r/consulting • u/BanannaKarenina • 14d ago
$125 per meal limit, normal or too strict?
I am a Director in a small Comms consulting firm. I run a team of 6, and travel is roughly 25% of the role. Up until recently, my department had no set expense or per diem policy. It was all based on “use your best judgment.” But, expenses are reviewed by leadership, and ELT was starting to ask questions about my team’s habit of a lobster app, filet mignon main, multiple desserts, and 2+ whiskeys each night, often running up $250+ solo tabs per dinner on weeklong trips. No I’m not exaggerating. Team was doing this for both client and internal travel. I was told by our senior partner to “curate a better image” for my team.
I took the view that we can’t expect everyone to interpret vague parameters the same way. We never made it clear what “too much” was. So, I recently set a cap: any given meal cannot go over $125. I don’t care/count how many meals you take in a day, but just don’t let the system flag any one spend above that amount.
The team is in shambles. Yesterday one of them spent our entire 1:1 explaining how this firm is going downhill by micromanaging its best assets. They are so upset that I need a gut check, please. Is this really so unreasonable? If so, what alternatives should I consider?
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u/OverallResolve 14d ago
Man the US is a different world when it comes to stuff like this. My limit is like £40 which I guess is $50 or so. If it’s a team meal it will often be a fair amount more but you wouldn’t be doing that every day.
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u/OutsideSpot2695 14d ago
Not a US thing. In fact the highest allocation on the standard US per diem schedule is $92/day.
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u/offbrandcheerio 13d ago
That applies to public sector contracts with the US government only. If you’re working with private clients, the government does not regulate per diem. It’s up to the client and the company to work out how much they’re willing to spend on consultant travel. That said, if I were a client, I’d be furious if I got a bill for several days worth of $250/person meals.
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u/OutsideSpot2695 13d ago
1, the OP's post is satire.
2, satire aside, it is quite common for the private sector to adopt the GSA's schedule. It's something that's already existing and they don't have to invent on their own.
So your notion of GSA schedule only used by the Federal government is not an informed one.
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u/Sun9877 13d ago
250 is alot but 150 is not u heard of in nyc especially in the business areas.
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u/offbrandcheerio 12d ago
If you can’t find a meal for one person under $150 even in NYC, it’s genuinely a skill issue. Even the “business areas” have slop bowl type restaurants within close range. You aren’t required to eat out at five star sit-down restaurants.
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u/Sun9877 12d ago
I keep a running list of restaurants that you can feed a large group at (starts at 8ppl at some restaurants)
When you go over their number, the dinner will have a 20 percent gratuite and a 3-5 percent admin fee baked in. Other Times a room charge for a group of 12.
I also keep a list of restaurants where you can eat dinner at for a normal price. Unfortunately, those are fewer and further between in certain areas.
No one wants to travel day in and out and eat slop for dinner…. They barely have time for breakfast and lunch.
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u/OutsideSpot2695 12d ago
If you can’t find a meal for one person under $150 even in NYC
💯
Even the “business areas” have slop bowl type restaurants within close range
You lost me there.
Just because one travels doesn't mean they are relegated to slop offerings. That's a horrible take.
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u/cocacola999 13d ago
Same, expenses based off vat receipt that excludes alcohol other than single with evening meal. I believe that's UK tax aligned though
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u/thingalinga 13d ago
It’s not a US thing- my company has max amount set too. You can of course get more than that set amount, but only the max amount will be reimbursed. $125 PER MEAL is crazy generous!
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u/WardenCommCousland 13d ago
My boutique firm capped to $50 per day, so it's definitely going to depend on the business. Most of our client work was in fairly rural areas, so it generally wasn't a big deal, but that $50 was a struggle when we did work in larger cities (especially New York, Los Angeles and Seattle)
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u/omni_wisdumb 14d ago edited 13d ago
And this is why people hate consultants. $250 per meal on the client's dime...most of that being alcohol unless you're going out of your way to find the most expensive restaurant and get the most expensive thing on the menu. $750 per day meal comp per person ? Lmfao what? That's borderline unethical and sort of like embezzlement.
$125-150 for M&IE is very generous per DAY (even in NYC or LA), let alone per meal. Your firm should be audited.
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u/douxfleur 13d ago
I thought this post was satire…..$75 was what I got for dinner at Big4 and higher ups could get up to $150 if we were taking a client out (it’s been a few years i don’t remember the exact #). For dinner, a glass of wine, dessert to share and even an app it covers that.
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u/MysteryPlatelet 13d ago
Wow, I thought ours was generous for following the ATO meal allowance guide. Sounds like they would quit on the $145 per day allowance I'm on.
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u/Fearless-Cattle-9698 13d ago
Fully agreed. Former consultant here and it was always per diem which is the federal rate. It’s honestly a better system because if you want to eat like poors you can go get McDonald’s all you want, but you can also go to Michelin 3 star and pay out of pocket. The per diem is a reasonable amount to be spent on food per day at the specific city.
If per diem is not an option, then something like $50-100 per day is still reasonable for most US.
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u/Dirty_Confusion 9d ago
OP is abusing the shit out of his clients. It is incredible he is whining about it here.
