sort the catering out please. its farcical

[Guy Fawkes]

More expensive prices but very poor service, not good you would think. The club should be busting a gut to get this right seeing as it is a vital revenue stream

There is only a limited time that staff can serve and limited space in which to have kiosks, so what do you propose? - employing a large number of staff that means everyone gets served even if they are paid say £6 per hour and only needed for 15 minutes and end up costing the club more in wages than they would make the club in profits on the extra items that they helped sell? (and who would agree to work for such a short time, it would cost them more to get to work than they would earn)

 

[rexwedge]

No over expectation here. The game was another issue. Just wanted a pint and a yak afterwards not a 15 minute wait and shutdown counters.

 

[Guy Fawkes]

BTW - what was wrong with the other thread on this? http://www.northstandchat.com/showthread.php?309430-sort-the-catering-out-please-its-farcical

 

[portslade seagull]

There is only a limited time that staff can serve and limited space in which to have kiosks, so what do you propose? - employing a large number of staff that means everyone gets served even if they are paid say £6 per hour and only needed for 15 minutes and end up costing the club more in wages than they would make the club in profits on the extra items that they helped sell? (and who would agree to work for such a short time, it would cost them more to get to work than they would earn)

I know the mark -ups believe me they won't be losing money

 

[Guy Fawkes]

Recruitment processes are obviously failing at the moment. Staff should be trained to pour a pint. After a bit of practice, I'm sure it's not hard. There should also be more express lanes for specific products (like cold drinks, hot drinks, alcohol, etc).

Most service / retail industries train on the job. Now this is difficult if your entire business is open just 23 or so times a year.

Would they bring in their staff on a non match day, teach them to pour pints (which are then waste) etc and would still have to pay them for their time. - No because it's not cost efficeint and would cost the caterers more than it benefitted them in terms of faster turnover. Staff turn over will be high in this environment and also they may find that not everyone is available to work (returned home during an end of term break) leaving them under staffed at times.

there isn't a magical pool of people they can just call up and bring in for an hour or 2's work on a match day (especially if it's a rearranged game and therefore unexpected and not planned for)

 

[Luke93]

Most service / retail industries train on the job. Now this is difficult if your entire business is open just 23 or so times a year.

Would they bring in their staff on a non match day, teach them to pour pints (which are then waste) etc and would still have to pay them for their time. - No because it's not cost efficeint and would cost the caterers more than it benefitted them in terms of faster turnover. Staff turn over will be high in this environment and also they may find that not everyone is available to work (returned home during an end of term break) leaving them under staffed at times.

there isn't a magical pool of people they can just call up and bring in for an hour or 2's work on a match day (especially if it's a rearranged game and therefore unexpected and not planned for)

I personally experience inefficiency and incompetence on a regular basis. The queues are long because of this, and I've been to many grounds where it's much quicker. I know that staff members who work on the executive lounges go through training. All stewards have to go through training too. I'm sure there's a viable opportunity to train kiosk staff (if they're not already) too. Additionally, 'express lanes' should encourage an improved service too. If there's an allocated person to pour pints each week, I'm sure they'll get very good at it. I understand that this is a very difficult situation, but there must be something which can be done.

To be honest, the service I'm currency receiving in the East stand has been very frustrating; it's discouraging me from wanting to purchase items.

 

[supaseagull]

Moved from WSU to the North this year and the difference in the catering is staggering. Much better in the North.

 

[Bob!]

Our server went AWOL for 10 (yes TEN) minutes 'cos no-one could get a tap on the Harveys! It took him the full TEN minutes! No apology for the wait.

Don't they have a supervisor at each serving area?

 

[Mellor 3 Ward 4]

Gave up yesterday in wsu and had a pint in the away end after the game. Barber talks a good game, but that's about it

 

[Superphil]

I expect it's worse because the club has screwed the supplier to the floor on price. Peanuts and monkeys apply.

The club didn't screw anyone, the nature of the tender is the company that offers the club the most money wins it. Sodexo made their bid, and underbid that firm that came in on emergency measures. Where the club have messed up, IMO, is that they took on a firm that made such a bid. If we to believe any of the stuff that was said, Sodexo wanted Harvey's out, Piglets out, all to be replaced with puker pies and absolute bottom of the range beers, thereby increasing their margins, and possibly to have allowed them to employ more, or better staff.

 

[seabass1]

WSU was absolutely awful yesterday. Lot of annoyed punters who couldn't part with their cash. Barber needs to take a review of the serving in this area. I've given up trying to buy anything at half time. It's not only on the big green thing that were going backwards.

Came down looked and went back up ! So true Harold

 

[Questions]

After moaning for 3 seasons as to why it takes so long to serve people a pint in the mobile beer pump at the back of WSU I finally decided to ask the young lady dressed in black who looks like she is in charge as to why they don't have a good supply of beers pre-poured ?

