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

[tubaman]

Guess which company has the following on their website? Laughable....

Our specialist stadia catering team enable clients to develop the full commercial potential and reputation of their stadia as venues that provide a great all-round customer experience.

We provide every type of food service at major events from fine dining to cafeteria and fast refreshments for large numbers of customers. We use the best ingredients to create and serve excellent food that meets the tastes of our customers and represents great value. We ensure it is served by people who genuinely care about the enjoyment of customers and want to bring pleasure through their work.

Our specialist stadia marketing team provides expert help to clients who want to maximise the value of their stadia by developing revenues from corporate and private bookings for conferences, meetings and celebrations.

In addition to stadia catering, we offer a range of stadia Site Services.

Because the quality of our services depends so directly on our people, we’re dedicated to being the best place to work in our industry. A place where people thrive, in a culture and in a structure that ensures they are empowered to deliver what has been promised to our clients and their customers.

Isn't that a breach of contract?

 

[Uwinsc]

I've never understood why anyone would buy food in a football ground. If you're at something that goes on all day like cricket or tennis, yeah you'll need something to eat, but at FOOTBALL? If you honestly can't go two hours without filling your fat face, you should speak to a doctor.

We are not talking just about food but drink as well.

 

[getreal1]

And so goes on the obsession with what people eat and drink at football. Those bloody pies. The way some people go on you would think they'd never had a pie before in their lives and they're some rare delicacy. As another poster said, vote with your feet. Bit like gambling, don't spend more than you can afford to lose. You can take a bottle of your own coke and a pork pie and stil have a pretty decent afternoon without playing the game the Azure way. Have a pint beforehand and afterwards in a place you consider reasonably priced.

 

[Trigger]

hmmmm, shall i have an actual pint of something I like out of an actual pint glass in an an actual pub where I can sit down, and possibily even have a smoke.....or shall I spend the same amount of money on a pint of flat fosters in a plastic cup, standing up..........tough choice

if they want me to get there early and leave late, which I was under the impression they did....then tough shit, make it competitive

Spot on, The Swan and The Hikers are about to get very very busy on matchdays I think...

 

[Captain Sensible]

You can get a Carvery at a Crown Carvery for the same that the Amex charges for a feckin pie!

 

[Bry Nylon]

I've never understood why anyone would buy food in a football ground. If you're at something that goes on all day like cricket or tennis, yeah you'll need something to eat, but at FOOTBALL? If you honestly can't go two hours without filling your fat face, you should speak to a doctor.

There is a bigger picture to consider.

A large part of the travel strategy for the Amex is about encouraging as many people as possible to arrive early and stay for a while after the game. Without this the transport infrastructure will simply be unable to cope. Therefore it is vital to get the catering right.

 

[Wilka]

The prices were just about right last year so pretty disappointed by the increase. I don't think you'll find a more expensive pie in the football league than ours now. The soft drink price really do take the piss at £2.50!!

Let's hope the club don't try these sort of price hikes every season or my 4 or 5 hour stays at the Amex will get a lot shorter in future

 

[Stuart Munday]

I don't know if it has aleady been mentioned but Kronenbourg seems to have vanished from the North Stand so apart from the pie and pint deal going up you can only have Fosters or Strongbow. I don't know if there are plans to add another lager at a later date or this was just a one off.

 

[beorhthelm]

We went to Wembley the other day and it was £24 for 2 portions of fish and chips and 2 bottles of Fosters.

thats nice. what has that got to do with the prices of refreshment at the amex? just because other venues chose to fleece their passing custom, it doesnt mean should accept it from our club with regulars.

 

[Arthur]

You mean the shirts that are either 50% off or two for the price of one?

I wouldn't pay £10 for a shirt in fact I wouldn't pay anything. They are awful. So.....do you what I don't! I've never once felt the need to come on here and moan about AFTER EVERY BLEEDING GAME!

Exactly, wont be buying food at the ground next season and would never fork out for a shirt.

Good, that's all you can do. If enough people do it then they might re-evaluate their pricing module. I can't see my match day habits changing because they've put 30p on a pint.

Just to bring that in to context I'd say I have on average 4 or 5 pints a game that works out at £1.50 extra a game. Lets say 25 games a season that is £37.50 a season. That's a round of drinks on a night out!

As for the food being crap what do you expect? It's a football ground! I appreciate that the club has made a rod for it's own back with it's spin about every kiosk having a chef and the football being top quality but only a plum should have bought that and we're a year on now and know what it's like. Granted veggie freaks like [MENTION=6886]Bozza[/MENTION] shouldn't have to vet their food before tucking into it but that is a staffing issue and you can't really hold Barber responsible for marking up a pie wrong.

 

[HastingsSeagull]

£3.90 a pint, about the same as it is in London, and about 30p more a pint than in Brighton town centre. Don't see how you can argue with that really, find me a football ground that sells alcohol at the same price it sells in the town.

