Let them eat... anything

[algy]

I suppose it is my age but I really see no unbearable hardship or even inconvenience in lasting two hours without feeding or drinking.  Our core values are those of an historic, proud, vibrant football club.  Beating ourselves up because we can't get a balti pie at the correct temperature at half time inside the stadium is demeaning.  In my opinion.

Strongly agree.


I dunno, it feels to me like maybe there are ways that we could deal with the catering issue without knocking down the entire ground.

It feels to me like the facilities in the ground were built for a very different era than the current one.  Flin5tone made an excellent point - in the current stands, concentrate each stall on doing one thing, and doing it well.  Heavily prioritise stuff with a fast turnover, and in those things work out how to have the fastest turnover.  I'd also say that maybe looking at vending machines where they're suitable (e.g. sweets, crisps, hot drinks) might be a good way to relieve some pressure.

If we want street food, fine, but that will have to exist in new stands that are built to accommodate that - not trying to shoehorn it in to a blatantly unsuited environment.

Transport feels like a solvable problem, as does catering.

[Jon Crofts]

Twickenham seem to be able to manage to serve beer and food to 80,000 plus people without much drama and even employ a deposit cup scheme that reduces waste. You can order pints via the stadium app and collect at pick up points and have roving beer sellers all around the stadium. It's really not that hard.

[Des Little]

Twickenham seem to be able to manage to serve beer and food to 80,000 plus people without much drama and even employ a deposit cup scheme that reduces waste. You can order pints via the stadium app and collect at pick up points and have roving beer sellers all around the stadium. It's really not that hard.

Exactly this. Have we got the right people in charge of this aspect of the club?

[LeeB]

Twickenham seem to be able to manage to serve beer and food to 80,000 plus people without much drama and even employ a deposit cup scheme that reduces waste. You can order pints via the stadium app and collect at pick up points and have roving beer sellers all around the stadium. It's really not that hard.

Bloody Leeds had two blokes just out on the concourse, one with a keg pouring and one with a card machine taking payment, that managed to service the whole away end booze quickly with little fuss.

[eamonn]

Re vending machines, they can take-up a fair amount of space. In some of our tight concourses, with human traffic flowing everywhere, it could create further bottlenecks.

[Risso]

Twickenham seem to be able to manage to serve beer and food to 80,000 plus people without much drama and even employ a deposit cup scheme that reduces waste. You can order pints via the stadium app and collect at pick up points and have roving beer sellers all around the stadium. It's really not that hard.

Agreed, and it goes back to what I said before, that a lot of it is outside so it automatically means there's far less strain on the kiosks in the stadium. Rugby does have an inherent advantage in that you can drink in your seat though. Part of the problem at old grounds like Villa is that people are queuing and then standing around drinking in the same spots, and those same spots are cramped concourses. If you can utilise outside areas you've a) got more room for extra food and drink providers and b) you're massively diluting the crowds. At Villa, it's the perfect storm of not enough space, not enough providers, and the ones there are being terrible and badly run.

[oldhill_avfc]

I don't know why accessing catering during half time is limited to the concourses.   There's plenty of space around the ground that could be cordoned off and be used to eat and drink in.  If it was sectioned off then that would alleviate any need to go through turnstiles and the queues that may ensue.   Essentially - extend the fan zone concept for half time use.  It's also a bit like Edgbaston where the food outlets are within the perimeter of the ground.

[dave.woodhall]

If you can go out at half-time for a fag, surely you can go out for a beer.

[kipeye]

 Very good points, Dave. I wonder if self-service machines might help. If paper cups were available. bottled drinks and similar could be sold automatically for fans to self-pour and bin the bottle. Noodle cups etc (yes I know,) could also be sold this way.

[AV82EC]

In typical Brum fashion you’ve got an easily fenceable delineated outside space behind the Holte End which could accommodate pre, during and post match bars and food outlets with some big tent like structures to keep out the worst of the weather and we’re using it as a car park. Of course Villa put the outside stuff in the most congested part of the ground the bit at the end of the Trinity Road stand where you’ve got a walkway which turns into a clogged up nightmare pre match.

I realise some of these issues may not be top priority but at the moment the club is giving off an air of couldn’t organise a piss up in a Brewery or even worse we don’t care when it comes to match day experience.

I’ve worked in Facilities Management for over 30 years and running buildings is my job, I’d be quite frankly embarrassed if this was the user experience my building occupants and users were reporting back to me. The Catering company would also be in special measures, shockingly poor.

[LeeB]

It's my bugbear, but it would help a lot if they lost just a few rows of precious car parking from the back of the North Stand it would help actually trying to navigate around the stadium, and they could shift the street food outlets there to stop them bottlenecking near the players entrance.

[Jon Crofts]

If you can go out at half-time for a fag, surely you can go out for a beer.

Haven't seen any evidence that smokers go further than the bogs to be honest.

[andrew08]

The annoying thing is it’s easier to get a beer at pretty much all of our away games. I would say I spend more inside grounds on my travels than I do at Villa Park. Not all of them are the new bowls either. Even places like Burnley or Bournemouth do it more efficiently.

There is nothing like seeing the shutters come up at an away game to the sight of hundreds of pre poured pints!

[Jon Crofts]

Definitely not a lowest end of the spectrum firm.

All catering suppliers across many spaces are having huge issues in recruiting,  retention and supply chain, after suffering massive losses during the pandemic.  It is no excuse,  but as ever there is context. They should have been prepared.

Compass.

Free school meals during the pandemic, Marcus Rashford? Ring any bells?
Working conditions.
Cleaners salaries.
Living Wage.

They're shithouses of the highest order.

[adrenachrome]

Definitely not a lowest end of the spectrum firm.

All catering suppliers across many spaces are having huge issues in recruiting,  retention and supply chain, after suffering massive losses during the pandemic.  It is no excuse,  but as ever there is context. They should have been prepared.

Compass.

Free school meals during the pandemic, Marcus Rashford? Ring any bells?
Working conditions.
Cleaners salaries.
Living Wage.

They're shithouses of the highest order.

You ain't kidding, Jon.

Broken Compass: the scandals of Compass Group

https://corporatewatch.org/broken-compass-the-scandals-of-compass-group/