Half time refreshments

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SwissBlade said:
Mate of mine got a call from his dad to say fire alarms were going off about 1930. They sit on south stand.

I arrived at the kop at 1945, just as GCB was ringing out, a few mins queuing and eventually got to the front, steward apologised and said systems had been down, I asked if it had been because of fire alarms and he said he didn’t know about that… no linked up comms is a bad sign.

and then half time, top of kop…
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Kiosks shut? Same as Saturday, then. Piss poor communication from the club isn't it? They can tell us, after 15 years of doing it, how to enter the stadium but not when we can't get a kit kat chunky. Jesus suffering fuck.
 

Foxy said:
The fire alarm kept going off on John Street, meaning they couldn't serve a lot of the time and appeared to have sod all available at half time. Can't imagine they took loads today.
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Fire alarm in South Stand too, around 7:15pm. Shutters came down on the bars in unison in about 5 seconds flat, like a 50 ft wide portcullis in Game of Thrones … roughly 30 seconds after we got to the front of the queue and were served 😂.

Stayed that way til close to kickoff. A few stewards and fire marshalls wandering around with clipboards. A few hundred pissed off looking punters.
 
I gave up trying to get a pint at half time v Hudders. Went for a piss in the middle of the second half, and there were loads of half-drunk pints that had been left on the floor. I was half-tempted to pick one up and drink it.

I noticed quite a few empty cans of beer on the kop concourse too. Obviously more people are deciding to break the rules and bring their own, as they aren't going to be able to buy one without missing a large chunk of the game.

With all the modern technology available, why is this situation getting worse, not better?
 
Dkc said:
With all the modern technology available, why is this situation getting worse, not better?
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Exactly this. We've moved to contactless to speed things up, yet it's got worse. What's more, since the PL we've actually had a decent beer on the pumps (Neck Oil) and yet they don't seem to be able to get it to us. The club is literally losing money from the current setup vs how it should be run. Like posters above, at the last couple of games I've seen carried in beers and hip flasks - if the club cannot serve punters they will self serve.
 
The club wont give a fuck as it's Compass Group that have the gig for an up front cash payment. One pie or pint or a million pies and pints sold - it makes no odds to the club. That shouldn't be acceptable, but it seems to be the attitude when the club has been approached in the past. We've got the "we'll have a word but it's not in our power" type responses, which result in no real tangible improvement. Why Compass seemingly don't give a crap about maximising their profits will remain a mystery. Why sign a long deal with the club and not invest in facilities that will increase turnover and customer satisfaction? Who knows?

Personally I only use these facilities a couple of times a season - it's far more trouble than it's worth.
 
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There's absolutely no wonder the service is so slow when these casuals aren't even shown the correct way to pour a pint.

I saw a young lad pull a pint last night with the nozzle pointing directly into the bottom of the glass without tilting it. Frothy as fuck. Needed to keep topping it up. Slow service and loads of wastage.

It's not their fault. They're on minimum wage and zero hour contracts, but surely a big company like Compass could invest a little bit of time into training their staff.
 
It would clearly be in Compass Groups interest to train their staff and get more throughput of trade, leading to increased profits.
But as with many things, short term, short sighted (usually bonus related for managers) targets around cost savings trump the big picture.
It's sadly their loss and our loss.
 
It’s not really a surprise that the service is crap considering how many trading hours they actually have in a full year. Let’s say for argument’s sake that the kiosks open 90 minutes before kick-off, and stay open until full time, because that makes the maths easier.

So that’s 23 matches multiplied by 180 minutes to give 4140, and with the possibility of maybe six home cup matches on average, it’s another 1080, for a total of 5220 minutes. 87 hours a year out of the 8760 available, with perhaps more due to an extended cup run with favourable home draws. This isn‘t really a viable trading platform for most businesses, given the relatively restricted hours of trading, and I can’t imagine any of the staff being in it because it’s a great career and I would also think the training given to the staff is minimal. It’s no wonder that the service is crap, and the products aren’t much better.

