My Freemasonry | Freemason Information and Discussion Forum

Register a free account today to become a member! Once signed in, you'll be able to participate on this site by adding your own topics and posts, as well as connect with other members through your own private inbox!

Do you stay for the meal?

Do you stay for the meal

  • Yes, most of the time

  • No, generally not

  • 50/50


Results are only viewable after voting.

Brother_Steve

Premium Member
It sounds like it's more of a hassle than anything. Then why not just skip dinner, and start the meeting / degree early then leave. The other thing I have seen is masonry is getting to expensive to do anything.
we have nice dinners and expect a 6 dollar donation. The dinner is cooked in site by the stewards. We usually break even. Sometimes we even have a surplus.

Besides, dinner is half the fun!
 

Ripcord22A

Site Benefactor
My NM lodge used to have Dues include the meal... $240...120 for dues 120 for meals....GL recently put a stop to that. Said meal cost couldn't be included in Dues. Every meal is serve your self type catered.

Sent from my SM-G386T using My Freemasonry mobile app
 

Warrior1256

Site Benefactor
It sounds like it's more of a hassle than anything. Then why not just skip dinner, and start the meeting / degree early then leave.
For the following reason.
For us, the dinner is not only a time to socialize but also to learn what is going on in the life of our Masonic family. We hear about the various appendant organizations, who is in need of help, etc. stated dinner is important in the life of our Lodge.
 

Scoops

Registered User
We pay separately for the festive board after our meetings which is about £16 for a three course meal. The hall where we meet has a professionally run kitchen with waiting staff (I'm sure Bro. Glen knows Christleton well!) I find the festive board is a vital part of my masonry. A time for fellowship.

Much like Glen's chapter, the Mark Lodge I'm joining include the price of the meal in the dues. If you don't attend, you've still paid and this helps to keep the dues for everyone down.

Sent from my EVA-L09 using Tapatalk
 

goomba

Neo-Antient
Site Benefactor
My NM lodge used to have Dues include the meal... $240...120 for dues 120 for meals....GL recently put a stop to that. Said meal cost couldn't be included in Dues. Every meal is serve your self type catered.

Sent from my SM-G386T using My Freemasonry mobile app

That seems insane. This basically means you cannot set your dues based on the lodges operating cost. So now just say dues are X and we cannot give a reason because grand lodge has rules. What was the cause of the new rule?
 

Brother_Steve

Premium Member
That seems insane. This basically means you cannot set your dues based on the lodges operating cost. So now just say dues are X and we cannot give a reason because grand lodge has rules. What was the cause of the new rule?

My speculation...

A building requires insurance, utilities, etc. A building does not have to eat. I'm betting someone complained about having to pay for non-essential costs and won.

The problem with my theory is that it most likely bypassed the master and the complainer went right to the district or Grand Lodge level.
 

dfreybur

Premium Member
A building requires insurance, utilities, etc. A building does not have to eat. I'm betting someone complained about having to pay for non-essential costs and won.

I suggest this is about the internal not the external qualifications. At lodge there are Brothers who have to save up to afford the annual dues. At times I can only guess who they are other than the fact that I don't see them at events that cost extra money. Our reputation for being expensive may keep poor men from petitioning but there's no way I want a dues system that pushes poor members out. It's a puzzle with the Traditional Observance system that I have not yet pondered.
 

Warrior1256

Site Benefactor
At lodge there are Brothers who have to save up to afford the annual dues. At times I can only guess who they are other than the fact that I don't see them at events that cost extra money.
I am one who somewhat fits this description. While we are not poor my wife and I are both retired and living on a fixed income. As I belong to a number of Masonic organizations I must pick and choose what activities I participate in that costs extra money.
there's no way I want a dues system that pushes poor members out.
Agreed.
 

dpk Shah

Premium Member
At my Lodge's festive board, food is generally brought by everyone. There is a $2 for a ticket or $5 for 3 tickets which goes towards raffle prizes. I work night shifts and festive boards generally start from 9ish so most of time I can't stay when visiting other lodges.
 

Ripcord22A

Site Benefactor
That seems insane. This basically means you cannot set your dues based on the lodges operating cost. So now just say dues are X and we cannot give a reason because grand lodge has rules. What was the cause of the new rule?