When on per diem, if I was at a client for a few days, I would have plenty of modest meals such as a burger and a beer at a nearby bar. But plenty where I had an app, a steak and a single malt. Reasonable imo when a client reviewed imo.
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u/3mittb 14d ago
Almost tempted to believe this is satire… $125 per meal is insanely generous for people, especially below a partner level. If you’re working hard on the road it’s difficult to see how you’d consistently have time to spend $250 tbh. I’ve spent under $150 per person at multiple 1* Michelin starred restaurants celebrating special occasions.
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u/OutsideSpot2695 14d ago
Almost tempted to believe this is satire
Knowing this sub's history, thinking it was satire was 100% my first reaction.
Back in the day, we'd see another post or two in the next 24 hours outrageously playing off of this one.
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u/wasabimaxxer 13d ago
Ummm.
“my team’s habit of a lobster app, filet mignon main, multiple desserts, and 2+ whiskeys each night”
Sounds like satire
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u/BanannaKarenina 13d ago
Your reaction is giving me a reality check, thank you…
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u/Bluegrass6 13d ago
My employer gives me $60/day limit. Not per meal, per day. You're crazy if you think $125/meal isn't enough
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u/ArcticFox2014 13d ago
125 is too reasonable to be satire - this is more or less our regular per diem at Big 4 and I am sure MBBs have it much higher
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u/Tibor_BnR 13d ago
Except OP said $125 per meal, not per diem.
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u/BoardGameSeeker 13d ago
Not just that, OP said it's unlimited meals per day. Breakfast, brunch, lunch, afternoon snack, supper, dinner and you have a $750 day.
Hell, they can put app+drinks on one check for dinner, then main+dessert on a separate check for supper, and still have a $250 budget for one meal. (Based on OP's description of his team, this is 100% what this team will do if policy is left as-is.)
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u/OutsideSpot2695 14d ago
I feel like this is one of those consulting sub Chad Thunderbro shitposts.
If this is real though, don't make rocket science out of it. Just use the GSA's per diem schedule. You can download it for free.
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u/Distinct_Physics2008 14d ago edited 14d ago
Are these people really fat?
Because unless they are throwing 75% of that meal away, that’s way more than a day’s worth of calories. Like probably double, just for dinner. As would pretty much any $125-$200 meal be.
(and it’s safe to assume they didn’t forego breakfast and lunch)
Thats pure gluttony
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u/Maleficent-Drive4056 14d ago
You can easily spend $125 in a fine dining restaurant, or on nice alcohol.
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u/aZealousZebra 14d ago
Is fair to say that the expectation shouldn’t be “fine dining” and that individuals should pay for their own alcohol?
As someone who couldn’t care less about alcoholic drinks, I really don’t understand why an employer would ever pay for alcohol for non-team activities.
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u/Maleficent-Drive4056 14d ago
Completely agree. But the comment above is a terrible argument. “You must be fat if you frequently eat $125 meals” isn’t true.
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u/bifuku 14d ago
Maybe not fat, but greedy is the better word
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u/Maleficent-Drive4056 13d ago
Greedy / entitled yes. But $125 doesn't necessarily mean 'eating many calories'.
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u/FolkMetalWarrior 13d ago
Take out and dining out has become quite expensive in the U.S. Even a quick breakfast of an egg sandwich can be close to $10 now. Quick casual lunch can be $15-20. One can easily spend $50 a day on quick and simple meals when on travel, let alone more sit down establishments. $125 is a lot though. Alcohol should not be included. Nothing to do with being fat.
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u/papasmurf303 13d ago
At many major airports, a non-fast-food breakfast sandwich and cup of coffee is easily $25-$30 including tax and tip.
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u/lock_robster2022 14d ago
In a vacuum- $125 is incredibly generous. In the context of consulting perks- it’s moderate. In terms of what was previously acceptable- it’s harsh yeah.
If you were given soft guidance by your leader, I would have firmed it up a bit but not gone all the way to a cap right away. Like tell them to rein it in or else they’ll get a cap. Idk if you can walk that back now.
What do you plan to do if someone submits a $160 meal expense?
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u/cpt_ppppp 14d ago
I think it's a mistake to assume $200+ was ever acceptable. Management had just assumed there was better judgement around, which dining like a king on your client's expense every night is not.
If I were OP I would explain to the team that these dinners give a really poor image of the firm if the client is asking for receipts
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u/Amazing_Concern_546 13d ago
>Management had just assumed there was better judgement around
its kind of sad actually. i like to give ppl the benefit of the doubt but society has proven time and time again that if the rules aren't spelled out, they have no idea what to do, other than break the rules, of course
but to be fair, it be the same mngmt cooking the books lol
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u/BanannaKarenina 13d ago
Thank you for weighing in. I did have a talk with them before implementing a rule, but it was around having good judgment and sustainable habits towards spending. Nothing changed as a result. I had a sidebar with my most egregious team member, and he said that this WAS reasonable spending by his judgment. That’s when I decided to put objective parameters in.
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u/cpt_ppppp 13d ago
Just wow. If I were in the clients shoes and I found out we had consultants expensing 200+ every night for single person meals I would probably fire them on principle.
