There is ONLY one way to improve catering standards at the AMEX.

[Wilka]

The only way I can see things speeding up is 2 people per till. 1 to take the order and money and the other to grab the food/drink while the transation is being put through. They also need a better way of pouring the beers. At festivals they have these machines that do about 10 pints at once.

 

[spongy]

there's usually no queue for the harveys pump. i always get served straight away. to those queuing for ages for lager, try to grow some taste buds and get an ale.

I have but here's my pre match experience on Wednesday.....

Get to front of queue (took about 7-8 mins)

"2 pints of fosters please"
"Er, we don't have any fosters"
"ok, 2 pints of kronenbourg instead please"
"sorry, we don't have any kronenbourg either I'm afraid, our pumps have broken"
"Seriously?"
"yes"
"ok, do you have any harveys?"
"yes, we do"
"ok, 2 pints of harveys please"

3 minute wait for seller to return with 2 pints

Another minute or so to pay on the smart card.

Leave feeling a bit frustrated but I have beer... yay!!!!!!!!

Get back to where we are standing take a mouthful and immediately gob it back into the glass, its tangy and cloudy. Not good for harveys as any regular bitter drinker knows......

Look back at the queue which is now bigger than when I arrived, fcuk it, I'm not going back now, drink bad beer, enjoy a great game of footie, go home, wake up Thursday morning with gut rot and the squits.

Couldn't fault them before that, but I won't be drinking harveys again. If the mobile sellers could accept smart card payment that is the future,

or like music concerts, sellers wearing back packs (kinda like duffman from simpsons) and roaming the concourses selling pints. They work a treat.

 

[Hillian1]

I have to agree that the speed of service is astonishingly slow, but then the demand is spectacularly high.

Perhaps if Piglets Pantry could make the pies taste like shit this would help with demand.

And maybe have designated queues for smartcard transactins only.

 

[Samej]

I have but here's my pre match experience on Wednesday.....

Get to front of queue (took about 7-8 mins)

"2 pints of fosters please"
"Er, we don't have any fosters"
"ok, 2 pints of kronenbourg instead please"
"sorry, we don't have any kronenbourg either I'm afraid, our pumps have broken"
"Seriously?"
"yes"
"ok, do you have any harveys?"
"yes, we do"
"ok, 2 pints of harveys please"

3 minute wait for seller to return with 2 pints

Another minute or so to pay on the smart card.

Leave feeling a bit frustrated but I have beer... yay!!!!!!!!

Get back to where we are standing take a mouthful and immediately gob it back into the glass, its tangy and cloudy. Not good for harveys as any regular bitter drinker knows......

Look back at the queue which is now bigger than when I arrived, fcuk it, I'm not going back now, drink bad beer, enjoy a great game of footie, go home, wake up Thursday morning with gut rot and the squits.

Couldn't fault them before that, but I won't be drinking harveys again. If the mobile sellers could accept smart card payment that is the future,

or like music concerts, sellers wearing back packs (kinda like duffman from simpsons) and roaming the concourses selling pints. They work a treat.

Mobile stands selling bottled harveys would work, they could also sell the light pale and brown ales which are delicious.Being cash only the service would be very quick, the same as for the bottle fosters.

 

[clapham_gull]

One way to improve standards is not to sell the rights to sell food to a single contractor.

It will only ever be to a certain standard.

You need competition - outside the stadium as well.

 

[Biscuit]

Still far far to many people using cash too, I always use my smart card simple and quick to top up then just hand it over and 5 seconds later you've paid and they can move onto the next customer.

Excellent post. If everyone did this I bet there would hardly any problems at all.

 

[Gullysgirl]

In the North Stand, there's a bloke behind the tills who was being 'trained' at the Doncaster game, and still seemed to be struggling to work out what the hell was going on at last nights game. Took about 10 minutes for him to get two pies and two pints and sort out the change.

Maybe they need to send the catering staff on some kind of S.A.S style training exercise? Drop them all off in the woods and have random people jump out of hiding places and demanding burgers.

If they're too slow they get all their teeth pulled out with pliers and shot.

How about a Maccie D's style point system for the staff instead of Stars on the badges they could have Gully's

 

[Barnham Seagull]

One way to improve standards is not to sell the rights to sell food to a single contractor.

It will only ever be to a certain standard.

