VMF closing July

[dave.woodhall]

One of the things we've said about the latter Lerner years is that so often we get the football-related stuff wrong, but the off-pitch stuff very right.

VMF struck me as a really good example of this, on a lot of grounds.

Which is what makes it sad that it is being canned. That "it was only ever going to run for five years" thing is quite obviously horseshit, though, they must think we're stupid.

Why do you immediately assume that they're lying?

[pauliewalnuts]

One of the things we've said about the latter Lerner years is that so often we get the football-related stuff wrong, but the off-pitch stuff very right.

VMF struck me as a really good example of this, on a lot of grounds.

Which is what makes it sad that it is being canned. That "it was only ever going to run for five years" thing is quite obviously horseshit, though, they must think we're stupid.

Why do you immediately assume that they're lying?

I don't immediately assume anything, but in the case, I don't believe them on the basis that there's never been any mention of it before, and it sounds like a convenient excuse to can it now.

Why, for example, didn't we hear any mention of it closing in the run up to now? Why no "get your VMF experience before the project ends" style marketing?

That and the fact that for about five years now, anything that happens at the club and isn't money making has been canned. It started with the way they spent four years telling us they were sorting out a "museum" which then got downgraded to "a trophy room" (remember all that "Randy is paying for a replica European Cup to be made" stuff), which then got downgraded to "we'll look at it on the basis of whether it can stand up for itself financially".

That's been the problem with the club for five years now - dour, cheap and minimalist.

I don't expect, for example, us to have some sort of British Museum tacked on to the back of the North Stand, but I find it pretty incredible that we don't even have a proper trophy room.

[dave.woodhall]

One of the things we've said about the latter Lerner years is that so often we get the football-related stuff wrong, but the off-pitch stuff very right.

VMF struck me as a really good example of this, on a lot of grounds.

Which is what makes it sad that it is being canned. That "it was only ever going to run for five years" thing is quite obviously horseshit, though, they must think we're stupid.

Why do you immediately assume that they're lying?

I don't immediately assume anything, but in the case, I don't believe them on the basis that there's never been any mention of it before, and it sounds like a convenient excuse to can it now.

Why, for example, didn't we hear any mention of it closing in the run up to now? Why no "get your VMF experience before the project ends" style marketing?

That and the fact that for about five years now, anything that happens at the club and isn't money making has been canned. It started with the way they spent four years telling us they were sorting out a "museum" which then got downgraded to "a trophy room" (remember all that "Randy is paying for a replica European Cup to be made" stuff), which then got downgraded to "we'll look at it on the basis of whether it can stand up for itself financially".

That's been the problem with the club for five years now - dour, cheap and minimalist.

I don't expect, for example, us to have some sort of British Museum tacked on to the back of the North Stand, but I find it pretty incredible that we don't even have a proper trophy room.

You've just said that they must think we're stupid to believe them, which seems to me like accusing them of lying. I don't know why it's closing, none of us does. Maybe they didn't announce it beforehand because they didn't want to lose trade. Maybe someone somewhere has ticked a box and decided that the co-operation they get from outside agencies is going elsewhere; the fact that five years is a convenient period of time might make that more credible. We don't know.

[Tom_Mc9?]

Big shame. Was a nice place to eat. I'd imagine that despite being a place where many of us would be happy to eat, Villa Park is not the obvious place to go for a meal.

[Dave]

Maybe they didn't announce it beforehand because they didn't want to lose trade.

I can't think of any other well-reviewed restaurants that if they announce that they are closing their doors it mean that fewer people want to go and eat there while they are still open.

Why would they lose any trade?

[dave.woodhall]

Big shame. Was a nice place to eat. I'd imagine that despite being a place where many of us would be happy to eat, Villa Park is not the obvious place to go for a meal.

I think the main problem, and this cuts across VMF, the Holte Hotel and going back to when there were gigs in the North Stand suites, on non-matchdays Villa Park can be a bugger to get to and at night it's not very welcoming.

[dave.woodhall]

Maybe they didn't announce it beforehand because they didn't want to lose trade.

I can't think of any other well-reviewed restaurants that if they announce that they are closing their doors it mean that fewer people want to go and eat there while they are still open.

Why would they lose any trade?

Because people don't want to be associated with a perceived failure, they think the reason for it closing is because of poor trade (and therefore it's not as good as it was), and once it's shutting they won't bother keeping standards as high. There's three reasons.   

[Dave]

Maybe they didn't announce it beforehand because they didn't want to lose trade.

I can't think of any other well-reviewed restaurants that if they announce that they are closing their doors it mean that fewer people want to go and eat there while they are still open.

Why would they lose any trade?