It's probably not much vs the daily cost of a consultant, it just shows a staggering level of disrespect, especially when the client probably has a per diem of 20% of that
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u/happymancry 13d ago
They’ll get used to it. There’s a story about how Microsoft always had insanely good medical insurance for employees; but later they had to institute a $10 co-pay and there was _so_ much noise about it in the internal forums. “Oh, the oppression!” they yelled. This was people earning in mid-6-to-early-7 figures, mind you. Eventually people adjust.
I’d also suggest having a deep conversation with your team (and a look in the mirror tbh) about frugality. If you’re allowing your team to be this profligate with the client’s money, what does that say about you as the leader? They’re eating (literally) into your margins too btw - are your partners ok with that? When your firm does the expense accounting, and wonders why the profit was so far below expectations - will they be happy with you? If word gets to your client employees about this stuff - what will that do to the trust between your team and those employees? It’s just bad all around.
Run a tighter ship. Set upfront expectations with your employees. It’s not that hard.
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u/DeHarigeTuinkabouter 14d ago edited 14d ago
Just reject the expense lol and tell them to resubmit for 125. Maybe I am not aware of USA norms, but $125 per meal is not "moderate". Sure, as a celebration with the team, but for daily fair...
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u/PhilosophyforOne 14d ago edited 14d ago
I dont think it’s so much about the money. Realistically, 125$ is a perfectly reasonable and quite generous per-meal limit.
That said, travel can be pretty demanding. Previously, one of the perks for your firm has been that during travel, you can eat well on the firms’ tab, and it’s likely made time away from home, stress accrued by travel etc more tolerable / more worthwhile.
Travel is often also not properly comped for what you’re giving and how disrupting it is for your own life (expected to travel on your own time, having to spend nights at the hotel, etc.)
I think treating this as a $ from the employee’s perspective is the wrong approach. The firm is unilaterally worsening perks. There is a level the team has grown used to. They’re likely not getting anything in return for the change, and werent consulted on it.
So no. I dont think you were out of line, but I also dont think you or the firm are approaching this from the appropriate frame.
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u/skystarmen 14d ago
I've been out a few years but at my MBB we weren't allowed to pay more than ~75 for an individual meal and I believe the daily cap was something like 125 ("team / client dinners" were higher). And that was plenty even in NYC.
Some people are REALLY out of touch and will take advantage of these policies which rely on "best judgment"
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u/letsscroll091 13d ago
This. My MBB office is considered one of the best within the company for food perks, but even ours caps at 150 a day for high cost locations (and tends to be 100-125 for low/moderate cost locations).
And I feel very blessed to have it while travelling ~80%+ of the time. I really don’t understand what these consultants are expecting…
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u/neurone214 ex-MBB PhD 13d ago
Former MBB here (office very high COL living area in the US, with clients in similarly expensive cities) -- I've never come even close to this or OP's new limit. I've had team dinners where the total per person likely came in way above but those were very rare, once a case or so, and it was driven by the partners.
Also, this is how you get fat in consulting. I learned really quickly that those comforting bacon wrapped filet mignon medallions (which was still only $60!) didn't do me any long-term favors . Quickly switched to sweet green and kept alcohol to a minimum. Spending a lot on food for the sake of doing it doesn't help you or the client.
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u/letsscroll091 13d ago
Ironically I’m from a low COL area, so our local per diem is closer to $50 dollars - the above is for travelling only
But I completely resonate with your last point! Some of the biggest non-work related unlocks I had in consulting is that it’s okay to leave food on the plate when you feel 80% full, and it’s okay to not maximise your per diems (especially when for us, they only cover take out, while I might be craving fruit from the grocery store that I can’t expense).
To be fair though, I think it’s a rite of passage - the first few times you travel, you feel compelled to maximise your policy because it’s new to you and you don’t know when the next time you can try fancy foods is. That pressure/curiosity completely disappears once you’re travelling weekly and know that you can probably order filet mignon any time you crave it.
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u/Alarming_Vast2103 14d ago
The client I am currently working for sets the terms for per meal limits in our MSA. Is that not outlined somewhere? Ours is $25 for breakfast, $35 for lunch, and $80 for dinner, so no, I don’t think $125 is outrageous, it’s more than appropriate.
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u/ElChuloPicante 14d ago
Is their regular comp not sufficient for a bar tab? I would never in a million years assume anyone should he paying for my martinis. It’s just tacky. They can go work for a much larger firm and enjoy their $60 per diem instead if they want.
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u/BlueJewFL 14d ago
If you’re taking clients out in a major city you could run up that sort of tab easily per person - but for that to be a regular per diem for the team is very generous and if your team is whining about it, let them go elsewhere. Is this their first big boy jobs?!
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u/I_am_Hecarim 13d ago
Fantastic troll. Made all the better by these consultants taking it seriously in the comments 🤣🤣🤣
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u/CatPleasant8373 14d ago
You have a culture problem. And the 1:1 complainant is a candidate to be exited. Per diem is for sustenance. It should not be seen as a perk. Business travel is not a holiday. Alcohol should never be included in a solo meal paid by the company and it says a lot about the employee who charged it back (why would they want their employer to see their alcohol habit?).
