A lot of very fussy eaters. I wonder how many people here complaining about not being able to stuff their faces for 90 minutes with high quality vegetarian, gluten free, coeliac, organic, pampered, oxygen fed, humanely killed, responsibly sourced food are the same people that complain about the smoking...
I bet the carnivores would get a bit fussy if they were offered 'breast of rat in a blanket', I mean a lot of them got well fussy about eating horses. Vegetarian is not about being fussy, it is a fundamental.
Nah I understand, my mums a vegetarian and it's a right bore.
It's a bloody football stadium, not a Michelin starred restaurant. They are trying to improve it, and by the sound of it have overall done a relatively decent job so cant we just be thankful for that?
It's a bloody football stadium, not a Michelin starred restaurant. They are trying to improve it, and by the sound of it have overall done a relatively decent job so cant we just be thankful for that?
I agree to a certain extent, but reading through the thread, service and efficiency is no better, Millennium lounge has gone downhill and praise/condemnation of the food on offer seems to be about 50/50.
I shall borrow Sadie's quote from earlier this morning:
"It's not about wanting exquisite food, it's about expecting that for the prices they charge to get a little value for money or at least something edible that don't taste like the cardboard cut out."
So it seems the food is much improved if not a little expensive but we have the same numpties serving and that had always been the biggest problem at The Valley. Sort that problem out and everything will fall into place.
A lot of very fussy eaters. I wonder how many people here complaining about not being able to stuff their faces for 90 minutes with high quality vegetarian, gluten free, coeliac, organic, pampered, oxygen fed, humanely killed, responsibly sourced food are the same people that complain about the smoking...
I bet the carnivores would get a bit fussy if they were offered 'breast of rat in a blanket', I mean a lot of them got well fussy about eating horses. Vegetarian is not about being fussy, it is a fundamental.
You're a veggie? I didnt realise, never seen you mention it before.
Genuinely shocked that people choose to buy food in football grounds! Such poor value for money it beggars belief. Decent sausage and chips much better and much cheaper just up the road before and/or after.
Only twice have I ever bought inside a ground - Elland Road (Parker 2-1) to urgently get some food in me after a monster sesh the night before and Ibrox once just to try a Haggis Pie!!
Genuinely shocked that people choose to buy food in football grounds! Such poor value for money it beggars belief. Decent sausage and chips much better and much cheaper just up the road before and/or after.
Only twice have I ever bought inside a ground - Elland Road (Parker 2-1) to urgently get some food in me after a monster sesh the night before and Ibrox once just to try a Haggis Pie!!
This, the queues are a joke and so are the prices, not worth it. Better off eating a feast just outside the ground and then taking a huge dump before the game, half time toilet breaks are ridiculous.
Genuinely shocked that people choose to buy food in football grounds! Such poor value for money it beggars belief. Decent sausage and chips much better and much cheaper just up the road before and/or after.
Only twice have I ever bought inside a ground - Elland Road (Parker 2-1) to urgently get some food in me after a monster sesh the night before and Ibrox once just to try a Haggis Pie!!
I have a schizophrenic attitude to food and drink at Charlton.
Part of me feels like you in that you can get a reasonable something and chips and a pint of proper beer within walking distance so why would you bother with the ground at all?
On the other hand, whilst there is something to be said for supporting local business and thus hopefully contributing to engendering goodwill locally to keep us at The Valley, I would in principle rather give my food and drink money to the Club. However I will not be ripped off as Sadie so eloquently describes nor miss the match standing in queues before the match or at halftime because of organisational incompetence by the Club.
It's up to the Club to decide whether they want the business or not. "Sweating the asset" at exorbitant prices in the vain hope that there are enough mug punters to make it worthwhile doesn't really cut it to use the modern vernacular.
I'll see how things look on Saturday and make a decision then.
The veggie option in the west lower concourse was a cheese and onion pie (£3.50 I believe, and likely to be every bit as vile as the old Tesco value range pasties were), or jalapeno bites in salsa sauce. The salsa sauce was squirted from a giant Heinz bottle of said sauce into a box like structure, and I witnessed the lady put five 'bites' in the box, with tongs she had just been handling meat stuff which was right beside it. The five mini bites, (plus meat essence), a squirt of Heinz and a cardboard box was £4. Not only is it utter chite, it is rip off chite to boot. Given the tong manoeuvres it wasn't even vegetarian.
