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A slice of life...............or death

edited February 2013 in General Charlton
Now, as a general rule, I don't buy food in a football ground, but today I didn't get round to getting anything before going in and once through the gates, it dawned on me that I was bloody hungry. So against all my better judgement, I queued up for 10 mins to buy a steak slice. The first thing that shocked me was the price, £2:95. Next was the size of it (about 10cm square. However, these issues were nothing compared to when I took a bite into this peice of shit. OH MY GOD. I would have thrown up if there was actually any food in my stomach. The term "overcooked" would be a major understatement. Imagine getting a steak slice, getting home and putting it in the oven on the lowest setting, Going away on a 3 month world cruise then returning to eat your delicious pastry and beef slice.

I went straight back to the kiosk to complain. The girl behind the counter just grabbed another one and handed it to me. One look at it told me this one was going to be no better. I told her I can't eat this and she called over her boss, who told me I could buy one from the next kiosk if I wasn't happy with it. I just got my money back and told my stomach to shut up and wait til after the game, although, any thought of eating had now gone, leaving me feeling physically sick for the next hour or so. Not only was I royally pissed off at the (lack of) quality of the food being offered, but what annoyed me just as much was the customer service, no hint of an apology or remorse at selling such crap. If any take-away started selling things like that, they wouldn't last a week.

Now , I'm not fussy and have eaten some god awful shit in my 46 years and have travelled a fair few countries, but can honestly say that's got to be up there in my top 3 of the worst.
I'm absolutely appalled and embarrased that my club would dare sell such shit to its suppporters, and believe me, I'll be complaining to the club about this (if anyone can point me in the right direction it would be appreciated).


Total fucking embarrassment and liberty


Rant over...............................
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Comments

  • What did you do with the uneaten food? I hope you didn't waste it!!
  • Believe me, There was no food involved here.................
  • Was it a Stephens pie ?
  • edited February 2013
    Your experience can be summed up in one word- Franchise. Most sports stadia in this country now have contracted their catering services rather than run their own. With the odd exception all food and drink served in this country at any sports ground is shit.
    A company does a great presentation to win the contract and then slowly but surely the food deteriorates as costs are cut.
  • We do love a moan
  • Why was one of the East Stand kiosks part closed?
  • 10cm² and overcooked? I don't believe it. Only today I noticed the posters advertising these - they are at least a metre wide and are made of the most gorgeous looking golden brown puff pastry. Unless, that is, they are putting all of your hard earned cash into trick photography and glossy prints rather than producing proper food.
  • edited February 2013
    I bought a steak slice too in the upper north and it was totally burnt. I showed the gormless nerk behind the counter and i got a dirty look and a mumbled comment before she tried to find one that didn't look like it had just been cooked with a flame thrower. There wasn't one !!
    I really do wonder why we bother buying this muck from the club.
  • I know someone that worked at the Dell when Southampton still played there and she told me that any unsold (but already cooked) burgers from Saturdays would be re-heated and put back out if they had a midweek match . I told her that explained a lot.
  • edited February 2013
    That is probably what they are doing to get the burnt effect- re-heating previously cooked pies, or re-heating unsold stock from the Birmingham game. Who checks this outfo the club? Should the FSA or Greenwich council environmental health be called in? (serious question)
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  • You'd seriously think that someone at the club would check now and then that what is being served to THEIR customers is of a decent standard, but it seems not.

  • edited February 2013
    I suppose the simple answer is to vote with your feet and don't buy food at the stadium. As long as people queue up week in week in week out and hand over their money nothing will change. I havn't bought anything to eat atThe Valley for about 20 years.
  • The independent hotdog stand outside the East stand. It's the only place to eat.
  • JiMMy 85 said:

    The independent hotdog stand outside the East stand. It's the only place to eat.

    I like the one opposite the club shop.
  • I had a chicken tikka slice for the first time yesterday, it was ok, but had a distinct lack of actual chicken on the inside, it tasted of chicken, but there was no meat as far as i could work out!
  • At the Yeovil home game last year I had a burger pre game, it was, grey, gristly and revolting - but I bloody loved it.

