Will Azure up their game this season?

[NickBHAFC18]

Most of the front line kiosk Staff are University students, aged 18-20 so surely this doesn't apply?

I know a few people that work there, around £6 an hour is what they earn.

 

[Mellotron]

Does anyone know if the burger van outside Falmer station is going to continue?

 

[severnside gull]

Catering is a very labour intensive industry.
Product purchase costs are not significantly lower to the caterer than they are to the general public at the local supermarket or cash & carry.
I admire the people who say that the caterer should pay staff more.
Regrettably the same person as a customer almost never sees the added value of being served as justification for paying a higher price.
Ergo, catering will always be low paid.

 

[The Large One]

It's easy to complain, isn't it? I didn't have any particular problems with the catering last season. The people working there are students - they are on poor money. I personally found everyone who served me friendly and helpful. Sure there are things that could be done better (like keeping the pies hot!), but personally I never had a major issue.

This, though they do have the added incentive of a £100 bonus for the best kiosk operative each match.

There are many things Azure can do to up their game, but now with their first chance to really look at what went before (no-one expected the demand), I'd expect many issues which couldn't have been resolved before (e.g. supply of pies) can now be sorted. A better dialogue wouldn't go amiss either.

The pints are already £3.90 and the pies £3.80 in Dick's Bar. I'm led to believe (though not confirmed) that the price for the two will be £7.00. Or £6.30 with your card.

 

[Ninja Elephant]

Unlikely, since the national minimum wage is £6.08 for workers aged 21 and over.

I think I originally saw the job advertised on Gumtree, but I haven't been able to find it to double check. I have looked on Jobs in Brighton and Hove | Brighton and Hove Jobs
and on there the advert states £6.50 per hour, so I will gladly apologise to Azure. I think my original comment still stands as being accurate though.

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Catering is a very labour intensive industry.
Product purchase costs are not significantly lower to the caterer than they are to the general public at the local supermarket or cash & carry.
I admire the people who say that the caterer should pay staff more.
Regrettably the same person as a customer almost never sees the added value of being served as justification for paying a higher price.
Ergo, catering will always be low paid.

And in Azure's case how much of it is the company getting away with paying as little as possible?

 

[Tooting Gull]

What will make Azure up their game is not a few whingers, but the real fear they may lose the gig when the contract is up.

There are other (arguably more) experienced stadium and sports event caterers who have been eyeing the Amex, and see it as a very good target.

My solution would be to tactically leak the news that Paul Barber had been lunching with top people from Sodexo and Delawere North, and I think you'd find the service improved very rapidly.

 

[Captain Sensible]

Why don't the club invest in their own catering service firm? Then they can take 100% profit and pay a little more for better staff. If we can build our own academy, we can produce a catering firm at the stadium.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Really halftime should be extended to 30 minutes so there's plenty of time for more beer and pie.

Nice bit of lateral thinking there!

 

[Herr Tubthumper]

Just had a nose at the Azure website and when you click on the ethical policy link a "Not Found" page appears. Telling?

 

[The Large One]

Why don't the club invest in their own catering service firm? Then they can take 100% profit and pay a little more for better staff. If we can build our own academy, we can produce a catering firm at the stadium.

When the tender went out, was there anyone at the club with the experience of running that kind of contract?

So what does the club do? Hire the services of a company when they don't necessarily know who or what they're looking for - or go for a contract whereby experience is brought in, and hard capital comes in...?

Bearing in mind this is a five-year contract (and other companies are tied in on this contract too), I suspect these things will be looked at very hard when contract renewal time is up.