Meeting industry choking on $16 muffins
The fall out continues from a government report that criticized a $16 muffin as a symbol of government waste. At least one US Senator was calling for firings at the Department of Justice as a result.
The uproar came after the Office of the Inspector General reported that Justice hosted or participated in more than 1800 conferences in the last two years at a cost of US$121 million that included controversial costs such as the overpriced muffins which, as it turned out, was not the real price.
One of many complaints was that the government agency did not minimize conference costs as required by federal guidelines.
Hilton Worldwide, which hosted some of the conferences, said that the muffin invoices actually covered the cost of other items such as tea and taxes.
The $16 price was actually the hotel's way of quickly establishing a per-person price for attendees of the 2009 Justice Department meeting in question, according to Government Executive.
The Huffington Post raised the question of what might go into a $16 muffin.
“The typical muffin baked in an institutional setting such as a hotel costs about 50 cents or less, not counting labor. If you go crazy extravagant and reach for the top-shelf organic flour, maybe some hand-harvested wild blueberries from Maine and fancy sugar, you're still going to max out around $1 per muffin on raw ingredients,” it reported.
They tested the recipe in the AP kitchen.
The only way to get to $16 was to reach for some old fashioned booze and gold. They glazed the muffins with reduced Scotch Whiskey (an unidentified but expensive one) and added gold
“The result? A rather stunning and intense muffin that would cost a mere $192 per dozen (not counting labor) – or $16 each.”
By David Wilkening
David
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt
Qatar Airways offers flexible payment options for European travellers
Air Mauritius reduces frequencies to Europe and Asia for the holiday season