What also amazes me is how people take great affront that for such a small part of their day they struggle to get beer and food in a football ground, considering the wealth of options available before and after the match.

I do accept that if the club are going to offer food and drink then they should be ensuring that it’s done competently and the products should be of a certain standard, but getting it actually done right seems to be rather difficult for the club and the catering company they’ve delegated the work to.

Maybe a coordinated boycott of all stadium concourse catering for a couple of matches might serve notice to the club of people’s dissatisfaction with it, but seeing as how the Kop can’t even coordinate their singing I can’t see a boycott happening, even a short term one.
 
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shorehamview said:
It’s not really a surprise that the service is crap considering how many trading hours they actually have in a full year. Let’s say for argument’s sake that the kiosks open 90 minutes before kick-off, and stay open until full time, because that makes the maths easier.

So that’s 23 matches multiplied by 180 minutes to give 4140, and with the possibility of maybe six home cup matches on average, it’s another 1080, for a total of 5220 minutes. 87 hours a year out of the 8760 available, with perhaps more due to an extended cup run with favourable home draws. This isn‘t really a viable trading platform for most businesses, given the relatively restricted hours of trading, and I can’t imagine any of the staff being in it because it’s a great career and I would also think the training given to the staff is minimal. It’s no wonder that the service is crap, and the products aren’t much better.

What also amazes me is how people take great affront that for such a small part of their day they struggle to get beer and food in a football ground, considering the wealth of options available before and after the match.

I do accept that if the club are going to offer food and drink then they should be ensuring that it’s done competently and the products should be of a certain standard, but getting it actually done right seems to be rather difficult for the club and the catering company they’ve delegated the work to.

Maybe a coordinated boycott of all stadium concourse catering for a couple of matches might serve notice to the club of people’s dissatisfaction with it, but seeing as how the Kop can’t even coordinate their singing I can’t see a boycott happening, even a short term one.
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Its not just the service, its the lack of availability of the facilities...
 
I must say the Steak and Ale pie atop the BU3 was exceptional last night. Meaty, hot and crispy pastry! Going to try the Moroccan pie next time, anyone had it? Is it any good?
 
Compass are absolute tossers. Had our wedding booked at the Lane (through compass group) and was mucked about from the start with emails not responded to and crap communication.

As a result they knocked us some money off after we complained, but then cancelled the whole thing 8 months before the day itself whilst my Mrs was 9 months pregnant, stayting there was a 'pitch event' that had been booked by the club which took priority (which we were aware could happen, hence why we booked for post football season). They then said that we couldn't have our deposit refunded as they had offered us another date (at which point save the dates had gone out and our trust was very close to 0), but eventually refunded it as a 'gesture of good will'.

The so called pitch event on that day never took place.

I think their own incompetence leading to the discount meant our event wasn't financially viable to them, hence cancelling.
 
Plenty of other clubs seem to manage this. Reading for example - hardly any queues, locally sourced food etc - the catering is better than the football. I’d say United are currently just about the worst anywhere. Can someone ask the board at nexts fans forum why it is such a shambles?
 

Other good grounds in my experience include Fulham (decent food, no long queues, even at half time) and Bristol City, where they really pushed the boat out when they rebuilt it. You can basically go on a pub crawl, inside the ground.
 
Alan Birchenall's hair said:
Christ, why bother drinking the piss they pass off as beer, or eat the cowshit they pass off as food? Plenty of pubs selling decent ale and scram in the City centre....
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Again, that's not the point of the thread. We know it's crap pissy lager, but we choose to drink it. We just can't get it quick enough. If I'm buying crap stuff, I don't want to be made to wait for it.
 
Had an email from a guy who runs the thing. Says a voucher system won't solve the issues.

