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Author Topic: Villa Park Catering.....  (Read 35934 times)

Offline Towser

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Re: Villa Park Catering.....
« Reply #105 on: August 15, 2022, 11:42:35 AM »
When we got to the ground, none of the turnstiles worked. Steward told it it was the whole ground and that someone had forgot to press a button in IT lol. After waiting for 10 to 15 minutes they started working.

We went up in the lift we are in Upper Trinity and got in the queue to get our chips, curry sauce and coke. After waiting there for 10 minutes we asked the girl standing right in front of us if anyone was going to serve us, she then told us that that till wasnt working (It worked when the served the guy who was in front of us, we were then told to go to another queue.

Most of the serving hatches were closed and had roller shutters down and none of the screens showing the prices were working. We eventualy got served at another ‘hatch’ to then be told there was no curry sauce but they could give us a sachet of cold curry sauce if we wanted it.

As my Wife had not had anything to eat (she works from 0545 until 10:45 on a Saturday) as we went to Villa straight from her works, we persevered otherwise we would have left it. Shocking. People ordering beer were in the same boat, it was all foam and bubbles they had to get a bucket to empty into until beer actually started to come out of the pumps, one person purchased bottled water and the person serving poured it into those new plastic cups before handing it over.

Offline amfy

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Re: Villa Park Catering.....
« Reply #106 on: August 15, 2022, 12:03:54 PM »
Having read elsewhere that there was possibly a 90p charge for tap water I am also going to put this here.
https://www.popall.co.uk/news-publications/news/another-article-on-free-drinking-water

It not only illegal for licences premises to charge for tap water, it is a legal requirement to supply it on request. I know this from working for Shelter (Avalon bars) at Glastonbury - a bar that is a tent in a field, with customers 5 deep for 8 hours solid - we managed this!

Villa Park’s issue for many of the bars is that not enough consideration was given to the space needed to adequately equip and staff them. We seem to have loads of tiny booths that aren’t designed for many staff or multi pour and lining up pints. Something to consider in the North Stand re-design.

They are also expanding the range and throwing in stuff like wine when they would be better just sticking with basics and doing it well. You could take those little booths with minor re-design & make them a simple ‘pints bar’ with a multi pourer for lager, bitter, cider and just bang them out with only 2 staff at a faster rate than the current 4 pissing about trying to pour on order.

Anything more complicated - go to the larger food bar. If you are there with kids, & need soft drinks, you’ll probably be there for a hot dog anyway.......& honestly, who is going to a football match and not going to buy anything if they can’t have wine?

I’ll also go a bit Flin5tone here and say there is no point in putting up season ticket prices and then throwing away thousands of pounds with terrible catering. Catering can be a massive moneyspinner when done right, and can lose customers when done badly.

The problem with staffing is that it’s a VERY part time job and as such you won’t get a great level of skill or experience, but it is likely to improve a little when students return next month.

I'm sure I read that while the water has to be free, an establishment can make a charge to cover other costs, eg the glass, washing it up, rent, staff time etc.

The article I linked to lists some possible exceptions, none of which apply to this situation, and makes no mention of a charge. If you can find reference to the legality of such a charge somewhere on google, then please link. I don’t believe it exists, as the cost of supplying water can clearly be absorbed elsewhere if the person meets the criteria of being a ‘customer’ as outlined in the possible exceptions above.

Offline MillerBall

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Re: Villa Park Catering.....
« Reply #107 on: August 15, 2022, 12:20:34 PM »
Most of the beer served in the grounds is of poor quality and better suited to being poured on a garden (the garden of a neighbour you don't like to be precise) and given the high cota costs I really am surprised anybody bothers with it.
I had a decent pint at Brighton a couple of years ago though!

Offline AV82EC

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Re: Villa Park Catering.....
« Reply #108 on: August 15, 2022, 12:33:26 PM »
Having read elsewhere that there was possibly a 90p charge for tap water I am also going to put this here.
https://www.popall.co.uk/news-publications/news/another-article-on-free-drinking-water

It not only illegal for licences premises to charge for tap water, it is a legal requirement to supply it on request. I know this from working for Shelter (Avalon bars) at Glastonbury - a bar that is a tent in a field, with customers 5 deep for 8 hours solid - we managed this!

