Catering Experience at Amex

[Super Steve Earle]

Lets be honest-for all the talk of fantastic pies, they really aren't. Steak and ale is rancid, chicken and ham has no ham or taste and only the veggie worth eating. They sell because they're the only pies! Why not steak and kidney or chicken and mushroom-traditional pies with flavour. Gave up and took sarnies for Leeds match.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

What I don't understand is that a company with the pedigree and experience of Azure can not find a serving model which works efficiently at the AMEX.

Indeed. The typical matchday experience of the catering can be summed up by Ernest's quote on this thread:

'Can't be bothered queuing for a beer now pre kick off and would need a 30 minute half time interval to get a beer then so simply don't bother anymore.'

What a shocking indictment of the catering facilities. Should be emailed in big bold font to whoever is in charge of awarding/renewing the catering contract (and cc: to the head of Operations at Azure). And as others have said, the 'teething troubles' excuse won't wash anymore. No big deal really for most of us, even though it means a huge number of supporters who come to the endless evening games straight from work have to go hungry or eat in advance. But the club needs to be made fully aware of just how much revenue they are losing.

IMHO catering stalls outside the ground are the only realistic way forward.

 

[Billy the Fish]

Lets be honest-for all the talk of fantastic pies, they really aren't. Steak and ale is rancid, chicken and ham has no ham or taste and only the veggie worth eating. They sell because they're the only pies! Why not steak and kidney or chicken and mushroom-traditional pies with flavour. Gave up and took sarnies for Leeds match.

It's a game of opinions of couse, but I'd say you're part of a tiny minority who think that.

If I'm being less polite I'd say you're talking total bullshit.

 

[Billy the Fish]

No big deal really for most of us, even though it means a huge number of supporters who come to the endless evening games straight from work have to go hungry or eat in advance. But the club needs to be made fully aware of just how much revenue they are losing.

IMHO catering stalls outside the ground are the only realistic way forward.

Again I can only talk for the North stand as I haven't been in any of the others, but before and after the game isn't an issue. If you're starving you can get food a couple of minutes before kick-off without even queuing. I've never queued for more than 10 minutes before the game, and the mobile fosters stalls hardly ever have a queue.

Unless the WSU is much much worse, things aren't as bad as some are making out. Most peoples issue is that things could quite easily be much much better.

 

[clapham_gull]

Unless the WSU is much much worse, things aren't as bad as some are making out. Most peoples issue is that things could quite easily be much much better.

Problem with West Stand upper - is a lack of space. With everyone out the back - it's tight. I was expecting a huge wide concourse, but it can be a struggle getting one end to other through the huge queues.

I think they need more facilities outside the stadium and quick.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

It's a game of opinions of couse, but I'd say you're part of a tiny minority who think that.

If I'm being less polite I'd say you're talking total bullshit.

Agree.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Lets be honest-for all the talk of fantastic pies, they really aren't. Steak and ale is rancid, chicken and ham has no ham or taste and only the veggie worth eating. They sell because they're the only pies! Why not steak and kidney or chicken and mushroom-traditional pies with flavour. Gave up and took sarnies for Leeds match.

If you know your stuff, you'll know that chicken and ham is uber traditional. My opinion is that you don't want to like these pies.

 

[The Peanut Roaster]

A good mate of mine applied for a job at the Amex, with Azure catering.

The position he applied for was bar supervisor.

For the last seven years he has run his own pub, so I would have thought that it would be a shoe in that he would have got an interview, let alone the position.

Azure never even bothered to send him a letter / e mail saying thanks but no thanks.

They must have a bloody well high criteria for their supervisors then.

 

[Ernest]

Lets be honest-for all the talk of fantastic pies, they really aren't. Steak and ale is rancid, chicken and ham has no ham or taste and only the veggie worth eating. They sell because they're the only pies! Why not steak and kidney or chicken and mushroom-traditional pies with flavour. Gave up and took sarnies for Leeds match.

Agreed, the Amex ones are shite. Much prefer Pukka or Peters pies at football grounds

 

[The Large One]

Lets be honest-for all the talk of fantastic pies, they really aren't. Steak and ale is rancid, chicken and ham has no ham or taste and only the veggie worth eating. They sell because they're the only pies! Why not steak and kidney or chicken and mushroom-traditional pies with flavour.

Utter gibberish from start to finish.

 

[e77]

It might be a struggle to get them at times, but the pies are as good as anything I have tried in a football ground (can't speak for the veggie option though).

Would be annoyed to pay more to get into the 1901 Club to have the opportunity to pay more for a pie.

 

[trueblue]

A good mate of mine applied for a job at the Amex, with Azure catering.

The position he applied for was bar supervisor.