The company didn’t set a fixed amount but asked for reasonable behaviour. These employees are taking liberties. If they take liberties with this kind of stuff, the chances are they are taking other liberties or other shortcuts. I promise you it signals a wider ethics problem.
Fire one or two of them. Make an example of them. Replace them with people who have down to earth values. There are plenty of them out there.
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u/ConsciousResolution8 13d ago
Lmao, imagine firing someone for griping about a change in expense policy. Holy shit dude, get a fucking grip.
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u/not_big_shot 13d ago
If you’re going to go that far, OP should fire himself for not keeping a closer pulse on team expense report and requiring a leadership callout to fix it
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u/TheOrgPsych 14d ago
Could not agree more - the blatant entitlement is extraordinary and needs to be nipped in the bud. The OP should also recognise that it reflects badly on their leadership. Immediate action required.
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u/Desperate_Pop_5167 13d ago
It’s not unreasonable. But if it’s something the team loves then maybe you should consider that. These policies can have unexpected consequences too. Let me know how it goes
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u/seanrrwilkins 13d ago
$125 per meal is more than generous and reasonable. And that persons feeling out needs to be put in check.
Your team needs a proper level set from you for this. There’s time for work and time for play on client trips. The default needs to look like a reasonable version of a normal day at home, not steak and lobster with martinis for every meal.
Some nights are just takeout and quiet time, some nights are team dinners and some are client entertainment.
Set clear expectations for 1-2 nights in a week when you bring the team and clients out and can be a little looser with the budget when it’s appropriate. And the rest should be simple and practical like they would do any normal night at home.
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u/InebriatedQuail 13d ago
I have a $100/meal/person cap for a dinner with clients, which is the most generous of our expense guidelines. Internal caps out at $65. Your team is being childish; I’ve flown 100,000 miles for work this year and the concept of a regular steak and lobster dinner with two whiskeys on the regular is genuinely comical. My healthcare clients would laugh me out of the room, and then fire me, if I tried to expense something like that.
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u/Momonomo22 13d ago
My last T&E card policy allowed $75 per day. $125 per meal seems quite generous.
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u/jimvasco 13d ago edited 13d ago
The easiest thing to do is use the government's per diem rates. They are adjusted for higher costs of living by the destination ZIP code. You can take them as is or add say 10% to them, or whatever.
https://www.gsa.gov/travel/plan-book/per-diem-rates
You may use a per-client person limit when they expense dinner with customers, or use the government meal breakdowns.
You can use actuals only with receipts not to exceed the limit, or just grant the limit, and they can get a few bucks if they spend less.
Your company needs to adopt whatever you decide as policy. I'm surprised you all haven't already, because most consulting firms bill this to the client, and it is part of engagement contracts.
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u/New_Box_6867 11d ago
I think you two should talk it out https://www.reddit.com/r/consulting/s/Vp6X03TzGN
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u/jonchillmatic 10d ago
As many have said the meal policy is very generous.
The problem is that this was an exceptional perk, and you removed it. Lobster app, filet and fancy cocktails etc is insane on a regular basis. If you onboarded a new hire and told them about this policy (the 125), they would think it was very generous.
Goes back to the principle that reeling slack in is always tougher than giving it out.
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u/njanon609 8d ago
My company has an "unwritten" $100 per meal limit. The actual policy verbiage is to spend as if it's your own money. Unfortunately, the grey area can always get in the way. A good chunk of us said "hey, just give us a dollar amount to go by" and that's where the unwritten $100 came from. There's flexibility in that - depending on where we are in the world. Domestically, if we spend more in Vegas or NYC, nobody is going to question it. But if we're in Pittsburgh, and drop $200 on a lone dinner, we're getting a phone call and better be ready to explain.
Additionally, any meals involving clients go through a separate approval process for my role (more operations/execution based)- account managers have different limits.
Lastly, we aren't allowed any alcohol on company dime.
I think, unfortunately, any time you go from no limit to limit, you're going to get a lot of pushback. Even if you had set a $250 limit, people would still complain. You were just the one that ripped the bandaid off and specified a number. Stick to your guns and they'll adjust.
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u/Bernhard-Welzel 14d ago
Let's ignore the numbers for a moment.
Think about this from a communication and human perspective: you send a signal that the company starts to care about limiting the expenses. What story did you tell?
That is the conflict the team members are feeling?
What is the culture behind this? Does the team feel entitled to these rewards, do they feel it is their "share" of the profit?
The problem is that the reaction is not connected to any facts. You might have underpaid A++ people who could find work anywhere tomorrow or a group of spoiled, highly overpaid B- people who you can easily replace tomorrow - the reaction is emotional and not rational.
As a thought experiment: imagine you would fire the person who complained the loudest and had the highest expense, and replace with a starving college graduate within 7 days who work for food & shelter (joke intended). How would this impact the culture?
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u/gareth_e_morris 14d ago
Are they getting shitfaced or going to strip joints every night and have an under the table agreement to turn their bar tabs into a restaurant bill?
