If the club want to know how to fix the catering…

[ravenrover]

I'm afraid a number of posters are in dreamland over catering expectations

[EasyforDennis]

Why is it that some posters first reaction to change is negative? It seems to be "Why we can't do it" rather than "So how can we get that done?"

[ravenrover]

Not negative but realistic

[Drover]

Go to the local takeaways and offer them a good deal to put pop-up shops in there.

Fish Bits? Suburb Burgers? Bella Pizza? Cooplands?

These places all have well trained staff and could flip the hours etc.

Problem is the club want too much rent…

That would just be a disaster!

It may well be a disaster SM but my initial thought is that its got potential and is worth further consideration.  Has it been brought up before and worked through to show its a bad idea?

No more than a disaster for the fans as it is already SM,might be harder work for the returns for the club more like,but thats not the problem is it,it's the catering service provided to the fans that has virtually always been awful,and they are valid points about the well trained staff and flipping hours,it will not be attractive too alot of them,but I bet there will be a few that it might.The Belle vue food kiosks was better quality and value.

[Draytonian III]

Go to the local takeaways and offer them a good deal to put pop-up shops in there.

Fish Bits? Suburb Burgers? Bella Pizza? Cooplands?

These places all have well trained staff and could flip the hours etc.

Problem is the club want too much rent…

Ok, I’ll the questions, how much rent do they want ? How do you know ?

Bump

[NickDRFC]

If Grimsby can put something like this out there’s absolutely no reason that we can’t improve our offering…

https://twitter.com/footyscran/status/1624089277394038796?s=21

[The Beast]

Go to the local takeaways and offer them a good deal to put pop-up shops in there.

Fish Bits? Suburb Burgers? Bella Pizza? Cooplands?

These places all have well trained staff and could flip the hours etc.

Problem is the club want too much rent…

I know it's Sheffield but I'd pay a fiver for a Beres pork sandwich or closer to home, £4 for a Toppings dinosaur pasty on the concourse. Maybe a chip shop fryer is not a good idea in a football stadium.

[ravenrover]

If Grimsby can put something like this out there’s absolutely no reason that we can’t improve our offering…

https://twitter.com/footyscran/status/1624089277394038796?s=21

£8.50 .....

[jmt23]

Ebar drinks dispensers in every stand.
Also a kiosk with manual pint pulling just in case.

Let’s stop looking at fancy stuff, and just get the basics done well:

- Chips by anyones visual survey are popular ( vegans covered too)
- Pies
- Sausage rolls

The message should be clear Quality, Speed & Value.

It is not easy to cater for these types of events, thousands of people all coming in mainly at the 15 mins of half time.

[donnydogk9]

Go to the local takeaways and offer them a good deal to put pop-up shops in there.

Fish Bits? Suburb Burgers? Bella Pizza? Cooplands?

These places all have well trained staff and could flip the hours etc.

Problem is the club want too much rent…

Ok, I’ll the questions, how much rent do they want ? How do you know ?

Bump

The last contract was £10,000,000 for 10 years!

[donnydogk9]

https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/lindley-venue-catering-doncaster-rovers-forge-10-million-deal/1173701#:~:text=Lindley%20Venue%20Catering%20has%20signed,promote%20the%20club's%20Keepmoat%20Stadium.

[5minstogo]

https://www.campaignlive.co.uk/article/lindley-venue-catering-doncaster-rovers-forge-10-million-deal/1173701#:~:text=Lindley%20Venue%20Catering%20has%20signed,promote%20the%20club's%20Keepmoat%20Stadium.

Wow.

[Draytonian III]

I think if it was £10 million for 10 years a lot people on here would remember that.

[donnydogk9]

I think if it was £10 million for 10 years a lot people on here would remember that.

That’s exactly what the press release says…

Clearly it will be a mix of spend on the stands etc and the rent. Also it included the event side of the business.

[rich1471]

Wow , wonder if they made a profit over the ten years , it would be interesting to see the figures

[Bessie Red]

Looks like they also cover Swindons catering, so it will be interesting to hear from anyone travelling down today what the offer/quality of their food & service is like down there.

[silent majority]

Go to the local takeaways and offer them a good deal to put pop-up shops in there.

Fish Bits? Suburb Burgers? Bella Pizza? Cooplands?

These places all have well trained staff and could flip the hours etc.

Problem is the club want too much rent…

That would just be a disaster!