For the last seven years he has run his own pub, so I would have thought that it would be a shoe in that he would have got an interview, let alone the position.

Azure never even bothered to send him a letter / e mail saying thanks but no thanks.

They must have a bloody well high criteria for their supervisors then.

More like he was written off as too expensive compared to a kid with no experience.

 

[trueblue]

It might be a struggle to get them at times, but the pies are as good as anything I have tried in a football ground (can't speak for the veggie option though).

Would be annoyed to pay more to get into the 1901 Club to have the opportunity to pay more for a pie.

The price was just the latest irritation. The pie and a pint deal has never applied and they won't take the ecard for the pies either so 10% cashback is not an option. Ok, so overall it's a fairly small amount of money throughout the season but the principle really annoys me, especially as they're serving up very poor food overall. So much for this head honcho who used to be the Prime Minister's personal chef blah blah... He must have spent the years since working in Garfunkels.

 

[eastlondonseagull]

Lets be honest-for all the talk of fantastic pies, they really aren't. Steak and ale is rancid, chicken and ham has no ham or taste and only the veggie worth eating. They sell because they're the only pies! Why not steak and kidney or chicken and mushroom-traditional pies with flavour. Gave up and took sarnies for Leeds match.

Noooooooo! The Amex pies are amazing, better than all that Pukka crap any day. You've got addicted to the E numbers, mate!

 

[Razi]

In the East Stand, it seems that the queues for each till from 45 minutes before kick-off are generally about 20 people long. From joining the queue, to being able to semi enjoy the pint without having to gulp it down, pretty much takes me up to the start of the match. So it's probably around 30 minutes spent in the queue, roughly. At Leeds, Harveys was not available in the East/South section as they had to change the barrel. When asked how long that might take, the person serving us suggested it had already been half an hour.

At half time, a decision is required. Do you go to the toilet - or join the queue for refreshments. You can NOT do both. My brother has got up at 40 minutes for the past 2 games to go start queuing, which is the only way to get a drink and be able to finish it before the 2nd half starts. At the Leeds game, this Harveys barrel had still not 'been changed' by half-time. I'd like to use the Harveys' stand nearby, but I want to use my eCash for purchases in the ground, so that rules that out.

 

[Tooting Gull]

Only tried my first Amex pie on Friday night, and have to say was a little disappointed after the hype. I thought what was inside it (chicken and ham) was fine, but if I was making them and they had my name on them, I'd be underwhelmed they arrived with the punter at the point of sale that soggy. Even with mass catering, it doesn't have to be like that.

Also a bit surprised at the poor quality of the staff, many seem like they have never done any bar/catering work before. It's like having a whole groundful of that first-day barmaid who can't work the till in a busy pub.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

I had a nose at the 1901 menu for the Leeds game and it was either cod and chips or cottage pie. I think the price is around £35-40 for this. This trumps the burger and chips for £25.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

I had a nose at the 1901 menu for the Leeds game and it was either cod and chips or cottage pie. I think the price is around £35-40 for this. This trumps the burger and chips for £25.

Chips you say? So it can be done then?

 

[Tooting Gull]

Chips you say? So it can be done then?

So it would seem.

If you're a normal punter, chips 'cause a lot of mess, more cleaning, and leave an unhealthy smell around the stadium'.

If you're in 1901, they are 'an essential side order without which no meal would be complete'.

 

[Bozza]

Nothing will be said in public, for obvious reasons, but when you hear stats emanating from the club about how many pints have been gulped and how many pies scoffed, I do wonder if the Club/Azure progress meetings involve lots of back-slapping and congratulations on a job well done.

But we need to be realistic - I would never expect to be able to leave my seat after the half-time whistle and be able to buy and consume refreshments and be back in my seat for the second-half. And that applies to any football ground, not just the Amex. If you want something at half-time, get down to the concourse well before the end of the first half - it's just the way it is.

There can't be many situations in food service where demand is as high and focused as at a football match half-time and you expect the vendors to be prepared and trained to work quickly. Very quickly. You expect there to be a significant volume of pints pre-poured and you expect to see people pouring continuously throughout the half-time period. Likewise with the food - it is not unfair to expect all food to be stocked to the limits of capacity, ready to go.

It's difficult not to second-guess what happens, but it's not inconceivable that the staffing situation is in a bit of a vicious circle...

1. Staff are recruited.
2. Staff receive bare minimum training. (Unfortunately there is probably little that can be done to truly prepare people for the match day cut and thrust)
3. Staff do live service.
4. Staff either:
i) Succeed - good.
ii) Are crap - are got rid of.
iii) Find they have been thrown to the wolves and resign.
5. Go back to 1 to replace the 4 ii) and 4 iii) cases.