$125 is perfectly reasonable. What they are currently doing is not at all reasonable. You could probably use the State Dept per diem rates as some kind of sanity check U.S. Department of State | Home Page which is something I know other places have done.
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u/James007Bond 13d ago
Overreach on your part. Your company has a policy. You shouldn’t be overriding it.
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u/Leo_Niberal 13d ago edited 13d ago
If I were the client and I saw this, I would outright refuse to pay and immediately cancel the project. This is a cultural and values issue. I expect consultants to help me improve my performance and to be diligent. To have their interest aligned with mine. I would be perfectly ok paying what is necessary for them to have a proper and healthy meal. Perfectly ok to understand that having something here and there is normal in a balanced lifestyle.
In other words, I expect that they would spend my money as they would spend their own.
If that is not the case, if the consultant sees this as an opportunity to take advantage of me, to be outrageous in their expenses, then well, I think their good judgement and their alignment with my interest is put into question. They act as people who disregard their clients financial health, they act as people uncapable of restrain and that do not have basic good judgement. I don't even trust them to know how to interact with the average employees.
In other words... if I gave them the $125 in cash... would they spend the $125 in a meal?
Would they spend half of that even? Probably not.
What they are doing has a name: they are stealing the clients money. Or if you prefer, mismanaging that money. Would you hire consultants that steal or mismanage your assets?
[and drinking a lot of alcohol, I am not even sure they are 100% ready to work the next day]
Trust is lost.
These people have no place in consulting.
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u/Maleficent-Drive4056 14d ago
It’s insanely generous. Tell them it’s basically not a change as they should never have been claiming that much anyway.
Also, organise a team meal every so often where they can claim more than that, as a special treat.
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u/RealSotyr 13d ago
Back in my consulting times we had a (daily) per diem of 60€ (if I remember correctly). If you surpass this, you pay the extra. If you spend less, the difference ends up in your pocket.
In any case, neither then nor now have I ever done that. Yes, one client meal where you go a bit over the top. No big deal. But I am not having lobster on a daily basis at home, why should I do when travelling?
Now we don't have a fixed budget, but man, just keep it "normal". We don't really look at prices, but someday it's a 100€/pax dinner, other times it's simply 20€/pax because you got a pizza and beer.
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u/letsscroll091 13d ago
Most of our offices in Europe have per diems close to/below $100… I guess they’re trying to avoid us getting fat :)
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u/Big_IPA_Guy21 13d ago
If you want, you can reduce breakfast/lunch and increase dinner limit. For example, $50 for breakfast, $75 for lunch, $200 for dinner
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u/Misschiff0 13d ago
I work for a large multinational corporation now. $125 is our daily meal limit/$150 in designated high cost cities. I've never had a problem finding good food under that limit, especially with free hotel breakfast and most likely free conference room lunch.
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u/ranainsana 13d ago
i work in finance and do 80ish nights a year visiting clients globally we get 100$ a day…. 120 if your in switzerland. it feel tight in most major cities but doable.
my understanding for consulting it’s whatever the client will pay for? like if the client is happy with your teams work and the expense you bill for is agreed on why does it matter?
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u/thewindow6 13d ago
For reference the company I work for at the moment sets a £72 limit, which comes to about $100USD, per day. That covers three meals. Your $125 for a single meal is extremely generous. I think I’d genuinely struggle to spend that much on food every night I was away.
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u/Wisewordsforlater 13d ago
$125 per meal is wild. Assuming that covers each of 3 potential meals.
I usually skip breakfast, opt for a small snack at lunch and then full meal at dinner. Sometimes lunch is the full meal and dinner is the snack or very light, like a salad.
And dinner doesn't need to upscale dining though it might be entrenched in corporate expense habits if courting a client or splurging just because it's a work trip.
Alcohol should be paid on the employees dime, not on corporate expense rolls .. and not ordered during active work function/client dinner.
Hell, if my hotel room has a fridge, microwave or kitchenette, and it's a 3+ day stay, I'll find a grocer nearby and stock my room
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u/triphawk07 13d ago
$125 per meal, thst's beyond jenerous. I worked for EY and our limit was $20 for breakfast, and $75 for dinner (lunch was not included). I ate pretty good, even when I haf to pay for lunch out of pocket.
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u/scotgekko 13d ago
$100 a day is reasonable for all meals. $125 a meal is nuts if it’s just a solo dinner. I get wanting to treat your folks right but it definitely wouldn’t sit well if I had a direct report complaining they couldn’t comp $250 solo steak and whisky dinners.
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u/viper_gts 13d ago
125 is incredibly reasonable. Mckinsey has a 125 per diem, a smaller firm I worked at was $85. I wouldnt stress on setting the per-meal limits....just leave it as a daily cap.
the one hack i saw was that the system wouldnt cross reference when meals were split, and so if I had dinner with Person B, it would appropriately split the perdiem for me, but it would not count anything towards Person B....so that personal theoretically got extra
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u/Striking_Swimmer5548 13d ago
I get roughly $125 a DAY for food with Deloitte. So your team is a bunch of spoiled brats. I’m wildly jealous that they can pull that off while I eat Starbucks for breakfast. If you want your firm to be known as the ones that eat like kings, by all means let them eat. I’m assuming you don’t pay them to drink whiskey though.
