Have you ever wondered why some Area Quarterlies and Assemblies offer coffee throughout the event, while others have only limited service—or sometimes none at all, leaving you to hunt down a coffee stand? Here’s the scoop:
Venue and Coffee Costs
The venue location can significantly impact our coffee purchase options. For example, when we choose a hotel with in-house catering, we’re often required to use their beverage packages. At pre-purchased, coffee-by-the-gallon rates, that can push the cost up to around $3 per cup at some locations. On the flip side, when we buy our own supplies—like picking up coffee from Costco and brewing it ourselves—the cost can drop to about $0.50 per cup.
Making It Fair for Everyone
Just as we only charge for meals when you opt to purchase them, our approach to coffee service is designed to be fair. We don’t want non-coffee drinkers subsidizing the cost for those who love their caffeine fix. That’s why we include the cost of beverages in the registration fee only when it’s necessary—such as when renting a venue that doesn’t provide any drinks (like a church fellowship hall or a community college meeting room). When we handle our own coffee, it’s much easier to keep costs low for everyone.
Exploring New Options
I’m considering two ideas to make our coffee service even more self-supporting and available:
- Honor System Purchases:
Host committees could commit to ordering several gallons of coffee per day at our quarterlies and assemblies. We’d then set up a donation basket where everyone who takes a cup is encouraged to contribute a few dollars per cup to cover the actual cost. The risk here is that if people don’t pitch in as expected, we might not cover the expenses, leaving the Area liable for the shortfall. - Pre-Purchased Coffee Tickets:
Alternatively, we could offer a coffee purchase option on the registration form so that attendees can pre-buy a set number of cups. At the event, they would receive coffee tickets with their registration packets and exchange them with volunteers for a refill. This way, we only order the amount of coffee that’s actually needed (rounding up to the next gallon, of course). The risk is that we might not get enough orders and have to refund purchases—but that scenario seems unlikely.
I’d love to hear your thoughts on these options or any other ideas you might have!
Lisa S.