Villa Park’s issue for many of the bars is that not enough consideration was given to the space needed to adequately equip and staff them. We seem to have loads of tiny booths that aren’t designed for many staff or multi pour and lining up pints. Something to consider in the North Stand re-design.

They are also expanding the range and throwing in stuff like wine when they would be better just sticking with basics and doing it well. You could take those little booths with minor re-design & make them a simple ‘pints bar’ with a multi pourer for lager, bitter, cider and just bang them out with only 2 staff at a faster rate than the current 4 pissing about trying to pour on order.

Anything more complicated - go to the larger food bar. If you are there with kids, & need soft drinks, you’ll probably be there for a hot dog anyway.......& honestly, who is going to a football match and not going to buy anything if they can’t have wine?

I’ll also go a bit Flin5tone here and say there is no point in putting up season ticket prices and then throwing away thousands of pounds with terrible catering. Catering can be a massive moneyspinner when done right, and can lose customers when done badly.

The problem with staffing is that it’s a VERY part time job and as such you won’t get a great level of skill or experience, but it is likely to improve a little when students return next month.


For some people it's excessive pricing, for others it's coked-up head cases, a while back it was Doug Ellis, but for me, I will never darken the doors of Villa Park again until I am assured of a decent Châteauneuf-du-Pape. End of.

Châteauneuf-du-Pape. Pikey scum. It’s a Premier Grand Cru Classé Pauillac Appellation or nothing for some of us.

Offline aldridgeboy

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Re: Villa Park Catering.....
« Reply #109 on: August 15, 2022, 12:34:29 PM »
I never bother queuing anymore at home games. Partly because I just hate queuing to start with, but the few times I have, pop or beer has been warm. Food not great.

The next home game I'm not driving to, so would normally have a beer. No chance at VP sadly. It's just not worth the grief.

They could and should do "bottle bars" for just beer. When I ran a pub years ago ( a busy Friday night loud music type) the bottle bar in the corner, with one bar maid, took basically the same money as the main bar with 6. Its not difficult to do, make it card payment only for speed, and they'd take a ton more money than they do now.

There also these, albeit I'm not sure these would work with plastic glasses which they'd obviously need to
https://youtu.be/mfx0ewR9AW4

Offline aldridgeboy

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Re: Villa Park Catering.....
« Reply #110 on: August 15, 2022, 12:46:46 PM »
Is there any health and safety or other regulation that stops them pre pouring loads of drinks ready to hand over?
I'm sure I've seen that operation at other grounds but can't remember where

They definitely do that at the races. Worked a treat. The beer tent I was in at Cheltenham has easily as many people as rtes councourse in upper Trinity. Service was instant

Offline Risso

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Re: Villa Park Catering.....
« Reply #111 on: August 15, 2022, 12:57:47 PM »

The article I linked to lists some possible exceptions, none of which apply to this situation, and makes no mention of a charge. If you can find reference to the legality of such a charge somewhere on google, then please link. I don’t believe it exists, as the cost of supplying water can clearly be absorbed elsewhere if the person meets the criteria of being a ‘customer’ as outlined in the possible exceptions above.


A firm of solicitors writes:

"It is open to a licensed premises to make a charge for the glass that the water comes in, to charge if it is filtered water or to charge for their service."

https://www.hospitalitylaw.co.uk/free-tap-water-pubs-restaurants/


Offline amfy

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Re: Villa Park Catering.....
« Reply #112 on: August 15, 2022, 01:31:07 PM »

The article I linked to lists some possible exceptions, none of which apply to this situation, and makes no mention of a charge. If you can find reference to the legality of such a charge somewhere on google, then please link. I don’t believe it exists, as the cost of supplying water can clearly be absorbed elsewhere if the person meets the criteria of being a ‘customer’ as outlined in the possible exceptions above.


