At every opera company I've worked for, it was standard-issue to provide coffee & tea (with accoutrement) backstage. Sometimes this means hot water with instant coffee, lipton tea bags, and a tube each of sugar and non-dairy creamer. Sometimes it means one percolator of regular coffee, one of decaf, one of hot water; teas: black, herbal (non-caf), and green, sweeteners: sugar, sweet&low/equal, splenda, honey; non-dairy creamer; cups, napkins, stir sticks. Plus cold bottles of water labeled and set aside for principals.
For big act concerts, there's usually some provision for a plate of hot food and good drink backstage. I've even been asked to carry a bottle of champagne to a singer's dressing room (it was rejected when it wasn't real champagne). I worked a musical concert one-off that had a huge hospitality table with a variety of sodas, pizza, fresh nibbles and bagged snacks, hot coffee & tea, desserts, etc. etc. I have learned to always, always have coffee and filtered water available for a union crew and orchestra.
And it was a stage management duty to set it all out, keep it pretty, and clean it up. While this can be a pain, I actually kind of like fussing with the hospitality - it's a nice little chore and the way I prefer to begin my evening (after setting up the call board).
So here's my question - what else have people encountered backstage? Are there different usual offerings for dance/theatre/orchestras/opera? Does the SM team handle it, or the Company Manager, or someone else? Any stories to share?