Eating in-house at the Hynes during AB

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Eating in-house at the Hynes during AB

Post by Aurabolt »

As folks know, The Hynes started offering in-house catering during events right after the Food Court shut down a few years ago. They were added because the Food Court was gone and also mainly because Anime Boston IS the largest venue they host in terms of attendees and volume.

Last year was the first time I ate exclusively in-house but only because money wasn't an issue for me. This was also the second year in a row the Hynes had a full-service cafeteria on the ground floor in addition to the stands set up on the second and third floors. I can speak to that a bit.

Ok so the dining area in the cafeteria can seat about 100 people. Food pricing...$10 will cover a drink ($2 or $3) + 1 Entree Item: Burger, Hot Dog, Italian Sausage, Turkey Leg, Salad, Chicken Sandwhich, Pizza or Taco Salad ($5 to $9) + 1 Side of French Fries or Chips ($2 to $4). Snacks range from $2 to $4 each.

The stands on the 2nd and 3rd floors have most of what the cafeteria does. The one on the second floor is on the west end of the building by the elevators. The one on the third floor is across from the video game room (Room Panel B). The foods are prepared in the cafeteria and then brought to the 2nd and 3rd floor stands until they're sold out or they close for the day, whichever happens first and it's usually the latter.

In terms of freshness, it depends on when you go. The burgers and hot sandwiches in the food stands are sitting in warmers but they were prepared in the last hour or two. Salads are put on ice but will maintain their freshness for the whole day. In the cafeteria, only grab the pizzas you see get put out when you get there. Otherwise, it's been sitting there and the crust has gotten stale. The Turkey Legs are thoroughly cooked so there's no fear of foodbore illness. I didn't eat the fries and got chips instead. I'm not a Fry Guy in general.

In terms of pricing, like I hinted at earlier that's the tradeoff for not leaving the Hynes to eat: Things cost more. For those who are either on a tight budget or will be there with family, this is a huge factor to take into consideration. As a reminder, Anime Boston has no control over the pricing or the selections of the foods offered. You can speak to a member of Hynes staff or their concierge to provide written feedback.

Since AB 2017, 3 new restaurants have opened in the Pru: Anna Taqueria, Dig Inn and Num Pang Kitchen (sells Vietnamese Sandwiches). All 3 are across from Wagamama. It was also recently announced that Wahlburgers will be opening in the location formerly occupied by P.F. Chang's later this year. Finally, you can bring in your own food from elsewhere to eat in the Hynes. I packed a lunch for AB2016 since I had zero budget (LOL!). Many just go to Au Bon Pain or Star Market to get what they need for the day, then go to a restaurant when they leave the Hynes for the night.

You can bring food into video rooms and rooms with panels but practice some courtesy. Clean up after yourself and especially in the video rooms. The lights are off and it's hard to see. No one wants to sit in the blot of ketchup that missed your burger or hot dog. No one wants to step on the wad of gum that "accidently" fell out of your mouth. Try to eat quietly. If you have to, open that bag of Doritos before you walk into the room. Finally, be mindful some people with food allergies may have a reaction from the odor alone so try to be mindful of who's sitting nearby before you eat that Butterfingers or Pay Day.


...Just some info to keep in mind. Oh, and contact info for the Hynes. Main Number: (617) 954-2000.
Last edited by Aurabolt on Tue Mar 20, 2018 9:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Eating in-house at the Hynes during AB

Post by JosephW »

Eh, $10 for a burger, fries and drink doesn't sound all that bad. That's about what you'll pay at certain fast food chains like 5 Guys.
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Re: Eating in-house at the Hynes during AB

Post by Xias »

JosephW wrote: Wed Mar 14, 2018 4:01 pm Eh, $10 for a burger, fries and drink doesn't sound all that bad. That's about what you'll pay at certain fast food chains like 5 Guys.
five guys is a lot better quality though lol

the food in the hynes is OK if you absolutely have to eat without leaving, i guess. but it's not good food. if you can wait to eat elsewhere, you should wait.
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Re: Eating in-house at the Hynes during AB

Post by Aurabolt »

JosephW wrote: Wed Mar 14, 2018 4:01 pm Eh, $10 for a burger, fries and drink doesn't sound all that bad. That's about what you'll pay at certain fast food chains like 5 Guys.
...Not when there's no guarantee the burger you just picked up wasn't just made moments before. That's kinda the point Xias is trying to make. It's not just paying extra for the convenience. There's also liklihood you'll be buying stale but edible food.

My outline is prettymuch for those who absolutely do not want to leave the Hynes to buy food. The only thing I see myself buying from the Hynes cafeteria is the Smoked Turkey Leg. Everything else, you can get both cheaper and better quality elsewhere from nearby:

Burgers: Whalburgers (when it opens), 5 Napkin, B,Good, Wendy's.
Pizza: California Pizza and UNO.
French Fries: Anywhere you can get Pizza or Burgers.
Prepackaged Salads: Au Bon Pain and Star Market.
Ice Cream: Cold Stone, J.P. Licks and Pinkberry.
Other Desserts: Cheesecake Factory, Godiva, Dunkin' Donuts and Star Market.


