No more single vouchers at the Hippodrom tent - Munich

This year, as every year, we have a reservation at oktoberfest.

Unfortunately, this year, instead of giving us individual 180 vouchers for our beer and chickens, they have given us one big voucher for everything.

If you drink or eat more than your voucher, then you have to pay the difference, fair enough, but who controls it.
If you eat or drink less than the worth of your voucher, tough luck, you lose the money and cant use the vouchers later, or at the restaurants.
and we normally give the waiting staff a good tip in vouchers, but the organisers dont want that any more.

I think this is a cynical way of making extra money and another nail in the oktoberfest coffin. Unfortunately, we cant do anything about it as the tables are booked many times over and if we cancelled the booking in protest it wouldn't make a blind bit of difference to them. The only way I think of making a protest is by not tipping the waiting staff and hope that their complaints can instigate a change by their employers, but they work bloody hard and deserve the extra they make from tips so not tipping goes against everything I believe in.

Oktoberfest is just not the same any more, it is like a big beer drinking fairground ride that you go in at one end, drink and get punted out at the other when the ride is over.

Shame on you Hippodrome.

p.s, Do all the tents do this now?

I have noticed that the "smaller" tents (Ammer, Wildmoser, Käfer) tend to hand out either one voucher or tout up the total vouchers on one reservation against the tab. Last year at Wildmoser the waitress informed us when we were close to hitting the total amount, we tallied up and paid as we drank after that.

It's less hassle for the tent owners and not really fair towards the customers as a light-weight svelt woman is likely to drink and eat less than a spuds-fed brickie.

I cannot say anything about Hippodrom as I did not make any reservations there this year.

Yes and no. Chances are you're going over the allotment and if you pay attention fastidiously to your consumption and leave once you've hit the mark, that'll just open up room for others. It's relatively rare to have vouchers left over. Relatively.

That had me laughing out loud here in the office and when I finally calmed down I had to explain why I was laughing which sent some of my cow-orkers into fits of hysteria. A fucking bombing didn't kill it nor did 9/11 nor have the massive jumps in prices even in conjunction with the tanking US dollar. O'fest aten't ded yet.

I actually have something constructive to say here: make your own vouchers. If you've got a table reserved you're with a group of people. Print up your own "vouchers" as reminders so that each person knows how much credit s/he has and later in the evening how much is left over. If anyone still has tickets, talk to the tables around you and order for them to use up the value on your table. It's not any more difficult than is using slips at Curry Night to keep from mistakes and problems on both sides (TTers leaving without paying, waiters adding additional items).

woof.

BD,
I actually phoned and asked if we could print out own vouchers and do it that way but was told that it was "streng verboten" and that we would be thrown out if we did it.

Ok, now I ask you BD, who, in their right mind is going to even attempt to pay fastidious attention to the beer consumption of 80 people over four hours. How much fun would that be?

Would you be interested in the position.

You make up slips/vouchers/tickets. Easy. If you tip the server €50 you can convince her not to take an order for anyone not handing her one of these otherwise useless bits of paper when they order and to destroy them once she's taken them. That's less than €1/person for a whole lot of security.

woof.

Not a bad idea doggie. I have not received my Hippodrom reservat confirmation in the mail yet. Each year since 2006, I have booked a 6-person in der Gallerie. The Kratz family never responds that they actually received the e-mail, but I have gotten the reservat paper 3 weeks befor the fest each of the past 2 years. Are they trying to save money on printing, or they do not want people straggling-in with "extras" as far as vouchers??

Sepp Kratz und Famile dropped the ball this year. I had no trouble in 2007 and past years, but they did not send paperwork this year. They did not acknowledge emails, etc. Therefore, we moved to the Schottenhamel on 9/23, Augustiner on 9/24, and Paulaner (Winzer-Fandl) in V.I.P. Boxe on 9/25/08.. I love the food and service in Der Hippo, but not sure who's screwing things up in 08...

Havebeerwilltravel.com

MIKE

Update.

We asked the Hippodrome very nicely yesterday if we could have a few vouchers for our reservation as we wanted to give them to people who couldnt come.

They were rude, arrogant and angry that we had even asked. However, the point was pushed and they said the following.

OK, you can have 80 vouchers, but we are not giving you a reservation next year.

I am composing a letter of complaint to them as we speak and will be using Whitney events to arrange our places at another tent from now on. (Thank you Whitney Events)

if anyone would like to add their complaint to my letter, please pm me with your text and I will include it. Not that it will make much difference as they can always fill their tents several times over and they will get their money regardless of abysmal service, but you never know.

Grrrrr

Derek

It looks like Sep Kratz and his Kronies have gotten BIG HEADS, and only want to deal with celebs.. Well, I do not want to hang in a tent like that anyway... Celebs do not do it for me, never have. Self-centered, arrogant, and most of them... are not even talented..

I hear several regular large spender customers are either being told to f'off or being offered crap terms. So Sepp is biting off his nose etc etc.

But it does happen and bottom feeders can get a cheap drink or two on the last day or two of the Wies'n by buying up these vouchers. As mentioned many corporate events get far more vouchers than they need, it has happened at my old company many times. It's a shame if the tents are cutting this out and the most logical explanation does seem to be that they're trying to get more money. Boycotting Hippodrome will be easy, I just hope the others don't follow suit. I'm not sure I always trust the bedienung to tell a large group that their vouchers have run out - I rather like having the vouchers and giving them up when my beer arrives. Less opportunity for 'error'.

BTW - Sepp Kratz's other restaurants like Andechser am Dom and Waldwirtschaft are excellent, both in terms of quality of food and service.

there is also the problem of accountability. How the hell are you supposed to know when the group voucher has been used up unless someone is taking note. And it wouldn't work for our company visits because we all have to pay for our own vouchers

They keep a sharp eye on your tab, believe me.

how are supposed to know if they are being honest and not adding on a few extras here and there?