Meals

We want to make sure everyone has the best possible time at Summit, and we know that means feeding you well. But “good eats” means a lot of different things to different people, so we want to take a moment and set expectations. Like everything else at Summit, we’re going to be unusually honest here.

Summit offers a wide variety of food for attendees. We provide premium food and drink choices for all included meals, along with snacks throughout the day. That said, your collective behavior directly impacts how we plan the event and what things cost. Here are a few things we ask for your help with.

Portion Sizes Please take one serving of each item on our buffets. A “serving” is one piece of anything served in pieces (most proteins), and a spoonful or two of anything else. Wait until everyone has gone through the line once before going back for seconds. Why do we even bring this up?

We’ve had a genuine problem with people taking far more than their fair share, leaving nothing for those behind them. If you’re an athlete or someone who needs more-than-usual calories, please bring some supplemental snacks to make up the difference. Please don’t make us stand around enforcing the one-serving policy — it’s embarrassing and frustrating for everyone. Enjoy the food, just be considerate.

Why don’t we just add more food? Approximately 50% of your registration fee goes toward food. Conference food — especially good food — is expensive, and we have to place orders well before the event. We can’t just ask the kitchen to whip up another roast.

Menus Feeding 300 people means putting a lot of thought into menus that offer variety while following standard nutritional guidelines. It’s hard to please everyone, but we take your feedback each year and make adjustments.

Expect roughly 20% of calories from proteins, 60% from carbs, and the rest from healthy fats. We also try to accommodate common dietary choices like vegetarianism, along with food sensitivities and allergies. If you’re on a low-carb diet, consider bringing some high-protein snacks to round out meals.

The Plan Each day starts with a hot buffet breakfast — expect eggs, potatoes, fresh fruit, and similar items. We’ve moved away from breakfast sandwiches because in past years the first 150 attendees consumed 400 sandwiches, which left the next 150 with nothing. Not great.

We keep coffee and tea out all day, with soft drinks available in the afternoons. Note that beverage service moves to the meal area shortly before lunch and returns shortly after. If you desperately need a Coke at 11:30, grab it a little early. We consolidate beverages during lunch to keep costs down and ticket prices as low as possible.

Also — we get charged around $3 per can of soda. Conferences. So please don’t load up your backpack, or it’ll blow our budget and drive up prices next year.

Lunch is a different buffet each day, built around the nutritional guidelines above. Expect a couple of entrée items, a salad or two, and some side dishes. The main buffet is designed to cover what vegetarians and vegans need, with clear food sensitivity labels. Most days will also include something sweet for dessert.

On most days we’ll have a morning and afternoon snack. When there’s no afternoon snack, it’s because something else is scheduled — for example, on Monday there’s no afternoon snack because we head straight into the reception at 5pm, which has plenty of food. Snack options will generally include something lighter and healthier alongside sweeter or saltier selections.

Special Requests You can specify dietary needs during registration. Email summit@powershell.org ahead of time to confirm your specific needs and we’ll follow up with you.

Every year we have people request special meals — gluten-free is popular — only to have those meals go to waste when the requestor opts for the main buffet instead. Special meals cost us extra. If you order one and don’t pick it up, we will cancel your remaining special meal requests for the event to limit our losses.

One note: “gluten-free” does not mean “carb-free” or “giant chunks of meat.” Gluten-free meals tend to be veggie-centric. Please don’t order gluten-free hoping for a pile of pork chops.

Variety We recognize that some people love adventurous food while others prefer simple and familiar. Our goal is a wide selection that covers different needs and preferences. If you’re strictly a burgers-and-fries person, we won’t have that every day — we’re not running a restaurant. But based on years of feedback, our attendees are an incredibly diverse crowd when it comes to food. You might think everyone loves what you love, but you’d mostly be wrong. We hope to please as many of you as possible.

Outside Food Aside from small snacks that fit in your bag or pocket, outside food cannot be brought into the venue. This is a venue requirement driven by local health codes, which require the venue to be responsible for any food-related illnesses on-site.

Have a Question? Drop a line to summit@powershell.org. We’d rather sort things out in advance so there are no surprises on-site.