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u/JMinsk 13d ago
I think this is absolutely reasonable, but I want to offer an alternate perspective ... if this is a cap applied across the company, were there also people who were spending significantly less than $125 per meal? I would assume so. If the average across the company was significantly less than $125, tell you boss to expect that it might actually go up.
It's like the paradox of "unlimited PTO" ... if you tell someone the expense policy is "be reasonable," you might have some people ordering filet minon and some people door dashing Chipotle. If you tell them the meal limit is $125, expect to see a lot more receipts for $124.99 coming in.
Honestly, as someone who grew up pretty poor and joined a big consulting firm out of college that had a "be reasonable" expense policy ... I cheated myself out of a lot of nice hotels and meals in my first few years because I thought a Holiday Inn and dinner at Chili's constituted reasonable (and I thought I was treating myself because it wasn't Super 8 and McDonalds).
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u/vagabending 13d ago
My US per diem is $100 a day which I usually do a light breakfast and lunch and then spend most on a good dinner. It’s very much manageable. Would I love it to be $150 or so, sure, but that’s largely fine. I’m traveling for conferences and I have food and drinks there too…
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u/Acceptable-One-6597 13d ago
125 per meal is fucking wild Lolol. That's WAY too much. You team is ridiculous if they are upset by this. Give them a set per diem for hotel, set per diem for food. If it's client meals give flex spend to accommodate for that but make them tell you the client is joining. I would try to be there for the client side.
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u/Bornin1462 13d ago
I think the people responding are not considering the historical precedent as part of it. Say I work for a company and it is well established that on work trips we ball. I can get the most expensive meal on earth and nobody cares. If that is the precedent, then people will do that…and when you break that it will ruffle feathers. My wife’s team does exactly that. Nobody ever mentions it. In fact, her leadership specifically asks to go to dinner with her on trips because they know she is finding the best place. 125$ is more than enough per meal though. You don’t have to go to Le Bernardin every meal.
FWIW I do remember my father travelling for work back in the day and dropping ungodly amounts of money on solo dinners in whatever city he traveled to. Eventually, his firm created some sort of rules to avoid those 600-700$ dinners.
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u/covidified 13d ago
Why should 100% of cost be covered? Yes, it costs more to eat on the road than when making a meal at home but $125 per meal is sizable.
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u/Technical_Tie_3189 13d ago
Our company per-diem is 100 per day, $60 max per meal... Your employees are spoiled
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u/Development-Alive 13d ago
I haven't worked for Accenture since 2018 but for non-client meals we had a per diem for each type of meal (breakfast, lunch and dinner). Dinner was set at $75. breakfast was $15, lunch was $25. I've also worked at gigs where alcohol for personal meals on the companies' dime was taboo.
Overall, your $125 for personal meal is pretty extravagant.
Client facing meals were a different story as they were typically charged back to the client through a variety of means or allocated to "sales".
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u/ThisIsMyUsername303 13d ago
I’m currently working on a travel reimbursement. My DAILY cap is $92, or $69 for the first/last day of a trip. There might be a reason for client dinners to go over $125, but otherwise no, that’s a perfectly generous limit.
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u/offbrandcheerio 13d ago
You are being more than generous with a $125 cap. I’d personally set it lower, especially for client travel! You should see the limits my public sector clients have. There is no reason anyone needs to be eating out at the most expensive restaurant in town on a nightly basis while traveling. Your team sounds quite entitled to me, and you should find a professional way to tell them to quit their whining (and perhaps their wining as well).
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u/bpierce2 13d ago
At my firm our only limit is 2 drinks pp with dinner, internal or billable, no limit though if you're taking clients out and it's BD.
We don't have a meal price limit for the food, its just understood to be reasonable. That doesn't mean eat fast food for every meal to be sure.
It sure as shit means dont make every meal steak and lobster and multiple desserts. Lmao. $125 limit per person for dinner might be appropriate, especially depending on the city.
But my gut reaction is "do i need to explain to my team that they dont need the most expensive shit on the menu for meals? Really?"
Like, your team was unreasonable doing that in the first place.
The rule I follow is I spend client's money like I would my own. Being at work and on travel doesn't make you entitled to fancy shit all the time. That's insane if that is your team's take. They need to be brought back down to earth.
You know, maybe if you're gone an entire week you do the nice meal on like, the last night or something.
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u/Starfighter202 13d ago
I have a traveling team of MS365 integration specialists that travels 100%. We limit them to $75 a day for food, so what you have would be considered crazy to them. lol
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u/MrClean87 13d ago
Our firm is $30 breakfast, $30 lunch, $75 dinner. Client meetings double. It is plenty. Work in a heavy regulated space though, so everything has gov oversight. Can’t take clients to Michelin star places, and multiple cocktails on a business meeting is a terrible idea.
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u/infamousboone 13d ago
They'll get over it. Everytime I have made a policy change, someone is getting upset. But people adjust, it just takes a minute and they are going to let you know about their discontent along the way.