I disagree. It's been used before and did solve issues. So if he thinks differently I'd love to know why. Also cited issues with lack of staff available to them (a nationwide shortage of hospitality staff was mentioned). Right, so if we have a shortage of staff, we work round it. We utilise it best we can. We sell vouchers before the game and start pouring them at 30 minutes. Easy. Isn't it?

And if they're struggling to get staff, make it even easier and get bottles. Sell them a bit cheaper (£4 a bottle is too much but I'd pay it) and instead of pouring ale, you whip a top off. Any idiot can do that.

These are issues that can be solved despite the lack of staff. Just make things easier and manageable.
 
Rodley said:
Surely have a belly full of ale (or a couple of pints) at one of the legion of excellent pubs within spitting distance of BDTBL? Food & drink at most sporting stadiums is abysmal.
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Yes, but some of us are alcoholics and can’t go for 2 hours without a beer.
 
The riduculous, outdated rule that you can't buy a beer while a football is being kicked is partly to blame. But as has been said, other football clubs manage their catering far better than we do. This is something that the club should be taking up with Compass
 
Rodley said:
Isn’t that what your hip flask is for? 🧐

Reminds me, on Boxing Day there’s a fella in front of me who nobbles a selection of miniatures through the game. Always make me laugh. 😂
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That only lasts until half 3!

I actually bought a massive hip flask to avoid paying extortionate prices at a wedding that I went to, a few years ago. It’s that big it wouldn’t fit in my suit jacket pockets. I may as well have just taken a bottle instead.
 
Match Day Experience Update-

'In light of recent matchday feedback that the Club has received and reviewed on social media, we appeal to supporters for their patience and understanding as well as their passionate backing from the stands as the bars, refreshment kiosks and hospitality suites continue to operate in the face of significant market challenges.

The Club are continuing to work hard alongside our catering partners and suppliers to improve the overall matchday experience for all supporters as the nationwide labour shortage and supply chain challenges continue to disrupt our matchday operations.

In common with the hospitality industry around the country, stadium catering, cleaning and stewarding teams have had to recruit and train a new workforce and we ask that supporters please bear in mind that many staff are new to their roles. There are currently over 150,000 vacancies across the UK in the hospitality sector and a shortage of around 100,000 HGV drivers all of which is having a negative effect on our overall matchday operation.

Our supply chain remains stretched with global market movements continuing to have a knock-on effect for many of the products we have relied on in previous seasons. The Club are working hard alongside our catering partner to find alternative supplier solutions to shortages to minimise any disruptions if this shortfall continues.

Alongside supply challenges, the Club and our pouring rights partner, Heineken, are committed to reducing single use plastic and therefore we are no longer able to provide bottled beer and cider in our concourse areas, instead opting for the improved draught products in reusable plastic cups. We are, however, aware this can have an impact on service by as much as 10 seconds per drink.

In response the Club is reintroducing the half-time voucher system for those supporters that just want a beer at half time. The Club is also working with their catering partner and pouring rights partner to open more till points and install additional beer fonts across all stands in order to reduce queues and improve service.

Supporters are reminded that Bramall Lane operates cashless payments only in bars and food outlets. Turnstiles, bars and food outlets open 90 minutes before kick-off and supporters are encouraged to come early to avoid the rush and maximise your matchday experience.

The Club is committed to improving the overall matchday experience and are working tirelessly to provide a complete solution in face of these unprecedented external challenges. We will continue to strive to deliver, both on and off the pitch.

There are still opportunities to join the matchday catering team with national living wage being paid to all team members and bonus payments on offer for team members who work consecutive matchday shifts. If you or someone you know is interested in working at one of the world’s oldest sports stadiums, click here to find out more and apply today.'

An acknowledgement at least, and the return of vouchers!
 

shorehamview said:
Whoever decided this was an appropriate choice of words for the situation needs to have a prolonged dialogue with the harsh and extremely violent physical retribution partner.
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Off to the twats thread they go!
 
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