Unless it's an allergy/hygiene thing, there's no reason why utensils used to handle meat can't be used to handle vegetarian items as well. No more or less animals have died as a result, and this is coming from someone who has spent a short time being a vegetarian and is also marrying a vegetarian. Choosing not to eat meat out of preference rather than necessity doesn't affect cross-contamination requirements. I don't like olives but I don't mind when the bloke at Subway serves my Sub whilst wearing gloves he was handling olives with. Rest assured most restaurants and takeaways don't bother with strict quarantine between meat and veg except for purely hygenic reasons (ie not preparing raw meat and anything else on the same board).
The West Stand was virtually full having closed most of the ground so the volume and queues are what you would get at a sell out. I queued with 2 people in front of me at half time, and got a jumbo hot dog and Coke for £5.50. Nothing more or less than I would expect at any outside event.
I hope the reason no burgers were on sale is because they don't source slaughterhouse floor scrapings that allow burgers to be sold for a profit at £2. A real meat burger would probably be north of £6 with the mark up.
If the food comes from quality sources then the higher price can be justified if it has a bit more integrity than the guy in the burger van outside. I prefer if people are able to decide if they want to pay £2 for the greasy crap outside rather than demand bringing the £2 crap into the ground to sell. So we should have more information on what quality we are getting and make comparisons before we pass judgement on the higher prices.
So it seems the food is much improved if not a little expensive but we have the same numpties serving and that had always been the biggest problem at The Valley. Sort that problem out and everything will fall into place.
The only way to sort it out is to get staff in who are trained and have a good knowledge of serving food and drink at large events.
I'm sorry, but at £7 an hour you're not going to get that.
It's all about the profit margins and at football matches they're not that interested in customer service.
We'll all just have to be a bit more understanding and patient towards these people working there. I'm sure they're trying hard.
So it seems the food is much improved if not a little expensive but we have the same numpties serving and that had always been the biggest problem at The Valley. Sort that problem out and everything will fall into place.
The only way to sort it out is to get staff in who are trained and have a good knowledge of serving food and drink at large events.
I'm sorry, but at £7 an hour you're not going to get that.
I get paid less than that and serve just as many people... It's not rocket science, get people in who know how to run a bar properly.
So it seems the food is much improved if not a little expensive but we have the same numpties serving and that had always been the biggest problem at The Valley. Sort that problem out and everything will fall into place.
The only way to sort it out is to get staff in who are trained and have a good knowledge of serving food and drink at large events.
I'm sorry, but at £7 an hour you're not going to get that.
I get paid less than that and serve just as many people... It's not rocket science, get people in who know how to run a bar properly.
Sorry Sayer, I didn't mean to generalise, most of them I mean, not all of them. I always make sure I am as polite and patient as possible as no-one goes to work to be abused, but I see some people having a go at them when they clearly doing their best.
So it seems the food is much improved if not a little expensive but we have the same numpties serving and that had always been the biggest problem at The Valley. Sort that problem out and everything will fall into place.
The only way to sort it out is to get staff in who are trained and have a good knowledge of serving food and drink at large events.
I'm sorry, but at £7 an hour you're not going to get that.
It's all about the profit margins and at football matches they're not that interested in customer service.
We'll all just have to be a bit more understanding and patient towards these people working there. I'm sure they're trying hard.
I am in no way shape or form sticking up for the minimum wage here, but are you suggesting that we should not expect any of the millions of people earning that minimum wage to do their job competently? And that those good folk serving at Glastonbury, Brands Hatch and the village fete are paid well above that in order that they can anticipate when to put the pies in to warm and how to pour a pint?
So it seems the food is much improved if not a little expensive but we have the same numpties serving and that had always been the biggest problem at The Valley. Sort that problem out and everything will fall into place.
The only way to sort it out is to get staff in who are trained and have a good knowledge of serving food and drink at large events.
I'm sorry, but at £7 an hour you're not going to get that.
It's all about the profit margins and at football matches they're not that interested in customer service.
We'll all just have to be a bit more understanding and patient towards these people working there. I'm sure they're trying hard.
I am in no way shape or form sticking up for the minimum wage here, but are you suggesting that we should not expect any of the millions of people earning that minimum wage to do their job competently? And that those good folk serving at Glastonbury, Brands Hatch and the village fete are paid well above that in order that they can anticipate when to put the pies in to warm and how to pour a pint?
Not at all. All I am saying is that at that rate you're going to get a lot of folk who have never done that kind of work before and are inexperienced. If you were to pay a bit more and be more picky about your staff (based on experince for example) you'd get better service.
I am in no way saying just becuase you are on minimum wage should you be imcompetent. I'm just saying if you're willing to up the stakes a bit then the type of people you get generally tend to be better (I have some experience in this arena).
To add: I am in no way generalising or discrediting anyone who works there for this wage. They deserve massive respect for getting of of their backsides and going and earnming an honest living.