It may well be a disaster SM but my initial thought is that its got potential and is worth further consideration.  Has it been brought up before and worked through to show its a bad idea?

No more than a disaster for the fans as it is already SM,might be harder work for the returns for the club more like,but thats not the problem is it,it's the catering service provided to the fans that has virtually always been awful,and they are valid points about the well trained staff and flipping hours,it will not be attractive too alot of them,but I bet there will be a few that it might.The Belle vue food kiosks was better quality and value.

I’m well aware of the existing problems that the catering produces, in fact more so than most as I’ve raised the issues with the club on numerous occasions over the last 10 years.
But I’ve also been involved in discussions about alternatives for when the contract expires at the end of this season, and that’s why I say that the proposal quoted above would be a disaster.
If you count the amount of food and drink outlets that are housed in the EcoPower stadium, plus the opportunity for outside catering at the Fan Park, throw in the hospitality areas and the ongoing 7 day a week requirements that the stadium produces, wedding parties, conferences etc etc and then dividing that up so that numerous local companies all get a bash at parts of it then it would be a disaster as I’ve already stated.

Belle Vue was ok, it produced a level of service that met the requirements of the time but it’s hardly the equivalent of today.

[5minstogo]

So what we saying?  Put up with shit service and food quality because no one does it well?

[big fat yorkshire pudding]

No but perhaps accept it's not a  street food market but a football stadium.  The two things aren't really compatible, you might be able to have the odd stall that's different but that's it ultimately.

It can be miles better but also be realistic.

[silent majority]

So what we saying?  Put up with shit service and food quality because no one does it well?

How the heck did you get that from what I’ve just said?
Some people are desperate to find an argument for no reason.

[Beerseller]

Go to the local takeaways and offer them a good deal to put pop-up shops in there.

Fish Bits? Suburb Burgers? Bella Pizza? Cooplands?

These places all have well trained staff and could flip the hours etc.

Problem is the club want too much rent…

That would just be a disaster!

It may well be a disaster SM but my initial thought is that its got potential and is worth further consideration.  Has it been brought up before and worked through to show its a bad idea?

No more than a disaster for the fans as it is already SM,might be harder work for the returns for the club more like,but thats not the problem is it,it's the catering service provided to the fans that has virtually always been awful,and they are valid points about the well trained staff and flipping hours,it will not be attractive too alot of them,but I bet there will be a few that it might.The Belle vue food kiosks was better quality and value.

I’m well aware of the existing problems that the catering produces, in fact more so than most as I’ve raised the issues with the club on numerous occasions over the last 10 years.
But I’ve also been involved in discussions about alternatives for when the contract expires at the end of this season, and that’s why I say that the proposal quoted above would be a disaster.
If you count the amount of food and drink outlets that are housed in the EcoPower stadium, plus the opportunity for outside catering at the Fan Park, throw in the hospitality areas and the ongoing 7 day a week requirements that the stadium produces, wedding parties, conferences etc etc and then dividing that up so that numerous local companies all get a bash at parts of it then it would be a disaster as I’ve already stated.

Belle Vue was ok, it produced a level of service that met the requirements of the time but it’s hardly the equivalent of today.

Why would all of that have to go to local companies?  It’s not necessary to have one company do it all or for all parts to be done by separate companies. 

I appreciate that it’s a difficult job but it’s is done better at other clubs and it is also done better at other arenas where football is not the main game.

Why couldn’t ther, for instance, be a contract for day to day catering and conferencing then separate contracts for the kiosks within the ground? 

I’d be interested to know the backgrounds of the people you’ve discussed it with who have informed your decision to state it would be a disaster as that seems to me to be more a case of hyperbole than reasonable forecast.

[5minstogo]

So what we saying?  Put up with shit service and food quality because no one does it well?

How the heck did you get that from what I’ve just said?
Some people are desperate to find an argument for no reason.

Not sure I was replying to anything you have or haven't said. Just a general response to the thread as a whole.

[DonnyBazR0ver]

I think if it was £10 million for 10 years a lot people on here would remember that.

It was widely reported and SM and others Inc myself said it was a no brainer of a contract.

The problem has been holding the successive companies, Centreplate, Sodexo etc  who took over the contract, to account over standards.