Because people don't want to be associated with a perceived failure, they think the reason for it closing is because of poor trade (and therefore it's not as good as it was), and once it's shutting they won't bother keeping standards as high. There's three reasons.   

Restaurant VMF

4.5 of 5 stars
324 Reviews
 
#7 of 1,603 Restaurants in Birmingham
 
#9 of 1,705 Places to Eat in Birmingham

People on the whole aren't idiots. The above aren't the reviews of a place that people don't want to eat because of perceived failure, poor trade or a drop in standards.

[dave.woodhall]

Maybe they didn't announce it beforehand because they didn't want to lose trade.

I can't think of any other well-reviewed restaurants that if they announce that they are closing their doors it mean that fewer people want to go and eat there while they are still open.

Why would they lose any trade?

Because people don't want to be associated with a perceived failure, they think the reason for it closing is because of poor trade (and therefore it's not as good as it was), and once it's shutting they won't bother keeping standards as high. There's three reasons.   

Restaurant VMF

4.5 of 5 stars
324 Reviews
 
#7 of 1,603 Restaurants in Birmingham
 
#9 of 1,705 Places to Eat in Birmingham

People on the whole aren't idiots. The above aren't the reviews of a place that people don't want to eat because of perceived failure, poor trade or a drop in standards.

It's a good job I didn't say that then, isn't it?

[Jimbo]

If anything, announcing its imminent closure might entice all those people who have been meaning to try this highly-rated restaurant but hadn't got around to it. It all seems rather sudden and a little strange.

[Dave]

If anything, announcing its imminent closure might entice all those people who have been meaning to try this highly-rated restaurant but hadn't got around to it.

Well, quite.

It's very unlikely to make anybody say "there's a brilliantly reviewed restaurant that we've not been to? Which everybody says has excellent service, atmosphere and food? And it's closing down? Well, that must be because of a drop in standards, we'd better not eat there before it closes forever".

[adrenachrome]

Emboldening is mine, and may provide, in the words of 70's prog rock combo Atomic Rooster, a clue to the answer we all chase.

Birmingham Post

Aston Villa's popular Restaurant VMF to close

The restaurant - rated Birmingham's seventh-best on Tripadvisor - closes its doors for the last time in July


    18:34, 17 June 2015
    By Graeme Brown


Aston Villa's much-loved Restaurant VMF will close forever in a month's time despite a five-year tenure which has seen it win a host of awards.

The Villa Park restaurant closes its doors for the final time on July 19 – despite occupying the lofty position of Birmingham's seventh best-rated restaurant on Tripadvisor.

A club spokesperson said VMF was a five-year project and was closing as it had run its course.

However, it marks a skills blow in one of the city's biggest pockets of deprivation as the restaurant was largely run by apprentices from under-privileged backgrounds who both prepare and serve the food.

VMF - Villa Midlands Food - was established in October 2010 as a training restaurant, offering a way into the hospitality sector for young people living within a ten-mile radius of the stadium who are not in education, employment or training (NEETS).

It was reportedly a pet project of multi-millionaire owner Randy Lerner who has now put the club up for sale.

When it was established, Mr Lerner told the Post senior officials at the club felt morally obliged to put something back into the community.

He said they wanted to demonstrate a "sustainable commitment" to the Aston neighbourhood and the idea of a training restaurant was born.

He said at the time: "VMF is a very visible aspect of what the Aston Villa philosophy is all about. We firmly believe that our football club should be a central pillar of the local community.

"We now have a high calibre restaurant which provides young people from the local area the practical skills and experience to have a rewarding career in hospitality. This is good for both the club and for future generations."

The VMF project saw apprentices spend two years with Aston Villa Hospitality and Events, working toward a level two NVQ Diploma in Hospitality Services with Walsall College.

While learning the ropes in food preparation and service, the trainees are encouraged to muck in at Villa's allotment plot just over a mile away in Brookvale Road, growing seasonal produce to be used in the kitchen.

The restaurant has received a substantial haul of awards in its first three years, including the top gong at the Football Hospitality Awards as well as a Green Apple Environment Award.

When it was established, it became the first hospitality training establishment to be set up by a football team and served up to 50 covers.

It is presently rated the seventh place in Birmingham on Tripadvisor rog rock combo with 265 out of 324 reviews handing out five stars.

[robbo1874]

Any chance we can stop bickering? Vmf was highly regarded and spoken about.

[Damo70]

I spoilt my bluenose neighbours excitement about his new car a couple of years ago by pointing out his reg ended in VMF and explaining to him what it stood for.

[Chris Jameson]

If a restaurant closing that most of us have never been to or have never planned on visiting is the worst thing to happen this summer then I'm happy*.


*Obviously sorry for any people losing their jobs but I honestly didn't know where it was or what it was called until clicking on this thread.