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Author Topic: Villa Park Catering.....  (Read 35950 times)

Online The Edge

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Re: Villa Park Catering.....
« Reply #45 on: August 14, 2022, 11:48:24 AM »
Is there any health and safety or other regulation that stops them pre pouring loads of drinks ready to hand over?
No. There are multi pour facilities in use in most other Premier league stadiums. Also I go to the Cheltenham festival every year and that used to be horrific trying to get a pint. Not any more though. It's amazing how they have transformed the catering services over the years. Villa should send a delegation to Cheltenham to observe exactly what can be achieved with enough desire to get it right. It would appear that match day catering at Villa Park is something that they just don't give a fuck about.

Offline Gareth

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Re: Villa Park Catering.....
« Reply #46 on: August 14, 2022, 11:56:31 AM »
I’d be interested what the service was like in the Lower North & Lower Ellis because to me it seemed those two areas were in the sun for the whole game….if it was 20/25 minutes like Upper Ellis then big risk of heat exhaustion and no access to any water. 

Love my view in the Upper Ellis but nothing else about that stand is good;
Catering options - poor
Speed of service - tortoise
Toilets - awful (for ladies is it even worse with less than 10 cubicles?)
Concourse space - cramped

The value for money in that stand is only the seat, there is no positive match day experience beyond great view

Online astonvilla82

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Re: Villa Park Catering.....
« Reply #47 on: August 14, 2022, 11:58:59 AM »
Is there any health and safety or other regulation that stops them pre pouring loads of drinks ready to hand over?
No. There are multi pour facilities in use in most other Premier league stadiums. Also I go to the Cheltenham festival every year and that used to be horrific trying to get a pint. Not any more though. It's amazing how they have transformed the catering services over the years. Villa should send a delegation to Cheltenham to observe exactly what can be achieved with enough desire to get it right. It would appear that match day catering at Villa Park is something that they just don't give a fuck about.
more likely someone in charge who gets paided a good wage and doesn't give a f, until he or she gets a kick up the arse from the organ grinder, which I think will be very soon, anybody got contact details for the organ grinder, not those at Villa, because it will probably be put in the bin

Online eamonn

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Re: Villa Park Catering.....
« Reply #48 on: August 14, 2022, 12:48:17 PM »
Doesn't this issue come up time and time again when Purslow/the club meet with supporter representatives? Next time there is a meeting, someone needs to shake him by the lapels and spell it out to him.

Offline dave.woodhall

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Re: Villa Park Catering.....
« Reply #49 on: August 14, 2022, 12:53:37 PM »
Doesn't this issue come up time and time again when Purslow/the club meet with supporter representatives? Next time there is a meeting, someone needs to shake him by the lapels and spell it out to him.

He doesn't go to all the meetings but it does get brought up regularly.

Offline Risso

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Re: Villa Park Catering.....
« Reply #50 on: August 14, 2022, 01:07:15 PM »
I don't get why people do that anyway. Surely they can go 90 minutes without a pint? (I do get that yesterday was very hot mind).

It's not just a pint though, it's any sort of refreshments. And assuming people don't walk in right on the stroke of kick off, it's more than 90 minutes. I think it's a valid criticism that the club doesn't cater for fans in the stands at all well.

Online Clampy

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Re: Villa Park Catering.....
« Reply #51 on: August 14, 2022, 01:09:15 PM »
I don't get why people do that anyway. Surely they can go 90 minutes without a pint? (I do get that yesterday was very hot mind).

It's not just a pint though, it's any sort of refreshments. And assuming people don't walk in right on the stroke of kick off, it's more than 90 minutes. I think it's a valid criticism that the club doesn't cater for fans in the stands at all well.

I wasn't taking about the criticisim. If people think it's not being ran right, then fair enough.

