At Realm Makers, attendees can opt to dine entirely on their own or opt into the catered meal package. Read on to decide what's better for you and your needs.
We understand people with food sensitivities and allergies have a tough time when traveling. We’ll make every effort available to accommodate major allergies with the foods we choose to offer via catering. Please understand that we cannot customize meals for the large number of people in our community with varying dietary needs. Rule of thumb: if you’re not sure you should eat something we’re serving at the conference, the catering staff is there to help.
All conference attendees will be dining on their own for breakfasts and Saturday dinner. Most people gather with friends and colleagues that night to catch up.
Option 1: Dining entirely on your own
Concessions: Available in the Expo Hall (Hours TBA)
Sample Food Options: fruit cup, yogurt, breakfast sandwiches, salad, turkeysSub sandwich, burgers, hot dogs, bratwurst, fries, beer cheese nachos, mozzarella sticks, cold and hot beverages
Price range: $5-$8 per item
"The Kitchen Counter" by Wolfgang Puck in The Amway Grand Plaza
#1 on the map below
Find their breakfast and lunch menu here.
Omelets, breakfast sandwiches, bakery items, soups, salads, sandwiches, wraps
GF bread available
Price range: $4-$16
Starbucks--in the Amway Grand Plaza on the Monroe Ave Side of the Hotel
Within a Half Mile of the Hotel/Convention Center
#2 Panera Bread
#3 Express Café (Sandwiches, soup, tacos, etc.) Food is $6-$14, coffee $3-$6
#4 Roam (eclectic international options, table service) prices range $12-$24
Qdoba Mexican (not marked, south of Panera)
Z! Eats (The sandwich shop version of Zoup! Not marked, south of Panera)
We know coffee is the lifeblood of so many conference goers, so here are a couple options outside the hotel:
#5 Biggby Coffee (Coffee, baked goods, breakfast sandwiches)
#6 Madcap Coffee
Of course this is not a comprehensive list of everything available. The restaurants I have not marked would probably be great for a nice dinner on Saturday night. This list above is just to get you started finding fast and affordable options.
Option 2: Adding the catered meal package
The catered meal package provides your lunches on Saturday and Sunday, as well as Sunday dinner. These meals are a great opportunity to mingle with our conference faculty: teachers, editors, and agents. If networking is your happy place, or if you want to improve those skills, or you just don’t want to think about where you’ll eat, this package is available to you as a $150 add on to your registration.
Lunches
You can expect a casual display of self-serve foods at Saturday and Sunday lunch. Choices will include items like:
- Build your own sliders (bbq, pulled chicken, etc.)
- Mac n Cheese Bar
- Charcuterie with meats, cheeses, veggies, nuts, and fruit
- Mini sub sandwiches
- Build your own street tacos
- Buffalo Chicken dip with corn tortilla chips
Within these offerings, we will make sure people who adhere to gluten-free and vegetarian/vegan diets will have options to add to their plates. That might look like omitting certain ingredients in the Build Your Own options or skipping certain stations.
Sunday Dinner
Sunday Dinner will be buffet style. Food you will find on this night will include:
- Romaine Salad (GF)
- Soup (GF)
- Chicken Piccata
- Beef and Mushroom Stroganoff
- Rice Pilaf
- Roasted Asparagus
- Peaches and Cream Strudel
- Flourless Chocolate Cake
Please note that hotel caterers sometimes need to adjust their menus based on availability and other factors. We reserve the right to change the specific items on any of these menus, but will work with the catering staff to ensure a variety of options for various needs.
Friday Night: The Realm Awards Banquet
Everyone eats together on Friday night for our annual Realm Awards Ceremony! Come in costume or come as your smartly-dressed self.
Your conference registration includes this dinner in the ticket price. Guest tickets can be added on for those traveling with a spouse, chaperone, or other companion. Expo attendees can also add a ticket to the dinner.
Tentative Menu
Salad: Caprese salad with sliced Heirloom tomatoes, buffalo mozzarella, sweet basil, extra virgin olive oil, balsamic reduction and freshly cracked pepper (gf)
Entree: Boneless braised short rib herbed soft polenta / braised greens with bacon/ red wine jus and horseradish gremolata (gf )
Vegetarian: Ratatouille with jumbo asparagus, chickpea purée and pickled red onions (gf+v)
Dessert: Individual vanilla cheesecake with berry coulis gf+nf; (vegetarian) Key lime cheesecake mousse with dark chocolate and passion fruit coulis (gf+v)
What about the hospitality suite?
Veteran conference attendees have grown accustomed to Realm Makers offering a suite in the hotel set aside for continental breakfast items and snacks throughout the day. This is not something our current hotel contract permits, so we won’t be able to offer this amenity this year.