As Martin has reported before, there have been a number of catering managers who improve things for a short time before standards drop again, then it's all change with yet another catering manager

Years ago I sctually turned up to one meeting with a burger I saved from the concourse.....A tasteless slab of 'meat' in a dry bun...no dressing, and asked the catering manager if he would buy that for his son!

Many have tried and suggested various improvements over time, including vending machines (rent and maintenance was very expensive at the time)

There's a great opportunity to be had here and we know the club have learned alot over the last 10 years. Likely we won't be putting all our eggs in one basket and will hopefully provide a good choice but, at the end of the day, some compromises have to be made due to the logistics involved.

[i_ateallthepies]

I completely agree that the offering needs to be much simplified.  It makes no sense to me that people buying food at a football ground expect a wide selection or food with bells on.  Just a decent pie, sausage roll and hot dog plus a vegetarian option -  Tea and coffee and a separate beer bar.

Good quality served hot and everyone's a winner.

[silent majority]

So what we saying?  Put up with shit service and food quality because no one does it well?

How the heck did you get that from what I’ve just said?
Some people are desperate to find an argument for no reason.

Not sure I was replying to anything you have or haven't said. Just a general response to the thread as a whole.

Apologies then, because your post followed on from mine I assumed you were responding to me.

[Draytonian III]

I think if it was £10 million for 10 years a lot people on here would remember that.

It was widely reported and SM and others Inc myself said it was a no brainer of a contract.

The problem has been holding the successive companies, Centreplate, Sodexo etc  who took over the contract, to account over standards.

As Martin has reported before, there have been a number of catering managers who improve things for a short time before standards drop again, then it's all change with yet another catering manager

Years ago I sctually turned up to one meeting with a burger I saved from the concourse.....A tasteless slab of 'meat' in a dry bun...no dressing, and asked the catering manager if he would buy that for his son!

Many have tried and suggested various improvements over time, including vending machines (rent and maintenance was very expensive at the time)

There's a great opportunity to be had here and we know the club have learned alot over the last 10 years. Likely we won't be putting all our eggs in one basket and will hopefully provide a good choice but, at the end of the day, some compromises have to be made due to the logistics involved.

I must have missed it 10 years ago, still it’s a lot of money

[donnydogk9]

Go to the local takeaways and offer them a good deal to put pop-up shops in there.

Fish Bits? Suburb Burgers? Bella Pizza? Cooplands?

These places all have well trained staff and could flip the hours etc.

Problem is the club want too much rent…

That would just be a disaster!

It may well be a disaster SM but my initial thought is that its got potential and is worth further consideration.  Has it been brought up before and worked through to show its a bad idea?

No more than a disaster for the fans as it is already SM,might be harder work for the returns for the club more like,but thats not the problem is it,it's the catering service provided to the fans that has virtually always been awful,and they are valid points about the well trained staff and flipping hours,it will not be attractive too alot of them,but I bet there will be a few that it might.The Belle vue food kiosks was better quality and value.

I’m well aware of the existing problems that the catering produces, in fact more so than most as I’ve raised the issues with the club on numerous occasions over the last 10 years.
But I’ve also been involved in discussions about alternatives for when the contract expires at the end of this season, and that’s why I say that the proposal quoted above would be a disaster.
If you count the amount of food and drink outlets that are housed in the EcoPower stadium, plus the opportunity for outside catering at the Fan Park, throw in the hospitality areas and the ongoing 7 day a week requirements that the stadium produces, wedding parties, conferences etc etc and then dividing that up so that numerous local companies all get a bash at parts of it then it would be a disaster as I’ve already stated.

Belle Vue was ok, it produced a level of service that met the requirements of the time but it’s hardly the equivalent of today.

Sorry I just don’t buy it, I really don’t. Managing the contract of let’s say 7/8 outlets on concourse would be a yearly thing, the best ones would win the business, the shite ones wouldn’t want to renew. The events side of the business could easily be brought in house by hiring an events manager or linking up with a strong local hotel / restaurant chain like Mount Pleasant or Crown hotel. Outsource it all or profit share with them.

[ravenrover]

Do you have a background in catering or contracts?

[rich1471]

Who ever takes over should look at a beer machine that has the capability to pull 1-12 pints at a time ,so at halftime you can pull 12 pints and the queue is gone straight away and a good hot cupboard to keep the food hot

[Draytonian III]

Vending machines at reasonable prices could be another possible answer for such things as cold drinks and chocolate and crisps