Offline DeKuip

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Re: Villa Park Catering.....
« Reply #52 on: August 14, 2022, 01:19:55 PM »
When you consider the steep price increases we’ve all been hit with for our tickets this season the standard of service we get is woeful.
Yesterday was an example of an extreme lack of care towards supporters, and lack of preparation for hosting the game.
We’ve known all week there’d not only be a heatwave but also a train strike. It doesn’t take a genius to work out that larger numbers of supporters would be arriving earlier than normal in anticipation of parking problems and more traffic on the road - and we’d also have far more people walking to and from town. With the weather as it was most people would be arriving thirsty, and be desperate for anything wet at half-time.
90 minutes before kick-off the queue for drinks inside the lower Trinity was what you’d normally get an hour later. As others have said, the service was inadequate in terms of number of staff.. and painfully slow. The prices are a total piss take.
Villa Park is worse than most in that the options for home fans in terms of pubs near the ground is very limited nowadays - so you’d think the business brains within the club would be planning for how they could serve the needs of the many thousands of people who arrive early, are barred from being able to take drinks in with them, and are prepared to spend money on refreshments inside.
If you complain to the club you’ll be told “we know, we’re working on it” - lies, this is not a new problem. Staffing issues? Pay more, there’s more than enough profit to be made there if done right, and look after the staff you do get. Even more will be needed when capacity is increased.
And Invest in faster systems for pouring drinks… or aren’t we worth it?

Offline Lastfootstamper

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Re: Villa Park Catering.....
« Reply #53 on: August 14, 2022, 01:27:58 PM »
After spending a lot of time at the Games, I must admit I'd got quite accustomed to the easy availability of free drinking water for paying customers.

Offline DeKuip

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Re: Villa Park Catering.....
« Reply #54 on: August 14, 2022, 01:42:47 PM »
After spending a lot of time at the Games, I must admit I'd got quite accustomed to the easy availability of free drinking water for paying customers.
True, and that’s caring for mainly one-off customers. Villa are hosting customers who want to remain so for a lifetime. That’s my sentence anyway.

Offline Flin5tone

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Re: Villa Park Catering.....
« Reply #55 on: August 14, 2022, 01:51:27 PM »
If they can't do it right they need to strip it right back and keep it very simple. There is no need trying to be fancy when you can't get it right.
 For speed and ease reduce the items being sold
Selection of pasties,sausage rolls etc
Selection of sandwiches
Bottled lagers
Water / soft drinks. Stuff that can be handed over at speed without all the messing about as it seems the staff don't have a clue what they're doing .

For areas like the Doug Ellis upper where it is very tight , simply sell good standard sandwiches all stored in a fridge (like a shop/garage display) bottled drinks and nothing else.

I dread to think what it must be like in the away end with a boisterous crowd wanting beers and so on in such a cramped space .

Online astonvilla82

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Re: Villa Park Catering.....
« Reply #56 on: August 14, 2022, 01:53:04 PM »
So say 1000 people give up because of the queues,at least 5 pounds a person, that's 5000 pounds and that's imagine is a conservative estimate

Offline Risso

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Re: Villa Park Catering.....
« Reply #57 on: August 14, 2022, 01:54:12 PM »
If they can't do it right they need to strip it right back and keep it very simple. There is no need trying to be fancy when you can't get it right.
 For speed and ease reduce the items being sold
Selection of pasties,sausage rolls etc
Selection of sandwiches
Bottled lagers
Water / soft drinks. Stuff that can be handed over at speed without all the messing about as it seems the staff don't have a clue what they're doing .

For areas like the Doug Ellis upper where it is very tight , simply sell good standard sandwiches all stored in a fridge (like a shop/garage display) bottled drinks and nothing else.

I dread to think what it must be like in the away end with a boisterous crowd wanting beers and so on in such a cramped space .

Disgra...no, actually you make some good points.

Offline Lastfootstamper

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Re: Villa Park Catering.....
« Reply #58 on: August 14, 2022, 01:59:22 PM »
If they're going to insist on selling chips, then make sure there's a constant supply of chips. The way the queues grind to a standstill as all the servers wait for a new batch to arrive is a piss take.

Offline maidstonevillain

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Re: Villa Park Catering.....
« Reply #59 on: August 14, 2022, 02:07:09 PM »
I very rarely engage with in stadium catering because it's crap but I tried to buy some water at half time today and gave up. Truly abysmal.
Compare that with Alexander Stadium last weekend. If you took in a water bottle refills were free and readily available.

 


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