So it seems the food is much improved if not a little expensive but we have the same numpties serving and that had always been the biggest problem at The Valley. Sort that problem out and everything will fall into place.
The only way to sort it out is to get staff in who are trained and have a good knowledge of serving food and drink at large events.
I'm sorry, but at £7 an hour you're not going to get that.
It's all about the profit margins and at football matches they're not that interested in customer service.
We'll all just have to be a bit more understanding and patient towards these people working there. I'm sure they're trying hard.
I am in no way shape or form sticking up for the minimum wage here, but are you suggesting that we should not expect any of the millions of people earning that minimum wage to do their job competently? And that those good folk serving at Glastonbury, Brands Hatch and the village fete are paid well above that in order that they can anticipate when to put the pies in to warm and how to pour a pint?
Not at all. All I am saying is that at that rate you're going to get a lot of folk who have never done that kind of work before and are inexperienced. If you were to pay a bit more and be more picky about your staff (based on experince for example) you'd get better service.
I am in no way saying just becuase you are on minimum wage should you be imcompetent. I'm just saying if you're willing to up the stakes a bit then the type of people you get generally tend to be better (I have some experience in this arena).
To add: I am in no way generalising or discrediting anyone who works there for this wage. They deserve massive respect for getting of of their backsides and going and earnming an honest living.
Agree. Add in that it's not a permanent place of work so to speak. They only spend 4 hrs every fortnight at the valley.
I ordered a pie and mash - there was a big button on the till saying "piemash" the girl who served me pressed:
"04 Clear crisps drink pie enter"
She wondered why it came up with £9 odd so pressed it all again and it came up with £18 odd.
She then shouted to the manager i did this and that - then the manager punched a few buttons then shouted for the engineer, the engineer started punching buttons.
Eventually i said - "look pie and mash £5 i have £10 - go to that till over there take that and give me a fiver back, see we don't need a till"
Should have saw her face when i asked where the forks were!
Total madness, my mate decided to bugger off and get a hotdog but only got 6 inches :P
So it seems the food is much improved if not a little expensive but we have the same numpties serving and that had always been the biggest problem at The Valley. Sort that problem out and everything will fall into place.
The only way to sort it out is to get staff in who are trained and have a good knowledge of serving food and drink at large events.
I'm sorry, but at £7 an hour you're not going to get that.
It's all about the profit margins and at football matches they're not that interested in customer service.
We'll all just have to be a bit more understanding and patient towards these people working there. I'm sure they're trying hard.
I am in no way shape or form sticking up for the minimum wage here, but are you suggesting that we should not expect any of the millions of people earning that minimum wage to do their job competently? And that those good folk serving at Glastonbury, Brands Hatch and the village fete are paid well above that in order that they can anticipate when to put the pies in to warm and how to pour a pint?
Not at all. All I am saying is that at that rate you're going to get a lot of folk who have never done that kind of work before and are inexperienced. If you were to pay a bit more and be more picky about your staff (based on experince for example) you'd get better service.
I am in no way saying just becuase you are on minimum wage should you be imcompetent. I'm just saying if you're willing to up the stakes a bit then the type of people you get generally tend to be better (I have some experience in this arena).
To add: I am in no way generalising or discrediting anyone who works there for this wage. They deserve massive respect for getting of of their backsides and going and earnming an honest living.
Agree. Add in that it's not a permanent place of work so to speak. They only spend 4 hrs every fortnight at the valley.
As this huge catering group has now taken over, one would hope that they spend a bit on staff training, and have at least some staff who are working for them elsewhere at other times and are capable of doing the job?
The veggie option in the west lower concourse was a cheese and onion pie (£3.50 I believe, and likely to be every bit as vile as the old Tesco value range pasties were), or jalapeno bites in salsa sauce. The salsa sauce was squirted from a giant Heinz bottle of said sauce into a box like structure, and I witnessed the lady put five 'bites' in the box, with tongs she had just been handling meat stuff which was right beside it. The five mini bites, (plus meat essence), a squirt of Heinz and a cardboard box was £4. Not only is it utter chite, it is rip off chite to boot. Given the tong manoeuvres it wasn't even vegetarian.
Unless it's an allergy/hygiene thing, there's no reason why utensils used to handle meat can't be used to handle vegetarian items as well. No more or less animals have died as a result, and this is coming from someone who has spent a short time being a vegetarian and is also marrying a vegetarian. Choosing not to eat meat out of preference rather than necessity doesn't affect cross-contamination requirements. I don't like olives but I don't mind when the bloke at Subway serves my Sub whilst wearing gloves he was handling olives with. Rest assured most restaurants and takeaways don't bother with strict quarantine between meat and veg except for purely hygenic reasons (ie not preparing raw meat and anything else on the same board).
