The 2012-13 food and drink thread - prices, running out, quality and choice etc

[reigate]

I had my best catering experince at the AMEX ever last night. As there was no P&R, I parked in Coldean. Went to the chippy and convenience store there.

Battered sauage, chips and 2 bottles of Pepsi for £3.50. A decent sized meal, no queues and for a fraction of cost. For midweek game i normally have 2 pies and 2 pints, which is now £15 the club will be missing out on for midweek games

 

[SeagullSongs]

I was in the North Stand for the first time last night. They had run out of Harveys and all food apart from Veggie pies (which are actually very good) before kick-off. In WSU nothing has ever been sold out when I've wanted it, but that's probably just because we get there early.
Another factor for last night could be that they weren't expecting many people to be there, so didn't order in enough stock.
I expect the attendance for the Cardiff game to be mid-24000's so the club definitely needs to step it up.

If the club orders 20% more pies, they'll probably still sell them all. Perhaps they could slightly reduce the price after the match to clear all stock if this isn't the case?

 

[empire]

why do people have to eat at footy,only time i EVER EAT at any ground if ive had too many sherberts

 

[Munkfish]

The CLUB will become a joke if they don't sort this issue out, iv already walked with my feet, screw paying silly amounts for food and drink, i will pay my ticket prices, because I don't have a choice, but I can decide where to eat and drink and this is now elsewhere.

 

[reigate]

why do people have to eat at footy,only time i EVER EAT at any ground if ive had too many sherberts

While I agree in general and some people are going well over the top about catering, a lot of people come straight from work for midweek games particualy and this is their only chance for dinner

 

[Ninja Elephant]

why do people have to eat at footy,only time i EVER EAT at any ground if ive had too many sherberts

Who do people ask this? How long do you spend at the ground? I was in the ground at 7 last night and didn't leave until quater to 10ish. That's a fair amount of time. I had a pie as I left, I tried to avoid it. I failed.

 

[SIMMO SAYS]

The reason there may be so many new staff this year is they treated last years staff so poorly. My daughter started in August last year after 3 x years at catering college. She eventually got to serving the players their pre-match meals & working in the 'Directors' lounge. On a personal level I was 'OVER THE MOON' that she was working at my club. At the start, she worked upto 15hrs or a day and was provided with a 'Forfars' meal and a late night 8x seater taxi home. Not long after 'Azure' knocked that on the head and I was getting phone calls at gone midnight to come and pick her up. In the meantime various managers/chefs were sacked or left and her 'work' started to dry up. At the Easter match she wasnt asked to work and was sat twiddling her thumbs at home. In Dicks that day there were only 2 x serving on the right hand bar.I asked where were all the staff only to be told 'all the students had gone home for Easter'!!! 'Azure' you need new management!

 

[The Large One]

The reason there may be so many new staff this year is they treated last years staff so poorly. My daughter started in August last year after 3 x years at catering college. She eventually got to serving the players their pre-match meals & working in the 'Directors' lounge. On a personal level I was 'OVER THE MOON' that she was working at my club. At the start, she worked upto 15hrs or a day and was provided with a 'Forfars' meal and a late night 8x seater taxi home. Not long after 'Azure' knocked that on the head and I was getting phone calls at gone midnight to come and pick her up. In the meantime various managers/chefs were sacked or left and her 'work' started to dry up. At the Easter match she wasnt asked to work and was sat twiddling her thumbs at home. In Dicks that day there were only 2 x serving on the right hand bar.I asked where were all the staff only to be told 'all the students had gone home for Easter'!!! 'Azure' you need new management!

That is pisspoor.

What did they or the club have to say about that?

 

[leigull]

why do people have to eat at footy,only time i EVER EAT at any ground if ive had too many sherberts

Saturday games I tend to get to the ground about 1pm and am usually there till 7ish. A pie is a good way to either have a late lunch or early dinner.

 

[leigull]

Well said, Reigate. I also did this last night. Parking in Moulsecoomb was really easy (I'll be trying that again for Cardiff), sausage and chips for dinner for considerably less than the cost of one Amex pie and a pleasant 15 minute walk to the stadium.