Since I'm not gonna bring my laptop at all this year, that's room for food I'll be bringing in from a few places each day:

- Friday: Grab food and drinks from Star Market in the morning before I enter the Hynes. I'll leave after Opening Ceremonies to grab something hot to eat, then stay in the Hynes until I leave for the day.
- Saturday: I won't arrive until evening so I'll grab take out from somewhere in the mall before going into the Hynes.
- Sunday: Eat before going in, then eat dinner at UNOs after Closing Ceremonies.
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Re: Eating in-house at the Hynes during AB

Post by Xias »

yeah i mean, i’m not gonna lie, i’ve eaten in the hynes before. if the schedule happens to have nothing but panels and events i want to see inside the hynes all day (and/or i’m presenting my own panels too) and i just don’t want to miss anything by leaving to eat, i’ve done it. like aurabolt is saying it’s edible if you absolutely have to, i just wouldn’t recommend it unless you can’t leave
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Re: Eating in-house at the Hynes during AB

Post by JosephW »

Eh, I just have really low standards in food. :lol:
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Re: Eating in-house at the Hynes during AB

Post by Lamron »

Last year I ate in the Hynes a lot and I really don't want to do that again, lol. I strongly suggest that you do not get the super burger. It was a double cheese burger with grilled cheese sandwiches as the buns. It sat like led in my stomach.

In the past, what I have done was, get something for breakfast, have a snack (or two) during the day and then have a good meal at night. I plan on doing that again this year.
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Re: Eating in-house at the Hynes during AB

Post by JosephW »

Mmhm, probably just going to pack a lunch, myself, since I don't exactly eat a whole lot during conventions anyway. Breakfast before leaving in the morning, and a lunchbox with a sandwich and a bunch of snacks. Might get dinner somewhere if I end up getting hungry somehow.
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Re: Eating in-house at the Hynes during AB

Post by nenie »

I've had to eat inside the Hynes for 2016 and 2017. It was worth it not to have to leave the con to go walk couple a mins, order food at a restaurant and wait and then wait again in a long line to get back inside the Hynes. I don't want to have to buy this food especially with those prices :roll: but I do have the money. And I do bring snacks with me into the Hynes, water, chips, and breakfast bars. I get to refill my water bottle at the water stations in one of the panel rooms. This is probably what I'm going to do for this year as well.
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Re: Eating in-house at the Hynes during AB

Post by Aurabolt »

Lamron wrote: Wed Mar 14, 2018 10:07 pm Last year I ate in the Hynes a lot and I really don't want to do that again, lol. I strongly suggest that you do not get the super burger. It was a double cheese burger with grilled cheese sandwiches as the buns. It sat like lead in my stomach.
...I saw that and was shocked at how many folks I saw get it. Unsurprisingly, I never saw anyone finish. It's too much to digest like you found out the hard way.

Nenie wrote: Thu Mar 15, 2018 9:12 am I've had to eat inside the Hynes for 2016 and 2017. It was worth it not to have to leave the con to go walk couple a mins, order food at a restaurant and wait and then wait again in a long line to get back inside the Hynes. I don't want to have to buy this food especially with those prices :roll: but I do have the money.
...Yeah, I noticed alot of folks elected to just go to the Cafeteria than leave compared to the year before. I assume the quality programming back to back had alot to do with that. I also thought it was funny people complained they had too many things to choose from in regards to programming. LOL.

Anyway yeah, the pricing is a huge factor in addition to convenience and quality: Do you wanna pay $5 or $8 for a burger that might have been sitting there for a few hoursor do you wanna go pay the same amount at B.Good for one cooked in front of you? Or do you wanna walk down the street to Wendys and get a value meal (Burger or Sandwich + Side + Drink)?

Like I said in a previous post, the only thing in the Hynes I see myself buying is the Smoked Turkey leg and mainly because I know it was just cooked and wrapped by the time I got it. Everything else...the convenience isn't worth it for me this year.
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Re: Eating in-house at the Hynes during AB

Post by Aurabolt »

I got pictures of the menus in Hynes for AB2018:

Image

Image

Image

...Any questions?
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Re: Eating in-house at the Hynes during AB

Post by nenie »

I liked how they played with the this year's theme in designing the menus. Were there any more design aspects within the cafeteria? Also was there any info posted on the hours of the food carts in the halls? I actually ended up not buying food inside the hynes this year. I attempted to on the third floor outside the video game room. But the shop was not open yet or it was closed? I forget what time of the day it was but my consumption of food this year was a little careless.
I bought breakfast at Au Bon Pan twice in the morning and ate a lot of the snacks I brought with me throughout the day. The only time I ate a full meal was Friday 5pm ish at Wagamama. Which was packed in that area. It was like a mini food court. The baby version of the past food court. Attendees dominated. I did plan to visit this year's Maid Cafe, but ended up not going because of my schedule. I hope they have it again next year.
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Re: Eating in-house at the Hynes during AB

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Nenie wrote: Wed Apr 25, 2018 11:32 am I did plan to visit this year's Maid Cafe, but ended up not going because of my schedule. I hope they have it again next year.
I wanted to try the Maid Cafe. Every time I walked by the line it was very long, too long for me. It almost reached the rotunda. Hope next year the Maid Cafe has a bigger room.
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Re: Eating in-house at the Hynes during AB

Post by H. Guderian »

I went to that cafe Sunday morning. I think it was a 20-30 minute line. When compared to waiting around for food at other places all weekend that didn't seem so bad.
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Re: Eating in-house at the Hynes during AB

Post by Aurabolt »

Ok so I know I made this last year but let's keep the conversation going!

This year will be the second time I will not have a food budget (LOL!) but I only plan to go on Sunday this year so things balance out a bit. I do plan to pack some food to eat while there though ^_^
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Re: Eating in-house at the Hynes during AB

Post by Rosedust »

So I know some people mentioned wanting to try the maid cafe food and honestly, unless they really improved things from last year, I wouldn't bother. It was just typical overpriced, lukewarm convention center food. The "bubble tea" I ordered was mostly ice and pretty flavorless, and also expensive. If you're looking for decent food, go somewhere else.
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Re: Eating in-house at the Hynes during AB

Post by Fetch »

The AB 2019 Maid Cafe has a reservation system.
http://www.animeboston.com/news/article/765
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