Video: How the Metropolitan Opera Feeds Its Audiences

"The employee cafeteria serves all of the 2,000 employees who work here, not to mention the singers who come and the orchestra. Then, there are 13 bars spread across all of the floors. There are 3,000 people who come to see an opera on a typical night, so they disperse among the 13 bars to get a glass of champagne and a sandwich during intermission."

"Then, there's the Grand Tier restaurant. The Grand Tier restaurant is the formal sit-down restaurant where you can have a three- or four-course meal. You're served before the show and during intermission. It's $118. If you did a four-course prix fixe, or you can order a la carte. And then there's the members-only room, which has its own special hors d'oeuvres and its own bar."

The Metropolitan Opera feeds thousands of people each performance, including roughly 3,800 audience members and about 3,000 employees. The house seats about 3,000 people per night and distributes food and drink through multiple outlets. The employee cafeteria serves approximately 2,000 staff plus visiting singers and the orchestra. Thirteen bars across the building handle intermission demand, allowing patrons to get champagne and sandwiches. The Grand Tier restaurant offers formal three- or four-course meals served before the show and during intermission, with a four-course prix fixe priced at $118 and a la carte options. A members-only room provides special hors d'oeuvres and a private bar.

Read at www.nytimes.com