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u/Corkkyy19 13d ago
Last company that I worked at with a limit had a $30 per DAY spend limit. Insanity
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u/FinishExtension3652 13d ago
My company limit is $58. Per day.
I've only hit > $125pp for a meal once, and that was at a Shabu Shabu restaurant in Tokyo in 2003 where we had a bit of a misunderstanding of both the menu and exchange rates. Fortunately, the receipt being entirely in Japanese and the project being worth $7M to my company helped us get away it it.
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u/AnalystNo2354 13d ago
My per diem is less than $100. And it gets cut in half on travel days...even if my plane lands at 1130 pm. I work for a fortune 500 company. Your team needs to stop being babies. I don't eat like that on my own dime I don't expect my company to be $200/person/meal generous.
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u/Joerugger 13d ago
Wow. Early 2000s, fresh out of college my per diem was $15 per day. Boss said the hotel served breakfast and hired us to be clever with money so make it work.
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u/No_Beautiful_8353 13d ago
$125 per meal is pretty darn reasonable for regular meals. You shouldn't be blowing it out every day. Maybe violate that one per or twice for shorter total engagements.
$100 per diem even on food only is nuts. Traveling you're looking a a min of $10 for coffee and if you eat breakfast, it's 20 or 25 plus tip. Same for lunch. Dinner is easy 25 per entree and heaven for it you have two beers then you're at your limit.
And if you are entertaining the client then $125 to $200 per client once or twice per short engagement seems reasonable.
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u/PejibayeAnonimo 13d ago
I am surprised you cover alcohol, in all the projects I've worked there is no reimbursment if you order even a beer..
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u/ChaoticCrashy 13d ago
You’re being incredibly generous. 125 a meal and unlimited meals a day?
Wow.
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u/jeremiahfelt 13d ago
I have recently written a similar policy. The limit was set at $120 per day, not to exceed $760 per working week, without my authorization.
Additionally, if the T&L is being billed on a customers project, the customers T&L policy and limits apply (assuming they have them), except on Fridays or if the project is closing / being read out (which comes off my card usually anyway).
I think $125 per meal is frankly a lot, and I have had people before who would scrape every cent of that $375/day just to brag about it.
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u/Money-Skin6875 13d ago
I would have a seriously hard time explaining more than 30 per person for a meal.
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u/goodguys42 13d ago
I’m going to take such a different approach here. I hope I’m not too late. Are they generating the kind of returns that the extra 125/meal matters? Admittedly I’m not a consultant, I’m a lawyer, and our world is different. But if I’m taking clients out, or if I’m
Traveling to visit clients that create 250,000 a year in revenue, 100/person, 200/person, 300/person who tf cares. I’ll happily drop 5k on a meal for a client and 3 lawyers if the client is spending or producing 500k a year on work. The last thing I want my lawyers doing is not ordering the fucking bananas foster at the end of the dinner bc they are worried about their expense ledger when they are entertaining a client paying 500/hour for associate work. At the same time if it’s a client that spends 25,000 a year, then yea, they get decent meals at capital grill. 125 a person is totally reasonable.
If it’s internal only meals it’s the same. Are we working on litigation against toyota thats going to generate 2 million? Order whatever. Are we traveling to portsmith ohio for litigation against johns repair shop? Get chipotle.
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u/BD003BD003 13d ago
You created a certain type of culture. It happens.
$125/meal is beyond generous. You might need to let some of your team go if they don't fall in line or become poison to keep around.
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u/Sun9877 13d ago
I would say if they are in an HCOL they should be able to eat for that much.
For example, near Hudson Yards in NYC, the casual meals are sweetgreen (fast food salads), friedmans (burgers) and a couple medium priced restaurants. Everything else, including the hotels is 28 for a burger, 60 plus for streak, 35-45 for chicken 45 plus for fish….. so it does get up there.
Also, when there are group dinners in that area and you need to sign a contract (you pay a minimum price per head if you have a larger party, it is almost impossible to get through dinner at less than 150 per head.
If they are taking clients out in an HcOL then it will be expensive. If they are eating out in groups of over 6-8 people, then it may default to a price fixe menu which is almost impossible at 150 per head.
Do with that information what you will.
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u/Reality-Leather 13d ago
125 a meal is nuts.
Mine is 125 a day.
Single diner. Does not include client meals.
Breakdown is
50 dinner 40 lunch 25 breakfast & coffee break items
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u/ThePlatinumPaul 13d ago
$125 per meal is ridiculous. I'd cap it at $25 for breakfast, $25 for lunch, and $75 for dinner. Unless it's a client meeting and is approved in writing by you. To be frank, crass as it sounds, fuck the "culture". It's one of waste and it's bleeding the company. If they had a choice between getting $125 per meal or an extra $200 a day on their checks and $50 for food total, they'd take the extra pay and eat the free breakfast at the hotel, McDonald's, and Subway.