"People don't like that having their beer sitting there for a few minutes or so' they complain", she replied.

"Hmmm I thought""

 

[Blue Valkyrie]

Why they don't have all the kiosks open after the game in WSU I don't know.

It seemed that only the central one was open on Saturday. Not something I've noticed before, is this the new 'brainwave' to get people spending more ?

 

[e77]

Why they don't have all the kiosks open after the game in WSU I don't know.

It seemed that only the central one was open on Saturday. Not something I've noticed before, is this the new 'brainwave' to get people spending more ?

First time I have noticed it, certainly.

 

[chaileyjem]

If we to believe any of the stuff that was said, Sodexo wanted Harvey's out, Piglets out, all to be replaced with puker pies and absolute bottom of the range beers, thereby increasing their margins, and possibly to have allowed them to employ more, or better staff.

Sodexo are a large multinational corporate catering company. That said they sell local ales and local pies as part of their contracts at many clubs where they do the match day food (Huddersfield, Goodison, Headingley etc) and are seemingly proud of it. Clearly their bid and the reasons they won, given that they still remain on the menu two seasons on into a four year contract, its almost certain that their winning bid was actually dependent on it selling Piglets/Harveys .

As for hiring staff on a match day then that would be tough for anyone taking on the contract. The Albion hire 1200 people on matchday to serve 25-30K people in an hour. Finding them in Brighton, training them for just 20 or so Saturdays a year is not easy.

http://issuu.com/runwildmedia/docs/sodexo_summer2014

 

[Superphil]

Fair enough, so that still doesn't explain why they are utter dogshit at service at the Amex. It has to be down to bad decision making, on both sides.

 

[BN9 BHA]

After moaning for 3 seasons as to why it takes so long to serve people a pint in the mobile beer pump at the back of WSU I finally decided to ask the young lady dressed in black who looks like she is in charge as to why they don't have a good supply of beers pre-poured ?

"People don't like that having their beer sitting there for a few minutes or so' they complain", she replied.

"Hmmm I thought""

I agree with you on having beers poured and ready, but the lady is correct as near the end of last season some bloke kicked off about having a pre poured beer, this was in the WSU in the North kiosk after the match, all of the serving staff stopped work to see what was going on.

A few of these mobile beer pumps are required, and at least one needs to be open at the end of the match in the WSU even if it's for only 30 minutes after the final whistle.

On Saturday after the match in the WSU middle kiosk at one time I counted 7 staff around the Harvey's beer pump waiting for 1 person to pour pints.

 

[Return of the Rev]

sodexo are a large multinational corporate catering company. That said they sell local ales and local pies as part of their contracts at many clubs where they do the match day food (huddersfield, goodison, headingley etc) and are seemingly proud of it. Clearly their bid and the reasons they won, given that they still remain on the menu two seasons on into a four year contract, its almost certain that their winning bid was actually dependent on it selling piglets/harveys .

As for hiring staff on a match day then that would be tough for anyone taking on the contract. The albion hire 1200 people on matchday to serve 25-30k people in an hour. Finding them in brighton, training them for just 20 or so saturdays a year is not easy.

http://issuu.com/runwildmedia/docs/sodexo_summer2014

How long does someone need to be trained for to serve a blooming burger and pint IF THEY WORKED LAST SEASON THEY MUST HAVE CLOCKED UP 5/6 HOURS PER GAME AT A LEAST 25 GAMES+! 150 HOURS PER SEASON,THATS FOUR WEEKS LEARNING TO SERVE BURGER AND BEER? THEY MUST HAVE A FEW THAT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING SHIRLEY

 

[BN9 BHA]

Why they don't have all the kiosks open after the game in WSU I don't know.

It seemed that only the central one was open on Saturday. Not something I've noticed before, is this the new 'brainwave' to get people spending more ?

Some of the North end kiosk was open on Saturday, the service at the middle kiosk was terrible, one young lady didn't know what a packet on cheese and onion crisps were, they only do 2 flavours at the kiosks.

 

[chaileyjem]

How long does someone need to be trained for to serve a blooming burger and pint IF THEY WORKED LAST SEASON THEY MUST HAVE CLOCKED UP 5/6 HOURS PER GAME AT A LEAST 25 GAMES+! 150 HOURS PER SEASON,THATS FOUR WEEKS LEARNING TO SERVE BURGER AND BEER? THEY MUST HAVE A FEW THAT KNOW WHAT THEY ARE DOING SHIRLEY

As the turnover of staff is so high then having extensive training/induction programmes wouldn't make sense. And as trained bar staff aren't necessarily likely to pick the 20 game a season option of working at the Albion once or twice a week then you're left with unskilled students etc who won't have had 150 HOURS or so.
I've been to over 70 odd matches at the Amex now and i've never once had the wrong pie, a bad pint, or (really) bad service. A little bit of confusion from time to time but thats it. I've just had to stand in a queue for 5-10 mins max.