What is your firm’s SA lunch budget? Forum

[BrowsingTLS]

Also, am I the only associate who would rather not do summer lunches because of how long it takes to be reimbursed?

weird, we're given firm Amexes. not an issue

Firm AMEXES?

Are you saying you have a card that is linked to a firm credit line and not your own bank account?

[Anonymous User]

Probably a dumb-seeming question but is that per day or week?

Per week. If you take 2-3 summers out, most firms recommend splitting entrees or just ordering apps to make the budget work.

Whoah whoah whoah - per week? Cap for the summer?? I’m the KE Texas anon above and the $50 lunch /$100 dinner figures I quoted are per person per meal. There is no limit to how many associates can take out how many summers across the program. I mean presumably if you tried to expense two simultaneous lunches on the same day that would be an issue, but there’s nothing stopping a summer (or associate) from having a $50/pp lunch and $100/pp dinner five days a week for all ten weeks.

How often are associates even expected to take out summer associates?

KE Texas anon. I don’t know what the expectation is (recruiting won’t scold you if you don’t participate), but we are being strongly encouraged to do so basically as much as possible. Summers around here are great fun anyway, but I think they’re especially eager to make this one good because it’s our first “real” summer since COVID started.

[Anonymous User]

Probably a dumb-seeming question but is that per day or week?

Per week. If you take 2-3 summers out, most firms recommend splitting entrees or just ordering apps to make the budget work.

Whoah whoah whoah - per week? Cap for the summer?? I’m the KE Texas anon above and the $50 lunch /$100 dinner figures I quoted are per person per meal. There is no limit to how many associates can take out how many summers across the program. I mean presumably if you tried to expense two simultaneous lunches on the same day that would be an issue, but there’s nothing stopping a summer (or associate) from having a $50/pp lunch and $100/pp dinner five days a week for all ten weeks.

I think you got whooshed.

[Anonymous User]

Also, am I the only associate who would rather not do summer lunches because of how long it takes to be reimbursed?

weird, we're given firm Amexes. not an issue

Firm AMEXES?

Are you saying you have a card that is linked to a firm credit line and not your own bank account?

The way corporate cards work is they have your name on them, and if the employer doesn’t approve charges they just don’t pay them. Which would mean you have to pay it yourself

[Anonymous User]

Also, am I the only associate who would rather not do summer lunches because of how long it takes to be reimbursed?

weird, we're given firm Amexes. not an issue

Firm AMEXES?

Are you saying you have a card that is linked to a firm credit line and not your own bank account?

The way corporate cards work is they have your name on them, and if the employer doesn’t approve charges they just don’t pay them. Which would mean you have to pay it yourself

patetic.
gross.
solitary.
poor.
nasty.
brutish.
&.
short.

[Anonymous User]

$50/each for lunch Willkie (non-NY). Idk about dinner

$75 in NY office for lunch

[Anonymous User]

Also, am I the only associate who would rather not do summer lunches because of how long it takes to be reimbursed?

weird, we're given firm Amexes. not an issue

Firm AMEXES?

Are you saying you have a card that is linked to a firm credit line and not your own bank account?

correct. as the other person said, the charges are reviewed, so (obviously) you can't just buy a Rolex or something.

the benefit for you is you're not, effectively, fronting the firm an interest free loan on all sorts of miscellaneous expenses etc and being on the hook if you forget to submit one

(drawback is if you choose to use it, you're not getting points from your personal card, but over the course of the year I'd bet I come out money ahead using the corporate card)

[Anonymous User]

$50/each for lunch, $100/each for dinner at Kirkland (Texas, but I’m pretty sure it’s the same policy in other offices).

K&E Texas budget just got raised to $50 lunch / $125 dinner (per person per meal).

[Anonymous User]

Are summer dinner budgets the norm in New York? my boutique is at 75 for lunch, but no dinner policy

[Anonymous User]

$30/head at an LA V10.

[Anonymous User]

$50 for lunch & $150 for dinner at KE NY. No alcohol allowed at lunch.

[Anonymous User]

$50/each for lunch, $100/each for dinner at Kirkland (Texas, but I’m pretty sure it’s the same policy in other offices).

KE chicago is $60 pp for lunch and $125 pp for dinner. No alcohol for lunch

Alcohol for dinner is ok?

[Anonymous User]

$30/head at an LA V10.

$30 total pp? I guess SAs there can be treated to onion rings at the ivy. Ridiculous.

[Anonymous User]

Alcohol for dinner is ok?

Yep

[Anonymous User]

DPW - $75 per person. Has to be equal number of associates and summers.

There are also dinners but idk if the dinner budget is different. The site makes it look the same but that seems unlikely to me

[Anonymous User]

Cleary is also $75/person, including taxes and tips, for lunches only.

[Anonymous User]

Current SA at a v100 firm. An associate went out to lunch with some other SAs and I, but we all paid for ourselves. Is this normal?

All other lunches with firm personnel have been paid for by the firm. Unsure of whether the firm isn't willing to cover lunches that aren't centrally organized, or whether this associate was just uninformed.

[Anonymous User]

Current SA at a v100 firm. An associate went out to lunch with some other SAs and I, but we all paid for ourselves. Is this normal?

All other lunches with firm personnel have been paid for by the firm. Unsure of whether the firm isn't willing to cover lunches that aren't centrally organized, or whether this associate was just uninformed.

This seems odd. Do you have a summer secretary/resource pool? Give the receipt to them, tell them who was at the lunch, and ask if they can get it reimbursed for you. They should know the right person to ask.

[Anonymous User]

DPW - $75 per person. Has to be equal number of associates and summers.

There are also dinners but idk if the dinner budget is different. The site makes it look the same but that seems unlikely to me

Equal number as in at least as many summers?

[Res Ipsa Loquitter]

DPW - $75 per person. Has to be equal number of associates and summers.

There are also dinners but idk if the dinner budget is different. The site makes it look the same but that seems unlikely to me

Equal number as in at least as many summers?

Yes, some firms implemented this rule years ago to avoid a situation where 9 associates and 1 summer would all get a free $700 lunch. So it'd have to be 5 and 5 in that case