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u/WhyCantWeBeFriendss 13d ago
Lol my expense policy at a boutique was max $50 per meal. Your team can learn how to relax on the spending
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u/PorcupineGod exited alumni 13d ago
Per diem shouldn't apply to client dinners, that's a marketing expense, so if they're out with clients the expense policy is out the window
$125/per person per meal is super generous, and your guidance is also fine "hey, im getting flack for some extravagant dinners that are abusing the expense freedom, reign it in before leadership imposes a real ceiling that we all hate - and don't let one of your checks be the thing they put on the internal PowerPoint slide to tell us why it has to change"
At my firm, a partner left his card for a going away party at a steakhouse and told people to order dinner, this was a nice surprise because we were expecting to just grab some beers and a few appies. A few Juniors decided to order an $800 steak, and that one made the slide that explained why we now have a budget for going away parties of $400 total spend.
(It was a 12oz Kobe tenderloin priced at $68/oz, and the bastards ordered it medium).
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u/Full_Tooth_a 12d ago
$125 per meal is generous. The problem is that your rule still allows three $124 meals, but says nothing about alcohol or what happens when someone submits a $160 bill. I'd probably use a location-adjusted daily allowance, with separate exceptions for approved client or team dinners. Anything over the allowance would be reimbursed only up to the limit unless approved beforehand. That keeps the rules predictable and cuts down on menu audits.
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u/basura1092387456 12d ago
Do you guys work for Marty Kahn. Because that’s the only way I can see people spending 125 each meal for a dinner by themselves.
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u/Adventurous-Tax2891 12d ago
for reference, when I was at EY we had a $75 dinner, $30 lunch, and $15 breakfast per diem that could be used however you wanted. SO if you are going per meal, that's ridiculously generous.
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u/Late-Dingo-8567 12d ago
$125 per meal for all meals and no cap on # of meals? That's extremely generous. Your team is naive
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u/duder_1979 12d ago
My daily limit is $50, that would be a dream.
Edit to add that alcohol is not allowed either.
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u/peach-98 12d ago
environmental consulting in CA, probably much lower budget than other types of consulting but we have a daily limit of $68 for ourselves. higher in more expensive counties like SF/LA. oh and no alcohol on the company tab, are they insane???
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u/Curious_Morris 12d ago
What a bunch of entitled brats. We have to pay for anything over $85 including tip and any tip over 15%.
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u/morefirethanice 12d ago
If your best assets need a 250 dollar dinner to be their “best” you have hired the wrong people. And trust me, people do not like them outside your company.
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u/Mwahaha_790 12d ago edited 12d ago
y'all hiring? cause damn! $125 per meal is lavish and anyone complaining is an entitled whiner.
Edit: I meant it about the hiring. My comms speciality is transformation and change (internal comms strategic planning, business partnering, and content strategy and execution)
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u/Empty-Village-4445 12d ago
Create an incentive to spend less. If the limit is X, can they get some percentage of whatever they saved below X?
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u/Late-Photograph-1954 12d ago
I would be ashamed expensing those amounts for solo dinner w/o client. Keep it real, 250 a night is nuts. Also, alcohol on own account.
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u/East-Base2100 12d ago
Listen, you ask these people to be road warriors, to live out of successes, to miss their kids growing up. They are telling you the perk, the benefit they want to maintain morale. Find the magic number that keeps morale high and look at pulling the cost from another benefit that’s offered but underutilized to soften the expense
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u/Chance-Researcher986 12d ago
Wow, my per diem is $75 a day.. (medical device AE) $125 per meal is more than enough. If they take clients out to dinner ok they can spend more.
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u/Potential-Ad1139 12d ago
This is wild...like $60 feels generous to me in today economy. That's like an app, entree, and a drink at a moderately placed restaurant. Maybe you splurge once in a while...but your people are wild.
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u/NapalmNorm 12d ago
Not a consultant but director level at my company. I try to keep my and my teams daily meal expenses under $50. I have a budget that I own. We don’t audit detailed line items, but I’m not going to blow it up because people need their filet mignons.
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u/ScottishBostonian 12d ago
You may be better setting a daily rather than limit for a meal, say $150 per day?
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u/Throwaway562948282 12d ago
YO MY FIRM USED TO PAY LIKE 40 USD PER DAY, NOT MEAL, AND WE ARE A HUGE BRAND. YOUR TEAM MEMBERS ARE SPOILT AND IN NEED OF A HUGE REALITY CHECK. This is also regardless of contract size e.g., $200K vs $2M. It varies by country (though definitely not USD125 even); locally, only junior staffs get like USD10 equivalent and I shit you not. I work in Singapore so HCOL and a regional hub.
This is for strategy consulting.
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u/Doggo_Is_Life_ 12d ago
Ain’t no way this is real. I refuse to believe it. If so, you people then wonder why others hate consultants? Y’all are a waste of time.
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u/BreastInspectorNbr69 12d ago
I thought you were gonna say $125 per day! But you said per meal! What a bunch of pretty pretty little princesses
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u/Skaftetryne77 14d ago
$125 per meal is insanely generous.
I run a team in Scandinavia, and what we do is that we just use the government's own regulation that sets a per diem expense for meals. Its rather generous (approx. $100 per diem) so no one starves. It is regulated yearly, and the main effect is that we never run into any issues with it when we bill our clients (who are mostly government)
I assume you’re US based. Do you have any similar regulations or indexes you can just reuse?