FOOD OR NO FOOD?

[fatshark]

You are in charge of running a poker room, you must decide whether or not to have food served "tableside." So.
FOOD or No Food.

[Arbitrage]

I like being able to eat at the table, but some ppl really slow the game down when they're eating.

Food!

[Basilvdk]

No food. Having played at Foxwoods when there was food, and now when there's no food, I much prefer no food. No people slowing down the game since they're paying more attention to their cheeseburgers than there cards, no worries about crap getting knocked over, or carts filling in what little space is often available between tables]. Best of all, no nasty, greasy crap all over the cards and chips from the 500 lb wonder who's never heard of the word napkin.

[Shoe]

I vote for food... as most people give away their hands while eating.

However, it would be in the best interest of poker players' health if they were forced to leave the table every now and then, if for nothing else to walk to the buffet and back as opposed to getting their food delivered to them. (Hey, every little bit of excercise helps)

[Witzo]

Depends on the size of the room your in charge of. If you need people to fill seats constantly then I vote for food. If your in a busy poker room where seats < players then I vote for nofood.

[Hoss1193]

You're asking from the perspective of the room manager, not a player...so I'd have to say "it depends". It depends on the market, the clientele, space available, what atmosphere we're trying to create, etc. I'd simply try to decide which option is more +EV. In general, I'd say that in a West Coast room, I'd probably say "yes". In LV, I'd probably say "no".

I don't really have a marked preference as a player, either. I rarely eat at the table, but occasionally will get a sandwich. If I had to choose one or the other, I guess I'd say "Food", for 2 reasons: a) helps keep players at the table, and I usually feel like I have an edge on 60-70% of them, and b) folks generally do not play optimally while they're eating, and they're much easier to read.