Okay to max-out food reimbursement during SA? Forum

[Anonymous User]

My summer associate position is reimbursing us for meals during social events up to a certain limit ($50). Is it in poor taste to spend close to the total reimbursement amount for the meal, or would that not even show up as a blip on their radar?

[Anonymous User]

no one will care

the limit exists for a reason. enjoy your SA.

[lolwutpar]

Don't leave dollars on the table. Give a fat tip to the max reimbursement if needed.

[Bosque]

Wait, they are reimbursing you for meals during social events, instead of just paying? Is this during remote social events? If its in person, I would expect a partner or associate to just put it on their corporate card, in which case I would follow their lead. If it's remote, they gave you a guideline for a reason, no one is going to care as long as you don't go above it consistently

Don't be the summer that orders a $200 glass of scotch at a happy hour, but otherwise I really wouldn't worry too much about it.

[Anonymous User]

Don't leave dollars on the table. Give a fat tip to the max reimbursement if needed.

Agreed.

For every summer lunch I've attended for the past several years everyone tries to get as close to the limit as possible. (Remember to factor in taxes in so doing though.)

Whenever we inadvertently went somewhere cheaper than expected we gave the difference to the waiter as a tip.

[elmar]

My summer associate position is reimbursing us for meals during social events up to a certain limit ($50). Is it in poor taste to spend close to the total reimbursement amount for the meal, or would that not even show up as a blip on their radar?

At least in the Beforetimes when I'd pay the summer drinks bill I just got a lot more air miles points on my credit card, so it doesn't matter at all if people ordered more expensively.

Actually, one year we had too much money left in the summer budget at the end of the program and got to have a particularly lavish dinner to blow it all, which a partner set up in a swank high-floor private restaurant because he wanted to go there. The partner had a firedrill, so he had to no show last minute, and it was a bunch of associates and summers ordering offensively expensive cocktails and steak to get rid of the cash. The partner legit sulked about it and brought it up resentfully two or three times the following year. Fantastic confluence of events. Spend your max.

[lolwutpar]

My summer associate position is reimbursing us for meals during social events up to a certain limit ($50). Is it in poor taste to spend close to the total reimbursement amount for the meal, or would that not even show up as a blip on their radar?

At least in the Beforetimes when I'd pay the summer drinks bill I just got a lot more air miles points on my credit card, so it doesn't matter at all if people ordered more expensively.

Actually, one year we had too much money left in the summer budget at the end of the program and got to have a particularly lavish dinner to blow it all, which a partner set up in a swank high-floor private restaurant because he wanted to go there. The partner had a firedrill, so he had to no show last minute, and it was a bunch of associates and summers ordering offensively expensive cocktails and steak to get rid of the cash. The partner legit sulked about it and brought it up resentfully two or three times the following year. Fantastic confluence of events. Spend your max.

Ha, one year I planned a summer event and a ton of people bailed last minute, so with the handful of people who showed we moseyed over to the whiskey bar and spent a disgusting amount per drink trying all the rare whiskeys in an attempt to use the budget I had for the event. It was great. In no other situation would I ever pay $250 for two fingers.

[elmar]

My summer associate position is reimbursing us for meals during social events up to a certain limit ($50). Is it in poor taste to spend close to the total reimbursement amount for the meal, or would that not even show up as a blip on their radar?

At least in the Beforetimes when I'd pay the summer drinks bill I just got a lot more air miles points on my credit card, so it doesn't matter at all if people ordered more expensively.

Actually, one year we had too much money left in the summer budget at the end of the program and got to have a particularly lavish dinner to blow it all, which a partner set up in a swank high-floor private restaurant because he wanted to go there. The partner had a firedrill, so he had to no show last minute, and it was a bunch of associates and summers ordering offensively expensive cocktails and steak to get rid of the cash. The partner legit sulked about it and brought it up resentfully two or three times the following year. Fantastic confluence of events. Spend your max.

Ha, one year I planned a summer event and a ton of people bailed last minute, so with the handful of people who showed we moseyed over to the whiskey bar and spent a disgusting amount per drink trying all the rare whiskeys in an attempt to use the budget I had for the event. It was great. In no other situation would I ever pay $250 for two fingers.

My move one year was to get a bonus bottle of wine from this place near the office we took the summers to pretty routinely, and I'd enjoy the glass they'd pour me at the end of dinner, but take the rest home to have with another meal. Always the same one too, a real nice white, but too pricey for me on the reg. One of the summers got me a bottle as a thank you gift at the end of the program, which I thought was pretty clever and funny to be fair.

Oh, and to OP, when I dial in to summer events I bill the max too.

[Anonymous User]

My favorite (possibly apocryphal) summer story was some partner got a handful of summers together and took them to McDonalds so they could spend the max per person amount on some ungodly number of McNuggets and hold a contest for who could eat the most in one sitting.

[Anonymous User]

My favorite (possibly apocryphal) summer story was some partner got a handful of summers together and took them to McDonalds so they could spend the max per person amount on some ungodly number of McNuggets and hold a contest for who could eat the most in one sitting.

When I was a summer some bros took me for a fast food lunch and it was glorious and gross.

It wasn't Chipotle, but same feeling - "Double meat and guac will be an extra charge, is that okay?" "GIVE ME TRIPLE MEAT"

[Anonymous User]

Ah, one of my fondest summer memories is when like 5 of us went to los tacos no. 1 and burned through our ~$70 per person budget. We walked back to the office with plastic grocery bags full of 50+ tacos. So worth.

[notinbiglaw]

Nobody will care at all. It’s pretty much a meme to plan your meal around maxing out the meal allowance.

[JusticeJackson]

You’re fucking up if you’re not raiding the supply closet to stock up on enough pens and pads of paper to last you the next 25 years.

