Wouldn’t it be more entertaining to occupy Embassy Suites Happy Hour?
As in: The Democrats "gain access" to elections.
They gave me tickets on check in, and I had to give the "Breakfast Lady" a ticket every morning.
I figured that it was just the hotel chain (it's not one that I use often) being a PITA. Guess I was wrong.
In college my roommates and I would go to the local Holiday Inn for happy hour. We would buy one drink, and then ravage the Hors d’oeuvre buffet table.
If it was crowded, we could blend in. If not, the manager quickly spotted us. Also, if we went too late, there was nothing left.
Then I got a job....
In years past I traveled on business quite a bit. With extremely rare exceptions, nobody ever asked me for ID when I showed up for the free breakfast, which in some cases was the full hot type.
In fact, probably 3/4 of the time when I’d sign for a meal at the restaurant for lunch or dinner, I’d just sign my name and room number and nobody asked me to prove I was staying there.
In those locations where they have a conference center, many evenings there are events with heavy appetizers or full buffet tables. Seldom is there any effective check on who gets in line.
I suspect a lot depends on how you dress and act.
Every bite I ate was legitimate, but I did notice how easy it would have been to get free food.
There are several nice (not fantastic) hotels within long walking distance from our apartment and my wife and I sometimes take our weekend constitutional with one of their breakfast buffets in mind.
Of course, we always pay, but I imagine we could just waltz in eat, and leave — if we were that kind of people. The Japanese staff would never think to ask.
I really like the Chinese dim-sum buffet that Tokyu-Inn in Kichijoji puts up. They also have the best coffee. Richmond Inn in Musashino has great American style sausages, but both only serve scrambled eggs.
If we want eggs to order, we have to walk all the way to the Hilton in Shinjuku. There’s a cook there that will make an excellent farmer’s omelet if he’s not too busy.
Surprisingly, the Hilton is the cheapest of the three.
Funny-—I actually stayed at TWO Hampton Inns in the midwest
last month, and I noticed this phenomenon: seemed to be some unlikely people in the breakfast room, which was located in its own big room right off the main corridor. Now it all makes sense.
A true “foraging for free” website I’ve never seen referenced by urban foragers is:
http://neighborhoodfruit.com/find_fruit