I urge everybody to do the same or find other places to eat. The Albion should not have a monopoly on food and drink in the area, there ARE other options. If enough people do this the dream of AZURE OUT and BARBER OUT can happen.

I'm sure the club would love more people to start parking in Coldean or Moulsecoomb

 

[goldstone]

why do people have to eat at footy,only time i EVER EAT at any ground if ive had too many sherberts

I can understand at evening games. Rush to get to the ground after work and too late to eat by the time you get home. so eating at the ground makes sense if the prices aren't completely outrageous.

But for 3pm kick-offs? It's not lunch time. It's not dinner time. So it's snacking between meals. No wonder we have so many fat bastard fans!!

 

[Bozza]

I can understand at evening games. Rush to get to the ground after work and too late to eat by the time you get home. so eating at the ground makes sense if the prices aren't completely outrageous.

But for 3pm kick-offs? It's not lunch time. It's not dinner time. So it's snacking between meals. No wonder we have so many fat bastard fans!!

As I've posted before, imagine you have breakfast at home around 7 and head off to work 8-1. You then head straight to the ground. You leave the ground at 6 and get home at 7. You're away from home for 12 hours - that's why you might want something to eat on a Saturday.

There are numerous reasons why someone might need to eat at the ground on a Saturday beyond 'being a pig'. Only the true thickos fail to understand this point. Are you one of those thickos?

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

I'm sure the club would love more people to start parking in Coldean or Moulsecoomb

Well rethink their price hikes, and sort out the service at The Amex then.

There is more to this than just 30p on a pint, or whatever it is - it's about trying to get people to stay at the ground afterwards.

With more people at every game mext season, they need more people to stay behind, not less.

 

[leigull]

Well if they provide an attractive alternative there would be no reason to. But last night they didn't so my head has been turned. For anybody who has never given it a try, there are LOADS of roads with ample street parking in north Moulsecoomb. What was interesting was that in Lucraft Road there was not a single available space at 6.45pm when I arrived, but by the time I returned to the car at about 10.30pm I counted FOUR cars parked. Clearly plenty of Albion fans have worked out this is the easiest transport option.

And it's something they have spent a bit of time trying to crack down on, and I maybe be wrong, but was no doubt was part of the conditions for the stadium capacity being increased? The fact we can't get our favourite pie, or the prices have gone up shouldn't over ride the whole transport philosophy the club has had to adopt

 

[reigate]

I'm sure the club would love more people to start parking in Coldean or Moulsecoomb

I only did this because the P&R was not running, but as it was so easy parking in Coldean, (yes i know the crowd was a third of normal) I also will try this for Cardiff. Not only I did I not have to put up with cretins moaning about EVERYTHING in the queue afterwoulds but I got a proper dinner for next to nothing

 

[Fignon's Ponytail]

Like many others, we started off last year by buying pies, hotdogs, drinks every home match on our cards. Gradually as the season went on we found ourselves buying fish & chips on the way as it was so much cheaper & less hassle without the problem of queues / selling out of stuff etc- and we'll do the same this year again after seeing the price increase. Last night 2 bottles of coke & a chocolate bar was £5.50..... and I only bought those coz we came straight from work. They dont seem to have a problem with people bringing snacks, flasks etc so we'll continue doing that - and the club misses out. Shame really, I like the food but totally begrudge paying those prices when theres 4 of us to feed...

 

[leigull]

I only did this because the P&R was not running, but as it was so easy parking in Coldean, (yes i know the crowd was a third of normal) I also will try this for Cardiff. Not only I did I not have to put up with cretins moaning about EVERYTHING in the queue afterwoulds but I got a proper dinner for next to nothing

Going a bit O/T now, but I agree people are right to spend their money elsewhere if they don't think the Amex is giving them value for money (which at the moment with the service as it is, it isn't), but just didn't agree with it being right to park in Moulsecoomb or Coldean because of that.