[bigchiefhoho]

My favorite (possibly apocryphal) summer story was some partner got a handful of summers together and took them to McDonalds so they could spend the max per person amount on some ungodly number of McNuggets and hold a contest for who could eat the most in one sitting.

When I was a summer some bros took me for a fast food lunch and it was glorious and gross.

It wasn't Chipotle, but same feeling - "Double meat and guac will be an extra charge, is that okay?" "GIVE ME TRIPLE MEAT"

Best summer budget exploitation at our office is Wawa. It counts as a restaurant, so you can gather up a herd of summers, get everyone a hoagie, and then max out the budget by loading up on bags and bags of snacks to stash in the office.

[12YrsAnAssociate]

Best summer budget exploitation at our office is Wawa. It counts as a restaurant, so you can gather up a herd of summers, get everyone a hoagie, and then max out the budget by loading up on bags and bags of snacks to stash in the office.

I'm 100% doing this but powerball tickets instead of snacks.

[FedFan123]

I don’t know what’s sillier in this thread - the partner making millions acting like he can’t afford on his own to go to an over the top fancy restaurant or the associates making hundreds of thousands acting like they can’t afford snacks. Is everyone really this cheap? What’s the point of making all this money in exchange for having personal lives?

[Bosque]

Best summer budget exploitation at our office is Wawa. It counts as a restaurant, so you can gather up a herd of summers, get everyone a hoagie, and then max out the budget by loading up on bags and bags of snacks to stash in the office.

I'm 100% doing this but powerball tickets instead of snacks.

Not to be a buzz kill but I am pretty sure that would be fraud (i.e., you were given money for food, not to gamble). Or at the least, you might have to give any winnings to your firm. Pretty sure you were joking, but for anyone reading this that doesn't see it as a joke, don't do this.

[lolwutpar]

I don’t know what’s sillier in this thread - the partner making millions acting like he can’t afford on his own to go to an over the top fancy restaurant or the associates making hundreds of thousands acting like they can’t afford snacks. Is everyone really this cheap? What’s the point of making all this money in exchange for having personal lives?

Boss makes a dollar; my comp is fine, that's why I drink free booze on the company's dime

[JusticeJackson]

Best summer budget exploitation at our office is Wawa. It counts as a restaurant, so you can gather up a herd of summers, get everyone a hoagie, and then max out the budget by loading up on bags and bags of snacks to stash in the office.

I'm 100% doing this but powerball tickets instead of snacks.

Not to be a buzz kill but I am pretty sure that would be fraud (i.e., you were given money for food, not to gamble). Or at the least, you might have to give any winnings to your firm. Pretty sure you were joking, but for anyone reading this that doesn't see it as a joke, don't do this.

You Can't Win If You Don't Play

[12YrsAnAssociate]

Not to be a buzz kill but I am pretty sure that would be fraud (i.e., you were given money for food, not to gamble). Or at the least, you might have to give any winnings to your firm. Pretty sure you were joking, but for anyone reading this that doesn't see it as a joke, don't do this.

Ha. Ya, I was messing around.

I don't know if it's fraud, but without a doubt it would be bad for anyone that does this and gets caught.

[Bosque]

Not to be a buzz kill but I am pretty sure that would be fraud (i.e., you were given money for food, not to gamble). Or at the least, you might have to give any winnings to your firm. Pretty sure you were joking, but for anyone reading this that doesn't see it as a joke, don't do this.

Ha. Ya, I was messing around.

I don't know if it's fraud, but without a doubt it would be bad for anyone that does this and gets caught.

I highly doubt there would be a criminal prosecution for $50, but if you are using the firm card to make purchases that are not what they say they are/for the business, it is likely fraud. For example, on a much larger scale at MoFo:

https://www.law.com/nationallawjournal/ ... m-of-425k/

However, if you write it up on the official expense report as "lotto for lolz," you might be ok?

[Anonymous User]

Wait, they are reimbursing you for meals during social events, instead of just paying? Is this during remote social events? If its in person, I would expect a partner or associate to just put it on their corporate card, in which case I would follow their lead. If it's remote, they gave you a guideline for a reason, no one is going to care as long as you don't go above it consistently

Don't be the summer that orders a $200 glass of scotch at a happy hour, but otherwise I really wouldn't worry too much about it.

OP Here, and yes we're given reimbursements for takeout or delivery since we're all remote.

[Lesion of Doom]

When I was a summer my gf came and visited me with our dog. It was a great time. On the Friday they arrived, a junior took me to lunch at Quality Meats. I got the tomahawk ribeye, ate half of it, and took the rest home to the creature as a reward for his being good in the car all day. Probably my best single expenditure of firm resources.

To the OP, max it out. No one will notice or care.

[ksm6969]

Best summer budget exploitation at our office is Wawa. It counts as a restaurant, so you can gather up a herd of summers, get everyone a hoagie, and then max out the budget by loading up on bags and bags of snacks to stash in the office.

I'm 100% doing this but powerball tickets instead of snacks.

Not to be a buzz kill but I am pretty sure that would be fraud (i.e., you were given money for food, not to gamble). Or at the least, you might have to give any winnings to your firm. Pretty sure you were joking, but for anyone reading this that doesn't see it as a joke, don't do this.

Lots of retailers don’t take card for lotto ticks (it’s illegal in most places), and in ones that do cc companies will often charge them as cash advances which are probably shut off on a firm card and at minimum would trigger a call or two…

[ZVBXRPL]

I don’t know what’s sillier in this thread - the partner making millions acting like he can’t afford on his own to go to an over the top fancy restaurant or the associates making hundreds of thousands acting like they can’t afford snacks. Is everyone really this cheap? What’s the point of making all this money in exchange for having personal lives?

Free food tastes better.