Say you have an average of 3 pints per game, that equates to 90p more per game, or £20.70 more a season than drinking in the town. If you can afford £400 for a season ticket, but can't afford £420, then I suggest you need some help with your financial planning.

Get what you're saying but I don't have 3 pints a week every week whatever I am doing! I might have none, I might have 15, but I generally have 3 EXTRA if I go to an Albion game and 3 EXTRA is not 90p more it's £11.70 EXTRA for me to find that week. I will now be possibly spending £3.90 more than a normal week but never buy 3 at that price! I do see it is only a rise of 90p but it is on top of extra weekly money for a £30 expensive 1 match ticket up £4 a time this year, and train fare around a tenner a time (that recently went up a chunk) and a hike on pie price as well as on each pint. Something has to give with ALL those increase together and I'd rather it was saved on less food and drink than less Albion matches attended or travel to get there! Will also instead of have a pie EVERY game be far more likely to have 2-3 a season during my c10 visits. More money in my pocket to buy a pie etc. and pint etc. for on the train maybe lol but less for the Albion

 

[getreal1]

Spot on, The Swan and The Hikers are about to get very very busy on matchdays I think...

Yes. Spot on.

 

[rool]

I've never understood why anyone would buy food in a football ground. If you're at something that goes on all day like cricket or tennis, yeah you'll need something to eat, but at FOOTBALL? If you honestly can't go two hours without filling your fat face, you should speak to a doctor.

I suppose some of us have different travel options.

I tried this yesterday. My train leaves Ashford at 12:32 and arrives at Falmer approximately 14:20. I had a sandwich and drink before leaving and there is no food or drink for sale on the trains.

It was ok pre match I just fancied a pint but by full time I am hungry. I never seem to be able to get the Lewes train in time for the 5:44 back to Ashford so wait in the Stadium until 6:10 when the platform is pretty clear.
I then get to Lewes for a 10 minute wait for the almost two hour journey back.

That would be 8 hours without any refreshment alternatives other than the Amex.

It was not unusual for me to have a pre match and post match pie and pint plus another couple of pints before I get the train. So on that basis I'd be spending £23 for each home game on food and refreshments whereas last year it would have been £19.40.

It's enough of a hike to make me feel uncomfortable about spending it so I will either take a pack up to eat on the train or investigate The Swan's offerings.

 

[Superphil]

How ? Where ? Smartcard?

Yup, smartcard, pop into club shop pre match, load it up, job done.

 

[Weststander]

A few here are praising or understanding of Barber / Azure with their mega price rises.

But surely, it would be better to keep the prices at last season's already quite-high (but we were prepared to pay it) levels, but maintain high demand; before, during, and well after games.

This is not an elite sport one-off event like the Olympics, CL final, WCFinals, British Open Golf.

Just second division football, repeated 23 times a season, and counter catering prices should reflect that.

 

[severnside gull]

And I can never understand twats like you who can't envisage a situation where, for example, someone has to dash to football after a morning at work and might be peckish between their breakfast at 8am and dinner at 7pm.

There are numerous reasons why people may want to grab something to eat at the Amex beyond being gluttonous pigs.

(And that's not to mention that for many people getting to and from the Amex with a football match sandwiched in between is more likely to be at least 4-5 hours, not just 2.)

Three hours drive minimum before parking up and getting to the ground - eat on the way and risk a delay on the road making us late or wait until we get to the Amex? No brainer!
A bite to eat and a drink before leaving to allow the car park to clear and anyway once you're in the car you just want to keep going until you get home.
Every game at the Amex is a twelve hour journey for us and the ground is the best place to eat reasonable food at reasonable leisure.
Not a cheap option though - I think we might forego buying a programme for games this year.

 

[Mutts Nuts]

And I can never understand twats like you who can't envisage a situation where, for example, someone has to dash to football after a morning at work and might be peckish between their breakfast at 8am and dinner at 7pm.

There are numerous reasons why people may want to grab something to eat at the Amex beyond being gluttonous pigs.

(And that's not to mention that for many people getting to and from the Amex with a football match sandwiched in between is more likely to be at least 4-5 hours, not just 2.)

I can`t understand the running out of beer situation,how difficult would it be for Harveys to have bottled pale ale,brown ale and light ale sold in a similar way to the fosters in plastic bottles though in pint bottles of course.

 

[C1 BHA]

I think a 28% is def taking the michael. We'll be arriving later, having had a couple of beers in The Hikers. Think the Club may have got this one wrong as we were consistently having a pie and a pint each and it's highly likely we won't bother in the future. Make it affordable, don't take the mick and sell loads. Surely the Club don't want us all rocking up 10 mins before kick off and going straight to our seats?

 

[Trigger]

I think a 28% is def taking the michael. We'll be arriving later, having had a couple of beers in The Hikers. Think the Club may have got this one wrong as we were consistently having a pie and a pint each and it's highly likely we won't bother in the future. Make it affordable, don't take the mick and sell loads. Surely the Club don't want us all rocking up 10 mins before kick off and going straight to our seats?

That's seemingly exactly what they appear to want judging by this price farce.