Catering disasters tonight

[Blue Valkyrie]

And still idiots continue to moan,its not rocket science,eat before you get to the ground ffs

Pretty insulting to all the 'idiots' who work somewhere were flexitime or leaving early isn't allowed, and don't want to use all their holidays on AMEX midweek fixtures.

 

[Return of the Rev]

Lets be radical and have a local group managing the sub letting of individual catering units,we would have variety and better service because the people working in each unit are more likely to have a investment in the business,40% of turnover to the club 10% to a managing group and each unit would have to extract a profit from the other 50%.Might have more motivated staff more variety also you could pop round to the unit that's doing curry or other favourite after the game.Each unit would be in competition and if sales or quality dropped burn them off at the end of the season,certain crowd favourites could be made compulsory in each unit . The units that perform best could have the option of taking over the under performing units. The percentages are pulled out the hat but the club must be able to increase its revenue whilst the fans get a catering service fitting of the stadium.

 

[Gwylan]

Lets be radical and have a local group managing the sub letting of individual catering units,we would have variety and better service because the people working in each unit are more likely to have a investment in the business,40% of turnover to the club 10% to a managing group and each unit would have to extract a profit from the other 50%.

Maybe we should off it as a challenge on The Apprentice. Who can make most money: Team Cockwomble or Team Arsehat?

 

[mwrpoole]

Lets be radical and have a local group managing the sub letting of individual catering units,we would have variety and better service because the people working in each unit are more likely to have a investment in the business,40% of turnover to the club 10% to a managing group and each unit would have to extract a profit from the other 50%.Might have more motivated staff more variety also you could pop round to the unit that's doing curry or other favourite after the game.Each unit would be in competition and if sales or quality dropped burn them off at the end of the season,certain crowd favourites could be made compulsory in each unit . The units that perform best could have the option of taking over the under performing units. The percentages are pulled out the hat but the club must be able to increase its revenue whilst the fans get a catering service fitting of the stadium.

Lets face it the 2 major problems are:

1. trying to recruit & retain staff who have an ounce of common sense, but will only work 25 times a year.
2. trying to stock & sell your best selling items which just happen to be perishable and will not last from one game to the next.

Giving the staff profit related pay may assist with problem 1, but still doesn't solve problem 2.

Harveys & pies should always sell out, but post half-time not before - the sold out timings seem to be getting earlier & earlier.

I wouldn't be surprised if the caterer's are saying service could be substantially increased if all beers were bottled and the pies were either frozen or could be frozen. I really hope it doesn't come to that, I personally like the fact that we have draught beers & fresh pies and I'm happy to put up with a certain amount of inconvenience for that privilege, but just lately that threshold has been crossed for seemingly no reason.

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Sodexo are way worse than Azure, who we sacked from the contract I think.

Surely they are on very thin ice with club if they are not to go the same way.

 

[Munkfish]

Sodexo are way worse than Azure, who we sacked from the contract I think.

Surely they are on very thin ice with club if they are not to go the same way.

Agreed things under Azure were never thay bad. Always got served by the end of half time.

 

[BobbySmith]

Q the spoilt brat 1901 club comments, but since Sodexo have had the contract, it has got worse in the Wynne Baxter Mayo lounge. It was hilarious watching the poor staff trying to bring food to either people who did not order it, wrong food, cold food. Also the main issue, apart from one poor women Karen who has been there from day1, who is excellent by the way, cant remember if we have ever had the same staff 2 games on the trot, some cant use tills and the other week was the classic, that I wanted 1 pint of Harvey's and was told that we don't that sherry ?, think she was new?. Think we need to get Steve Evans running the catering as has all the attributes, he obviously enjoys food and drink, likes to manager everyone and rants when things don't go well.

 

[beorhthelm]

Harveys & pies should always sell out, but post half-time not before - the sold out timings seem to be getting earlier & earlier.

i see what your saying here, though for Harvey's its not so perishable (could last easily a week, more if they had some way to seal and pressurise the barrel). you're alternative is frieghtning. i'd suggest the answer maybe to accept this reality and have an understanding that a hand full of counters will stay open after the game, so that the surplus pies and barrels can be moved there. right now its a lottery whether one of 20 odd counters will have demand after the game.

... some cant use tills and the other week was the classic, that I wanted 1 pint of Harvey's and was told that we don't that sherry ?,

well thats flat out poor training, they clearly cant be doing any. there's not a huge range to go through to cover what the popular beer is.

 

[Marty___Mcfly]

Here is a really simple solution to the issue of running out of Harveys / Guinness / Fosters-

Have loads of cans / bottles as back up. As soon as a barrel runs out or you run out altogether, start using the cans / bottles. Empty them in to plastic glasses and hand them over.

Incredibly simple, wouldn't result in any waste, and would result in more beer being sold, more profit for the catering company and the club, and less fans being annoyed.

