might as well use it. Even the AHA recommends that those who aren’t directly involved with either an entry in the competition or their club skip the banquet. It’s not worth the money; the food is so-so (although it is a tough assignment for a chef to prepare that many meals in a strange setting); you have to wait in line forever to get a seat that’s so far away from the podium that you need binoculars; and there’s always one absolute a-hole at your table. I won’t even go into the whole club of the year completion kerfuffle.
But I wasn’t sitting at your table 
I didn’t make the conference last year, but the past couple I thought the food at the banquet was pretty good. Seattle was excellent (Salmon) and I don’t like a lot of fish. I haven’t heard what’s on the menu for this year but I’ll be at the banquet. I also have 4 entries in the finals and I’m friends with one of the co-chairs so I wouldn’t miss it.
As for waiting in line, we had a blast in Grand Rapids. People were passing beer around in the line and the time flew by.
Well, yeah, but at least I bring beer to share.
I had a good experience last year at the banquet. It was my first and only, but it was still positive. The food was good, there were interesting beer-pairings, and no a-hole was anywhere to be seen. In fact there were some very interesting people around my wife and me. BUT, I left after dinner. I did not stay for all the award stuff.
Glad the banquet experience has worked for others. Everyone at all the conferences I’ve attended has been exceptionally friendly, except for the one guy my group gets stuck with at a banquet table.
This will be my 10th conference and I have yet to have a bad dinner experience.
This will make 17 for me and the only disappointing food was in Philly. Even then, the dessert was delicious.
It’s funny how people always want to sit with people from their home area. Here you are, some of you from the other side of the country, seeing people you only see once a year and yet you sit with people from your neighborhood?
Nobody from my area usually goes. I just sit with the Zealots.
Well…of course, Denny, everyone is on his best behavior around you.
Actually, I have not paid for the room. I merely booked it. One can checkout of most hotels early without a penalty, which is what I will more than likely do.
I concur! The banquet is not worth the money unless one is involved the competition. I literally almost vomited when I saw what was being served in Michigan (I was not alone). I consider hocks to be on the same level as pig’s feet and chitterlings (i.e., scrap meat). I ordered a vegetarian meal in California in order to avoid a repeat of Michigan. I did not stick around for the awards ceremony.
The Schweinhaxe was decent, something I have had before in Germany and enjoyed. The main dish in Philly on the other hand was tough and dry, and was a chore to eat, and I did not finish it. We all have our taste preferences, and favorite dishes.
Last night I had one of the best dishes of my life, a Ragu of beef cheeks and Ox tail over a bed of celery root and cabbage. Those muscles that get the most use have the most flavor.
kinda lame that this year you can’t walk in after the banquet to hear the awards.
maybe they’ll relax that when they see how many people leave after the food?
as for sitting with people you know, I only do that when I’ve got a group to be cheering for at the awards. Otherwise I can sit anywhere just to eat.
Dat salad in Grand Rapids, doe…I may or may not have grabbed a second one.
You’re either getting senile, delusional, or in denial. 
That dinner in MI or perhaps Philly was awful. It was a horrifically substandard stromboli. We’ve had some good meals, but that one would cost too much if it were free. IIRC the dessert was the only thing worth mentioning.
There was another year one of my companions had to wait on the vegetarian option until every standard meal was served. I’d classify that as a bad dinner experience too. She waited and waited and most of us waited with her out of courtesy.
Another year the vegetarian was a much better option than the standard and I don’t recall it being the year of the stromboli.
Anyway, add all that up and I am also skipping the banquet as are most of the others from our club. Too many years with meh to blah meals and memorable experiences in the wrong direction.
I was a little hard on Denny at the beginning, it could just be his palate is shot. :o
I wasn’t able to make Philly, but I did hear that there were issues that year.
There was an issue in Grand Rapids when people saw what was served, they started to take the vegetarian dish even though they didn’t order it. Someone at our table had to wait until they ran back to the hotel kitchen and brought her food.
I know you sign up for the banquet months in advance, but it would sure be nice to know what their serving before you have to commit.
In the 4 years I’ve been, Philly was the only one I felt was substandard.