Today's Catering / Stoke Audi

[Ainsworth]

Our experienced businessman/chairman declared when he took over that a business with a lower turnover than Stoke Audi would be easy to run....

 

Well I didn't drive past Stoke Audi today but can definitely say (having worked for their group) that they would have had some Audi's in their showroom to sell today.

 

I have been attending VP in the Railway Paddock for some 34 years now and in all that time every chairman hasn't quite mastered the stock levels when it comes to pies and drinks etc, but I have to say today's effort was I think the worst yet.

 

I joked as I walked down with my brother and our 'Stoke fan' guest at half time to not expect any hot food but as we arrived it sunk to an all time low. No hot food left, I felt smug as I looked at our guest with a 'told you so' look but then no cold drinks, nothing, no beer, coke, water.... Nothing, zero, hottest day of the year and we had to have 3 coffees, don't worry they were only luke warm!

 

Norman I have to say you are a joke, you couldn't run a raffle. You might as well pull the shutters down on the catering and say you don't offer it.

 

I am positive you could get a 'hot' coffee and also a cold drink at Stoke Audi today when looking around their fully stocked showroom.

 

APPALLING NORMAN

[Fosse69]

Dont disagree with your comments on the Vale catering, not something I use, but isnt a comparison to a car showroom unfair. I assume the car showrooms have unattended coffee/drink machines for use by staff and customers, say for 12 hours 7 days a week? Whereas the railway paddock is in use 23/30 times a year for 3 hours, in all sorts of weather. Of course better facilities and stock forecasting is required, a proper comparison would be against other clubs in our league, I am sure Smurf would not be short of advice if sought, if not already given.

[ELDERBEZZA]

Lorne St wasn't much better as I struggled to get 4 sausage rolls for our group BEFORE kick off!!Stock looked low too.Catering has been an expensive joke all season!!

[Will.]

I had the last bottle of water in the railway half an hour before kick off. I'm surprised Norman hasn't got the catering sorted tbh. It isn't rocket science.

[NellyTheValiant]

Dont disagree with your comments on the Vale catering, not something I use, but isnt a comparison to a car showroom unfair. I assume the car showrooms have unattended coffee/drink machines for use by staff and customers, say for 12 hours 7 days a week? Whereas the railway paddock is in use 23/30 times a year for 3 hours, in all sorts of weather. Of course better facilities and stock forecasting is required, a proper comparison would be against other clubs in our league, I am sure Smurf would not be short of advice if sought, if not already given.

 

TBF to the OP it was Norman that made the comparison in terms of running the Vale and Audi Lakeside. Did seem to be low on all product in the paddock. For the mark up on the stuff you'd think that they'd be able to overstock on the perishable items and get beer with decent SBD's on them that they can still be okay come the new OK date in August.

 

Didn't see Bob @ the Bulls running dry on anything yesterday, unlike the Vale.

[melv]

I had the last bottle of water in the railway half an hour before kick off. I'm surprised Norman hasn't got the catering sorted tbh. It isn't rocket science.

 

My guess is that they didn't want to order much stock and wanted to use up what stoke they had in.The last game of the season any stock left would just stay there unsold and go out of date.But a bigger than normal crowd was expected and seems not catered for.

[Fosse69]

TBF to the OP it was Norman that made the comparison in terms of running the Vale and Audi Lakeside. Did seem to be low on all product in the paddock. For the mark up on the stuff you'd think that they'd be able to overstock on the perishable items and get beer with decent SBD's on them that they can still be okay come the new OK date in August.

 

Didn't see Bob @ the Bulls running dry on anything yesterday, unlike the Vale.

Quite right for Norman`s Audi comment to be kicked back to him. I have seen better choice at a Conference North ground, but not on the same scale, it must be possible to improve things within economic viability or even just to avoid gripes. As you say the Bulls coped, maybe their advice should be sought?

[fuzzyvalefan]

My guess is that they didn't want to order much stock and wanted to use up what stoke they had in.The last game of the season any stock left would just stay there unsold and go out of date.But a bigger than normal crowd was expected and seems not catered for.

 

Thats a fairly weak argument really. I can maybe to a point understand that there may be a bit less food available (despite plenty of events over the summer such as the Tony Naylor charity game) but it doesn't really apply to drinks does it? Sealed drinks don't exactly go off in a couple of months do they? To have no cold drinks of any sort on the hottest day of the year is shocking. I even asked If I could have a cup of tap water but they didn't even have any paper/plastic cups to provide this.

[leedsvaliant]

My old man had the last bit of hot food available in the Bycars after about 25 minutes of the game! It was a lunchtime kick off and so people who wouldn't ordinarily have anything (like me) were looking for a snack and a drink. In the event, I didn't bother even going to look at what else they might have had. That's appalling planning whichever way you look at it. Let's be honest, how much realistically is it going to cost to let a few pies go to waste?

 

Smurthwaite talks of people going to buy season tickets but other revenue streams (like the catering) are his responsibility and if he isn't bothered about it then why should the fans?

[bookworm]

lukewarm coffee, hot dogs with raw onions, pies either hardly thawed out or cremated, so 0 out of 10 for the catering.

[RayWalkers40yarder]

the catering is a complete embarrassment tbh and has been for a few years....I think vale park is possibly the only ground in the country you cant buy a burger...outrageous ! id love to spend my money at vale park but the last time I have a cheese oatcake in there the cheese was still solid and the oatcakes were cold......

[man in the pub]

My guess is that they didn't want to order much stock and wanted to use up what stoke they had in.The last game of the season any stock left would just stay there unsold and go out of date.But a bigger than normal crowd was expected and seems not catered for.

 

In fairness for last game of the season read any game this season regardless of the size of the crowd. What, you want to spend money in Lorne St at half time by buying expensive Hot Food and cold drinks, good luck to you. Its not as if we need the money is it , and when you do get to the front to be served you will hear the refs whistle kicking off the second half.

If you judged the catering as an on field performance we would be going down with Crewe, and would have been relegated by Christmas.

[who was markin him?]

Never worked in catering so a genuine query here...is it hard to stock/sell the stuff vale do? I can understand not wanting lots of stock left sat there over the summer. The food is bad at VP compared to some grounds but then other there are plenty of grounds with bad food and drink like us.

[philpvfc]

Can't run a Football club so shouldn't think he would be able to run a Catering Business

[JOHNNYAITCH]

Never worked in catering so a genuine query here...is it hard to stock/sell the stuff vale do? I can understand not wanting lots of stock left sat there over the summer. The food is bad at VP compared to some grounds but then other there are plenty of grounds with bad food and drink like us.

 

For me that's the point..have been to clubs all over England following the Vale and these other clubs seem to manage it. Plus Vale did in the not too distant past.

 

Hopefully catering will be reviewed over the summer and something better put in place..it should be a nice earner and a way of keeping fans feeling good about how the club is being run.