The Bird Feeder Dilemma – Are Your Event Menus Full of Baffles?
I’m having a moral dilemma…
When we moved into our home three years ago, we inherited a birdfeeder. Watching the birds come and go, filling our yard with color and life, was such a joy that we added a second feeder last year—this one with a camera so that, with the help of AI, we could identify all the birds. 🐦⬛ That has been amazing! Last week an (Baltimore) Oriole visited. 🩷
Of course, the squirrels 🐿️ , raccoons 🦝, and a bear 🐻 caught on. At first, the squirrels were climbing the poles, so I put up baffles on each pole—metal barriers meant to keep them from reaching the food. It worked… for a while. Then, one morning, I got up to find that ALL of the food was gone.
Thanks to the camera, I saw that a raccoon had figured out a way around the baffle and just hung on with all of his “hands” to eat his heart out. OMG! Can you hear the names I’m calling him!?!? So, I added a second baffle.
We thought we had it all figured out on the other feeder until we watched squirrels launch themselves EIGHT feet from a branch, like the tiny daredevils they are, to get to the food. So, I moved the feeder and trimmed the branches.
The bear just BENT the pole in half to get the feeder to the ground.
Now, I’m having a bit of a dilemma. I love feeding the birds. That was the whole point. But in doing so, I’ve made it nearly impossible for the squirrels and raccoons to eat. Whether I meant to or not, I’ve created barriers.
𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙜𝙤𝙩 𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜—𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙤𝙛𝙩𝙚𝙣 𝙙𝙤𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣 𝙖𝙩 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙨?
When there aren’t clear, inclusive meal options, we put up baffles without even realizing it.
A guest, employee, or attendee with food allergies, religious dietary restrictions, or medical needs might feel like a squirrel desperately trying to reach a meal. Still, every solution they try—asking a server, checking labels, hoping for a safe option—ends in another barrier.
And while I won’t repeat the names I called that raccoon and the squirrels, it does make me wonder: When guests with dietary needs keep asking about options, do planners, venues, chefs, and servers feel the same kind of frustration? Are they silently thinking, ‘Here we go again,’ instead of seeing it as an opportunity to do better?
𝙎𝙤, 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚’𝙨 𝙢𝙮 𝙦𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣: 𝙄𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙢𝙚𝙣𝙪 𝙬𝙚𝙡𝙘𝙤𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙜𝙪𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙨, 𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙩 𝙛𝙪𝙡𝙡 𝙤𝙛 𝙗𝙖𝙛𝙛𝙡𝙚𝙨?
Every guest deserves a seat at the table—with food that’s safe, satisfying, and accessible.
What do you think? Have you seen baffles in action at an event?
