Originally Posted by
Nhilar
Your implication is that these people should not be hired. Which if the dietary reasons are due to religious (no pork, no meat, exedra) or medical (no gluten, carbs, etc.) would be very illegal to bring up in an interview (USA). It is very unreasonable that because you are a cheapo and have no care about what you shove down your gullet to expect other people should behave as you do. Travel is very expensive for an employee, far more expensive than most people realize, far more than companies reimburse. It has been demonstrated that the additional costs are 1) Opportunity costs of not being home 2) Extra wear and tear on clothing (statistically proven) 3) Extra health implications cause by long flights (statistically proven) 4) Cast to provide luggage 5) Unreimbursed time for packing, unpacking, local travel, etc. Are you are complaining that someone wants to eat in a fashion that they are satisfied with and that they would otherwise if not at home?
I should have probably phrased it better, because you are correct. That said, buying coffee and sandwiches used to garner a thank you, not a complaint session. I know the people well that I travel with, and their specific needs aren't religious or diet specific. They want what they want, and to heck with the entire group even it means multiple stops adding extra time.
So what I should have suggested is that someone mention that on any given day, because they saw something on FaceBook and are now boycotting Starbucks or McDonalds for whatever reason should be listed as high maintenance. I hate traveling with people like that, and yes, they increase expenses and more importantly our time away from home. When I travel, I want to accomplish as much as possible in the time that I'm in that city, not have a few in the group demand we bounce around different places for breakfast. The guy that refused to travel on UA after the Dao incident didn't do so for diet needs, he did it because he was boycotting UA at the expense of the rest of us. During his 6 months of temper tantrums, he cost us time and money. Throwing your hand up and waving your eyes at me because I suggest its best if we make do with the hotel breakfast that is free and very convenient because you have high standards? Sounds a bit like some of my family members that think anything less than a 5* hotel is a dump. Well, I stayed in a MicroTell Inn or whatever it's called and survived. Didn't like it, but I didn't complain to the person paying the bill...