    Part of the rich tradition of English football is eating shit food at the ground and having a laugh about it!
  • I suppose the simple answer is to vote with your feet and don't buy food at the stadium. As long as people queue up week in week in week out and hand over their money nothing will change. I havn't bought anything to eat atThe Valley for about 20 years.

    That's my policy too, SHG.

    Tangoflash - I would suggest emailing Paul Ellison at paul.ellison@cafc.co.uk and copying in the COO, Steve Bradshaw at steve.bradshaw@cafc.co.uk. Not totally sure that Paul is your man but indicate that you'd be grateful if he would forward your communication to the relevant department manager.

    Hope that helps.

  • North stand upper kiosk had a queuing system work g yesterday and it seemed to work. Not sure if there were less people wanting food & drink or it worked very well.
  • North stand upper kiosk had a queuing system work g yesterday and it seemed to work. Not sure if there were less people wanting food & drink or it worked very well.

    I think most of us were frozen in our seats, partly from the weather and partly from the dire performance.
  • Were a few donkeys on the pitch yesterday. Don't buy any meat products at The Valley for a few weeks is my advice.
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  • Its ok for everyone to post about poor Tango flashs experience.... but you didnt have to sit next to him for 2 hours and hear him moan about it through all of Saturday's match vs Forest. But i suppose, in hindsight his rant was far more entertaining than below par team performance we put on.
  • I have a cornish pasty every game and I love them. Also the kiosk workers are probably on minimum wage and probably didn't care if you didn't like it. You can't blame them. I think it was nice of them to give you your money back a lot of places wouldn't have done that after you already took a bite out of it.
  • I've never understood why the club chooses to sell rubbish food at inflated prices - it is an insult to us fans. I choose not to be insulted, so don't eat anything served up in the ground. But is it so much harder to provide something decent?

    Also, why charge so much for the drinks? If they made them value for money they'd sell a lot more.

    This is one thing about the experience of seeing live football at the Valley that they could control. They can't guarantee that the match will be great, but they do control the quality and pricing of the food and drink.
  • Had a sausage roll from NL.

    Delicious.
  • Dazzler21 said:

    JiMMy 85 said:

    The independent hotdog stand outside the East stand. It's the only place to eat.

    I like the one opposite the club shop.
    Everyone knows this is the best fast food on London and their special double greasy burger with cheese and extra onions 20 mins before kick-off can still be enjoyed well into the second half.
  • edited February 2013
    buckshee said:

    I know someone that worked at the Dell when Southampton still played there and she told me that any unsold (but already cooked) burgers from Saturdays would be re-heated and put back out if they had a midweek match . I told her that explained a lot.

    That sort of thing would never go on at Charlton. No Sir. Not at all. Not on your life. No Siree.


    (At least, not any more - and even then it was pies, allegedly!)
  • Dazzler21 said:

    JiMMy 85 said:

    The independent hotdog stand outside the East stand. It's the only place to eat.

    I like the one opposite the club shop.
    Mute's burger van! Not once in 20odd years have I heard the guy who gives you your burger or drink speak, only the first guy.
  • I have a cornish pasty every game and I love them. Also the kiosk workers are probably on minimum wage and probably didn't care if you didn't like it. You can't blame them. I think it was nice of them to give you your money back a lot of places wouldn't have done that after you already took a bite out of it.

    I am sure there are people out there who even on minimum wage - which is a darn sight higher than it is in Portugal - would and should give you decent service, if they have any pride and want a reference in the future? How are you supposed to know if something is inedible if you have not tasted it?????
  • Just because you chose to not like it doesnt mean they need to be sorry. Theres many others that eat the shit.

    Burgers from van under the Charlton Badge are the nuts but wouldnt touch anything else around myself.
  • MattD said:

    Just because you chose to not like it doesnt mean they need to be sorry. Theres many others that eat the shit.

    Burgers from van under the Charlton Badge are the nuts but wouldnt touch anything else around myself.

    Totally agree, and that's where I usually buy my grub if I fancy something before the game. It was only because I was chatting to mates on the way in that by the time I'd realised, we were through the turnstiles.................
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