You need competition - outside the stadium as well.

Toyaly agree with this, should have either kept the concourse food in house or had different caterers than the hospitality.

The hospitality food is not good by the way is a least double what it should be for the standard of the food. Withdean hospitality food was light years ahead of the Amex.

 

[Weststander]

Seriously Tony, it is crap the service is so slow it sucks, what is it like where you are in the ground ?

Agreed. WSU service is awful before game, and h/t.

It's the staff on the tills. No sense of urgency. Look hot & flustered.

I expect Azure & Albion will address.

 

[Matrix10]

Our group no longer attempt to buy refreshments at the Amex. I am not going to criticise the club as I think we have the most amazing stadium, team, manager and chairman, but the queues in the WSL lower are or were far too slow, so we stop in Lewes, travel on to Brighton, or go to the Mucky Duck (Swan). It maybe queues are getting shorter, but this is probably accounts for the fact fans are arriving later, and taking their refreshments elsewhere thus depriving the club of turnover.
A way of improving the quality of service, as I have previously mentioned on another thread is a system my wife and I encountered at the Samberdrome in Rio on a visit to the Carnival. The crowd there is immense but service at the bars is in minutes and works on a different principle. The refreshment area is in a U shape, on entry you give your order and receive a confirmation, you then move on to the pay station who lighten your wallet and give you a receipt, you then reach the final point where your numbered purchase is ready for you to collect, simples.
This system is unbelievably quick and efficient, and I was away from my place for about five minutes, so missed very little of the amazing processions (with totty). I am quite prepared to do a further fact finding mission to the next carnival to re-access the system, expenses paid by the club of course, but I don’t need to take the wife this time!!!!!

 

[Barnham Seagull]

The staff at the Withdean outlets wanted to serve as quick as possible because they wanted to make money. The staff at the Amex are just monkeys being paid peanuts who have no connection with the company employing them so don't care much plus the training they have had amounts to bugger all.

What I am concerned about is the club sorting out problems with the caterers and transport beacuse if they don't alot of people wont bother to turn up if we are not playing well in the future. People will not be bothered with all the hassle.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

And maybe have designated queues for smartcard transactins only.

Or just make all transactions smartcard only? If it means quicker queues I'm sure the vast majority of supporters will agree to it. Temporary cards can be made available for folk without smartcards. Simples. Either have one or the other, not both smartcard and cash.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

The staff at the Withdean outlets wanted to serve as quick as possible because they wanted to make money. The staff at the Amex are just monkeys being paid peanuts who have no connection with the company employing them so don't care much plus the training they have had amounts to bugger all.

A very good point.

 

[Samej]

What happened to the Thai Curry curry or Noodles ?

Have I missed something....

I tried the chilli beef with noodles it was disgusting, i would not feed it to my dog

 

[Ernest]

Or just make all transactions smartcard only? If it means quicker queues I'm sure the vast majority of supporters will agree to it. Temporary cards can be made available for folk without smartcards. Simples. Either have one or the other, not both smartcard and cash.

As 90% of people paying have cash then make it cash only as it is the smartcards from my experience that holds the queues up

 

[Djmiles]

As 90% of people paying have cash then make it cash only as it is the smartcards from my experience that holds the queues up

Put your card on the scanner while they're getting your grub, and within 10 seconds of them being back you're gone. Much easier than getting money out of your wallet, and waiting for them to count the change! People you've seen clearly aren't doing it right.

 

[clapham_gull]

I tried the chilli beef with noodles it was disgusting, i would not feed it to my dog

Lucky escape then.

 

[pasty]

Agreed. WSU service is awful before game, and h/t.

It's the staff on the tills. No sense of urgency. Look hot & flustered.

I expect Azure & Albion will address.

I disagree. Never had any issues pre match. Can usually get a pint and/or pie in about 5 or 10 mins, which isn't really that long to wait is it?

I do however, agree completely about h/t. I don't even bother leaving my seat now, but thats mainly due to the number of people going down to the concourse up to 10 mins before half time.

 

[e77]

If you could put money on your smart card in the stadium (other than the club shop) it might encourage people to use it.

 

[Beach Hut]

If you could put money on your smart card in the stadium (other than the club shop) it might encourage people to use it.

I thought the club were going to have TVMs to do this but obviously not.