Do you spend as much on catering at the Amex as you would like?

[JamesAndTheGiantHead]

The pies, from my extensive 'research', seem very hit or miss. Sometimes they're flavoursome and loaded with full bodied flavour and a lovely sense of character, sometimes they're dry and tasteless. If there was assured consistancy then I'd comfortably get through 3 a game.

Because I'm disgusting.

 

[pasty]

Would definitely buy more if it wasn't so damned difficult. Queues, inefficient staff (which I guess go hand in hand) and lack of food choice mean I now aim to get to the ground about 2.45 as I may as well stay in the pub pre-match. As for half-time, one of our group will usually go down about 5 minutes before half-time to get the beers in, as if you wait for half time, you have little chance of getting a pint and having time to drink it before the second half starts.

Generally I would mark the whole catering operation at about 3/10. I really don't understand why they make it so difficult, I mean it's hardly rocket science is it.

 

[paul-brighton]

in wsl starting last season they decided the booth at the south end would only stock the special pie. so to get my beloved steak pie (not had a bad one yet) I have to trek to the middle booth. as not enough time at ht they now only get one pie and pint purchase from me before the match. don't really have time after as I have to use the west coast train service and many peeps know how bad that is

 

[happypig]

It's very hit and miss which queue you get in. If you're lucky, you get a few people in front wanting beer/pies, paying with a smartcard and the queue moves swiftly. If you're not so lucky you get a bloke buying cups of tea and paying with a credit card or (as I once had) a woman who, when she got to the server, called her kids over and asked what they wanted, leading to all three going "errmmm, let me think".

I think the answer is to have a smartcard only, beer/pie queue at each outlet and have pre-poured beers waiting for people.

 

[Captain Sensible]

The staff are so slow, that if I want anything at half time or half hour leading up to kick off I just don't bother, ques are too big so I don't buy. It's not because there are too many that want to buy food, it's that staff are too slow. There is no urgency. It's like the other day I wanted a cheeseburger, the guy tells me he doesnt think he has any left but he'll have a look. I didn't want to wait while he goes around finding a bloody cheeseburger whilst there's 25 fans queuing behind me. So I'm shouting to him to stop looking 'I'll just have a burger without cheese'! But It's not just this example, they waste far to much time pandering while they should be giving you options of what they do have fast! It not nice to tell people you've run out if something but when a cashier has to serve 60 fans in 15 mins there is no time for mucking about. I think some of the deals are also confusing and daft. 2 burger and 2 pints?? Come on! Have a deal for 1 and 1 and if you buy 2 and 2 you still get the same saving. Daft. Also the beer pouring has not improved. PrePour more!!!!

 

[Max Paper]

Queues.

 

[The Camel]

Pricing stuff up so there is much less chance change is needed would be a great help.

Pie and Pint for a tenner and you get a voucher for pie and pint for a fiver for the next match might be a goer?

 

[The Antikythera Mechanism]

I'm put off by the ineptitude of some staff. It may be just down to inexperience and lack of training, but I genuinely cringe when having to, constantly, repeat the order (there are 5 of us) and then they get it wrong. Doubles the time it should take to get served, and this is at 1,30pm when the concourse opens.

 

[thisistips]

My biggest gripe is half time pint. Have, on a number of occasions failed to get one. I don't understand why there's not more proactivity, either prepouring or simply pouring faster. At the WSU beer and pie stall they only sell three things, yet they still wait for your order before pouring. Warm fosters is not an option. Stock outs on pies greatly reduced so no gripe there.

I know we can't do this, but once I was taken to hospitality at the emirates. Before the game you order your half time drink, like in the interval at the theatre. I had two pints lined up for me.

 

[surrey jim]

Not sure why they don't incorporate fast pay into the credit cars machines. For all transactions under £20 you wave your credit/debit card over the terminal (as you can do with season ticket) and the money is debited. Most M&S tills have this, as do many other retailers. The speed of transaction increases as people are not entering PIN number, waiting for it to be checked etc.

Seems a no brainer to me.

 

[Rugrat]

Being locked into a concourse isn't my idea of fun.

For that reason only I don't bother and difficult to see what they could do about it. Outside pop up places sound great but the winter weather would soon put paid to those I think

 

[Greavsey]

Have to say since I moved to west lower from west upper this season I have encountered a far more speedy catering experience. It really is much quicker to get served at all times by comparison and the concourse is less cramped.

That said I ordered a pint and a half I Harvey's on Saturday to be told they only do pint glasses!

 

[fat old seagull]

We usually get what we want by logistical planning and a bit of 'pain in the botty' patience. Realizing of course I could get things more economically elsewhere, but would rather help our FFP than line the pockets of Supermarket Shareholders who gain out of game time.
However ....running out of produce is inexcusable under normal conditions. Had enough time to get it right by now.

 

[gregbrighton]

Prices are too high. Queues are too long.

 

[severnside gull]

Much improved in 1901 of late (pre-ordering half time drinks for example) so less to complain about than previously but the one issue remaining is the lack of choice/range of products. I never have a meal (not prepared to spend that much) but I always have a pie - there is usually only a choice of two and often only one. My partner likes sweets -we bring them in because there is usually no choice. And the range of hot and cold drinks is unnecessarily limited. We are lucky to have consistency in staff but maybe the caterers need to learn that when they do manage to hold on to people (most turnover is not their fault) they should listen to their feedback........I've lost track of how many times staff tell me they are "trying" to get some item of stock that customers have requested.

 

[Guinness Boy]

Voted no. If we arrive later than 2.15 on a Saturday I simply can't be arsed to queue. Don't think it's worth the time to get a badly poured pint of Harvey's and a bag of Maltesers. Have also started to eat lunch at home before leaving because the pies, hot dogs and burgers have all severely deteriorated in quality.

After the game there's not enough Harveys left and too many till cashing up on the final whistle. Club probably missed out on ten pints worth of revenue just from me due to this last season.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Good poll!

Would probably have got a pint at half-time practically every game since the Amex opened if there was any chance of getting to the front of the queue without missing part of the game.

That's a lot of lost revenue from just one person. Multiply that by several thousand and its, er, several thousand times more.

 

[sully]

Another vote for would spend more here.
I generally arrive early enough to have a couple of pints and a pie before the game, but am usually thwarted by stock levels of pies and ludicrously slow service.
Sometimes manage to get a pie at half time, but never enough time to get a drink.
It would help queue selection if it was clearer what was actually available at each kiosk. I've often queued for ages just to be told they only have vegetarian pies or just none at all.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

At Glorious Goodwood a fair few years ago they installed a machine that you loaded up with (I think) 24 glasses, pressed a button and it poured 24 pints of lager at the same time. Can't see any reason why they couldn't do the same at the Amex. I'm sure such machines are not cheap, but would probably pay for themselves pretty quickly over the course of a season on increased half-time revenue alone.

 

[Quaid]

Would definitely spend more.

One of our group left a few mins before half time to queue in ESU and was told that no one would be served until the half time whistle blew!! There was some significant feedback to the utter numptys behind the bar.

When the students are back things should improve.

It always sucks for the first few games a season, still a ball ache tho