A firm of solicitors writes:

"It is open to a licensed premises to make a charge for the glass that the water comes in, to charge if it is filtered water or to charge for their service."

https://www.hospitalitylaw.co.uk/free-tap-water-pubs-restaurants/



The spirit of the law is to encourage people to drink water intermittently whilst drinking alcohol or to be able to get it easily if they have had too much alcohol. I think anyone trying to dodge this with spurious criteria would struggle to justify it if they’d tried to charge for water and someone had just continued to drink alcohol instead to the point they were ill or worse
I’d cetertainly expect better of Villa than this kind of tautology.
« Last Edit: August 15, 2022, 01:33:32 PM by amfy »

Offline Risso

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Re: Villa Park Catering.....
« Reply #113 on: August 15, 2022, 01:39:15 PM »
I didn't say I agree with it, but that's the law. I guess the argument would be that if you took it to its extreme posittion and ran a licensed premises where everybody sat and drank nothing but free tap water all day, you'd still have all the costs such as rent, wages, electricity, insurance etc, but no income.

Offline Flin5tone

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Re: Villa Park Catering.....
« Reply #114 on: August 15, 2022, 01:44:48 PM »
The crazy thing is the ideas on here are simple yet 100% would work,like the bottle bar. Tap card handed drink walk off, if they can't do it properly then we need to make things simple.

Is there nobody at the club with any commonsense or experience?

Bottle Bar, sandwich/snack bar,chip shop bar (chips and curry sauce only)  in tighter areas like Doug Upper sandwiches only and bottled drinks

Self serve coffee machines like you get in petrol station etc .

Is it really that hard?

Offline simboy

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Re: Villa Park Catering.....
« Reply #115 on: August 15, 2022, 02:02:38 PM »
Holte suite was only selling four pints per person, I don't quite understand why, a change from last season. Doesn't say it above the bar and so after a queue to ask for six pints on a tray [dont you have enough to carry without the tray?] it just held up the queue more to go and fetch another person, to order the drinks ... which i then paid for! Bat shit crazy.

Offline Lastfootstamper

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Re: Villa Park Catering.....
« Reply #116 on: August 15, 2022, 08:33:55 PM »
If you want to let the club know of your gripe, there's an email address just for it. If one was to use the reply my brother's received in order to judge the club's awareness of what many of us seemed to experience on Saturday, I'd suggest it's somewhere around "this is all news to us"
fancomplaints@avfc.co.uk

Offline Small Rodent

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Re: Villa Park Catering.....
« Reply #117 on: August 15, 2022, 08:58:56 PM »
It all sounds horrendous.

I hope everyone complaining here make the same complaints to the club.


Offline astonvilla82

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Re: Villa Park Catering.....
« Reply #118 on: August 15, 2022, 09:10:06 PM »
If you want to let the club know of your gripe, there's an email address just for it. If one was to use the reply my brother's received in order to judge the club's awareness of what many of us seemed to experience on Saturday, I'd suggest it's somewhere around "this is all news to us"
fancomplaints@avfc.co.uk
I will

Offline Rory

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Re: Villa Park Catering.....
« Reply #119 on: August 15, 2022, 10:18:59 PM »
I'd be interested to know how we compare with other older grounds such as Anfield and St James, and how they compare with the new grounds.

I'm sure it happens everywhere, but one thing that bothers me is the seemingly thousands of people who spend the whole time milling around the concourses, watching the TVs. My Dad will disappear on 30 minutes, buy two or three pints, pretty much neck them, then return on about 50 minutes. What's the point?

If I could have a pint in my seat, I might consider queuing for 5 minutes or so to get two before kickoff, but I've paid to watch the game. If I wanted to get drunk and watch it on a screen I'd stay at home or go to the pub.
It's about choice. You pays yer money you takes yer choice. It's about having a catch up with old friends who you only ever see on match days. Your dad and many like him (me included) should be able to do this without the excruciating experience of trying to get served. It hasn't improved at all in the 40 odd years I've been going to Villa Park. That's the issue here and for all the good work that's been done by the owners I find it incredible that this hasn't been addressed.

Fair enough - I still find it annoying, though!

 


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