Originally Posted by WonderDude
My company is not known for being extravagant (they prefer the term "well-managed"), but I'm curious as to how their meals policy stacks up with other companies.
The policy is "reasonable expense," but in practice, I've found the cap to be $35 per day (very occasional exceptions allowed).
My usual way of dealing with this amount is to have the free breakfast in the hotel when possible, skip lunch (or just have a cheap snack), and then have a decent dinner with a coupla drinks at a mid-range place.
What's your company's per diem/meals policy, and how careful do you need to be to stay within the limits?
As a consultant I havent had one (we have been charging the exact amount of the expenses) but I am considering changing that to simplify billing. Another way you can stretch your per diem (or pocket more of it) is to get status at a hotel that serves evening appetizers, drinks and so on in their executive lounge. That has been dinner many nights for me.