So you can...the thing is apparently GL has always had a rule that meals can’t be included in the cost of dues. There has also been an understanding in my lodge that you can speak to the WM and work something out. Like me, since I am in the Army they only charged me the out of state dues of 78$ but I paid for individual meals. We could set dues to 1000$ if we wanted but it just couldn’t include the cost of meals.....as I’m writing this I wonder why when we rewrote our bylaws to fix this we didn’t just take out the part about meals....
 

hanzosbm

Premium Member
So you can...the thing is apparently GL has always had a rule that meals can’t be included in the cost of dues. There has also been an understanding in my lodge that you can speak to the WM and work something out. Like me, since I am in the Army they only charged me the out of state dues of 78$ but I paid for individual meals. We could set dues to 1000$ if we wanted but it just couldn’t include the cost of meals.....as I’m writing this I wonder why when we rewrote our bylaws to fix this we didn’t just take out the part about meals....
I'm no fan of Grand Lodge, and generally don't like them getting involved in much of anything, so take this with a grain of salt, but could the lodge do something where they don't itemize it? Basically, our dues are $240 per year, period. Oh, and by the way, as a courtesy, all our meals are free.
In my college fraternity (which, by the way, the dues were always more than Freemasonry's, which blows my mind when brother complain about expensive dues) we couldn't sell alcohol at our parties (no liquor license). So we always just charged a large cover for the party, and then 'gave away' the beer inside. Seems like a similar idea would work here.
 

Thomas Stright

Premium Member
We must open on the MM and do all business that requires us to be on the MM degree. We drop down to whatever degree we must to accommodate everyone once that is done. That means, as Junior Warden, I'm going to get the EAs and FCs to get their butts in the kitchen and help get done what needs to get done so the line officers can be upstairs.

We open on the first tuesday in a MM and the second tuesday in an EA, Business can be conducted in any degree.
There is no requirement for EA or FC to help in the kitchen unless they want to.

Haha we enjoy whiskey at lodge regularly :) amazing that in the US hand guns in lodge is a discussion but alcohol is just a big no-no

I've never lost my ability to make clear and concise decisions when carrying a sidearm, Wish I can say the same when drinking.
And most I know here in Texas are armed if they have pants on.
 

David612

Registered User
I’m not 100% but I think our meals are officially paid for, we chip in some cash $5 or so and that money goes to the relief/charity fund as does the $2 for the “honest” raffle.
 

MarkR

Premium Member
...In my college fraternity (which, by the way, the dues were always more than Freemasonry's, which blows my mind when brother complain about expensive dues) we couldn't sell alcohol at our parties (no liquor license). So we always just charged a large cover for the party, and then 'gave away' the beer inside. Seems like a similar idea would work here.
Yeah, I don't know about where you were, but I was a cop for 25 years. That "clever" ruse didn't fly where I worked. We'd still bust you for lacking a liquor license, and judges never believed "the beer was free" nonsense. If you charged to get in, you needed a license.
 

Warrior1256

Site Benefactor
Yeah, I don't know about where you were, but I was a cop for 25 years. That "clever" ruse didn't fly where I worked. We'd still bust you for lacking a liquor license,
Lol....and then I would get them. I was a correctional officer for 29 years.
 

dfreybur

Premium Member
Yeah, I don't know about where you were, but I was a cop for 25 years. That "clever" ruse didn't fly where I worked. We'd still bust you for lacking a liquor license, and judges never believed "the beer was free" nonsense. If you charged to get in, you needed a license.

The system, or something like it, is legal in California. Alcohol laws vary widely by state. In the California case I think the difference is it has to be at a meal not at a party without food.

My mother lodge has a family dinner on the second Tuesday of every month. There's a charge to have the meal with invited guests who are considering a petition comped. There's a table with beer and wine. There's a box for donations but no listed price. It's allowed in California but not all states. In California it's against Masonic bylaws for a lodge to own alcohol, so the supplies involved are handed down to the Junior Warden very year.

Guys tend to pay for sodas, even though the lodge has a budget for those. The money makes sure the been and wine stay well stocked. Not much is consumed so there's extra money each year that gets donated to the Masonic Homes.
 

Warrior1256

Site Benefactor
There's a table with beer and wine. There's a box for donations but no listed price. It's allowed in California but not all states. In California it's against Masonic bylaws for a lodge to own alcohol, so the supplies involved are handed down to the Junior Warden very year.
Alcohol in the lodge or dining hall is not allowed in Kentucky. I think that this is unfortunate as we are grown men and should be allowed to have a beer, or drink, or two before or after the meeting. JMHO.
 
Top