Why would they not want to do this? This only explanations I can guess at are (a) they don't care, (b) they are mindlessly sticking to their established practices and won't consider doing anything differently, or (c) both.

I don't know why there is an obsession with serving pints poured from a tap- the pints you get at the Amex are normally far worse than what would come out of a can / bottle anyway.

 

[beorhthelm]

Have loads of cans / bottles as back up. As soon as a barrel runs out or you run out altogether, start using the cans / bottles. Empty them in to plastic glasses and hand them over.

given they make Albion Ale all year round (its the same as the Blue Label really, isn't it?), I've long thought they are missing a trick not selling bottled Harveys. they could even venture out into the the rest of the range, not like there's a huge logistics problem driving a few hundred crates 10 miles down the road. be loverly to have Armada, Tom Paine, Old etc available.

 

[gregbrighton]

Any chance of a fans meeting between interested fans and Sodexo/club management for people to give feedback. It's clear that the service is patchy.

The fans like to eat and the club likes money. I'm sure people could come round a table to improve the catering at the Amex.

 

[Return of the Rev]

maybe we should off it as a challenge on the apprentice. Who can make most money: Team cockwomble or team arsehat?

thats the problem at the moment dumb arse students/graduates playing at caterers.

 

[Pavilionaire]

Any chance of a fans meeting between interested fans and Sodexo/club management for people to give feedback. It's clear that the service is patchy.

The fans like to eat and the club likes money. I'm sure people could come round a table to improve the catering at the Amex.

No need for a meeting, Sodexo just need to read this thread and then remove their thumb from their arse.

 

[The Birdman]

No need for a meeting, Sodexo just need to read this thread and then remove their thumb from their arse.

well said ,
I actually don't know what the club makes out of the catering but it's time to think out the box and come up with a better solution which gives our fans a better service and choice also the club makes more money it's as simple as that.
I like the idear of different vendors with competition which should improve variety and service and profit for the club with short contracts. I say it again why are we giving money to a foreign company and not surporting local companies and famileys. (American Express Community Stadium)!!!!!!

 

[Dr. Notthenineo'clocknews]

How do you train people on a zero hours contract working 4 hours for minimum pay on the odd Saturday or maybe a Friday or a Tuesday if you like or perhaps the third Thursday after Epithany? Send them to Jamaica for a week to work with Tom Cruise in that bar in cocktail?

It might not be the right answer or the one you want to hear but I think it's a miracle we've got anyone to pour a pint at all.

 

[Pavilionaire]

well said ,
I actually don't know what the club makes out of the catering but it's time to think out the box and come up with a better solution which gives our fans a better service and choice also the club makes more money it's as simple as that.
I like the idear of different vendors with competition which should improve variety and service and profit for the club with short contracts. I say it again why are we giving money to a foreign company and not surporting local companies and famileys. (American Express Community Stadium)!!!!!!

The thing is this is the fifth season at the Amex and we're still talking about the same stuff we were in August 2011 - insufficient stock on the shelves, stock husbandry, poorly trained staff.

 

[Vegas Seagull]

well said ,
I actually don't know what the club makes out of the catering but it's time to think out the box and come up with a better solution which gives our fans a better service and choice also the club makes more money it's as simple as that.
I like the idear of different vendors with competition which should improve variety and service and profit for the club with short contracts. I say it again why are we giving money to a foreign company and not surporting local companies and famileys. (American Express Community Stadium)!!!!!!

We had a great local caterer at the Withdean that wasn't deemed 'big' enough and discontinued.
The 'full' hospitality inc all drink and match ticket now costs £159 compared to £100 less previously, which may have something to do with the ludicrous situation of having more fine diners out of 7,000 crowd compared to 20k +.
Remarkable situation & well within the capabilities of the previous lot

 

[The Birdman]

The thing is this is the fifth season at the Amex and we're still talking about the same stuff we were in August 2011 - insufficient stock on the shelves, stock husbandry, poorly trained staff.

I agree the staff problem will never change as they are mainly use students if the units are staffed by the owner of the franchise it would be in there interest to deliver the service we all desire.

 

[SIMMO SAYS]

The young fella in Dicks who the moment I arrive pours my pint before I order should be on £15.00 an hour.
Total good lad-----a big bonus from me at the end of the season ££££ totally deserves it.

 

[Vegas Seagull]

How do you train people on a zero hours contract working 4 hours for minimum pay on the odd Saturday or maybe a Friday or a Tuesday if you like or perhaps the third Thursday after Epithany? Send them to Jamaica for a week to work with Tom Cruise in that bar in cocktail?

It might not be the right answer or the one you want to hear but I think it's a miracle we've got anyone to pour a pint at all.

Goodwood copes with the same amount of fixtures a year, fine dining and just drinking & burgers for both daytime & evening meetings in stands comparable to the Amex. It can easily be handled better than it is