Price and food quality points withstand however.
Sorry fella but as a vegetarian for eighteen years, practically vegan these days, if I witnessed someone using tongs to touch my vegetarian option after they've used them to touch meat products then I'd tell them to poke it. I choose not to ingest any meat products and if I've specified a veggie option then I would appreciate it if it's not then tainted with death. Sorry if I'm sounding precious but I take my veggie lifestyle seriously. So I'm 100% with Seth on this.
As the saying goes, if you pay peanuts you get monkeys.
I'm sure the company has a well-documented bonus and reward scheme for employees who excel in the preparation and serving of processed, ready-made Championship football ground grub.
Comments
It's a bloody football stadium, not a Michelin starred restaurant. They are trying to improve it, and by the sound of it have overall done a relatively decent job so cant we just be thankful for that?
I shall borrow Sadie's quote from earlier this morning:
"It's not about wanting exquisite food, it's about expecting that for the prices they charge to get a little value for money or at least something edible that don't taste like the cardboard cut out."
i was happy paying £5 for pie and mash, but not happy missing the start of the game even though i got to the stadium at 6:30pm
Sort that problem out and everything will fall into place.
Decent sausage and chips much better and much cheaper just up the road before and/or after.
Only twice have I ever bought inside a ground - Elland Road (Parker 2-1) to urgently get some food in me after a monster sesh the night before and Ibrox once just to try a Haggis Pie!!
Part of me feels like you in that you can get a reasonable something and chips and a pint of proper beer within walking distance so why would you bother with the ground at all?
On the other hand, whilst there is something to be said for supporting local business and thus hopefully contributing to engendering goodwill locally to keep us at The Valley, I would in principle rather give my food and drink money to the Club. However I will not be ripped off as Sadie so eloquently describes nor miss the match standing in queues before the match or at halftime because of organisational incompetence by the Club.
It's up to the Club to decide whether they want the business or not. "Sweating the asset" at exorbitant prices in the vain hope that there are enough mug punters to make it worthwhile doesn't really cut it to use the modern vernacular.
I'll see how things look on Saturday and make a decision then.
Price and food quality points withstand however.
I rarely eat in the ground, prefer the chippy walking down Floyd Road
I hope the reason no burgers were on sale is because they don't source slaughterhouse floor scrapings that allow burgers to be sold for a profit at £2. A real meat burger would probably be north of £6 with the mark up.
If the food comes from quality sources then the higher price can be justified if it has a bit more integrity than the guy in the burger van outside. I prefer if people are able to decide if they want to pay £2 for the greasy crap outside rather than demand bringing the £2 crap into the ground to sell. So we should have more information on what quality we are getting and make comparisons before we pass judgement on the higher prices.
I'm sorry, but at £7 an hour you're not going to get that.
It's all about the profit margins and at football matches they're not that interested in customer service.
We'll all just have to be a bit more understanding and patient towards these people working there. I'm sure they're trying hard.
I am in no way saying just becuase you are on minimum wage should you be imcompetent. I'm just saying if you're willing to up the stakes a bit then the type of people you get generally tend to be better (I have some experience in this arena).
To add: I am in no way generalising or discrediting anyone who works there for this wage. They deserve massive respect for getting of of their backsides and going and earnming an honest living.
Add in that it's not a permanent place of work so to speak. They only spend 4 hrs every fortnight at the valley.
"04 Clear crisps drink pie enter"
She wondered why it came up with £9 odd so pressed it all again and it came up with £18 odd.
She then shouted to the manager i did this and that - then the manager punched a few buttons then shouted for the engineer, the engineer started punching buttons.
Eventually i said - "look pie and mash £5 i have £10 - go to that till over there take that and give me a fiver back, see we don't need a till"
Should have saw her face when i asked where the forks were!
Total madness, my mate decided to bugger off and get a hotdog but only got 6 inches :P
Sorry fella but as a vegetarian for eighteen years, practically vegan these days, if I witnessed someone using tongs to touch my vegetarian option after they've used them to touch meat products then I'd tell them to poke it. I choose not to ingest any meat products and if I've specified a veggie option then I would appreciate it if it's not then tainted with death. Sorry if I'm sounding precious but I take my veggie lifestyle seriously. So I'm 100% with Seth on this.
I'm sure the company has a well-documented bonus and reward scheme for employees who excel in the preparation and serving of processed, ready-made Championship football ground grub.