I ended up getting a cappuccino for a rather expensive £3.80 in the fan’s bar.
Before that I checked the fan zone, for me it was alienating.
There was a staffer and a young boy on a turntable and the sound dominated, some youngsters were queueing to play in the caged area. The two food outlets were appalling.
For the ‘chicken’ thing people gave their order to a person in black standing in front, the prices were very high, nothing for non meat eaters anyway, and it stank around there, there was a burger van near it, equally rank, with no option for me and ‘chips’ at five pounds, also stinking the place out. In the fans bar there were kids events, and they had fast food on Charlton themed ‘plates’ including chips (that looked better than the ones in the fan zone) but on the menu list there was no price for chips shown and I didn’t want to queue up simply to ask the price. The man with the coffee and muffin stall was very pleasant and all the (over) prices were clearly listed. The cocktail stall had adverts in the toilets for sex on the beach and ‘pornstar’ cocktails, and I don’t know how I might have explained those terms to an inquisitive child if asked. The whole experience (well the fan zone anyway) was from my point of view one of forced dreariness, only mitigated by the view of the stadium through the windows in the Fans bar and the general good nature of the Charlton supporters in there. A portion of chips from the chip shop in Charlton Village, eaten whilst walking down the hill to the ground seems to me to be the better option. The cappuccino was very ordinary, but the kick off time and hot weather made drinking something necessary.
I was at food stalls at the fan Zone with 3 adults and 4 kids and the food, and the smell, was awesome, we had food from both stalls and both set of chips were the best were had at the ground, would highly recommend Chicken George. All the kids loved the fan Zone and the music.
I blame the outsourced company employing them but not training them rather than the teenagers
And email jon.blythe@cafc.co.uk and barry.higson@cafc.co.uk with any complaints or suggestions; moaning on here won't channge anything.
The fan zone was very busy when I went passed which is good, not sure how popular it will be on a November midweek game but it was popular and similar fan zones at other clubs ie Ipswich are popular albeit much bigger but we're an inner city club, not in a rural setting
Too early a KO for the Radical so hung around in the not very exclusive (they let me in) Colin Cameron lounge.
Free food and tea and coffee plus teamsheets. What's not to like
Portman Road is hardly rural ?
It's in the country, they have parking restrictions for tractors 😉
At McDonald’s, they have a designated lane for farm vehicle takeaways…..including combine harvesters.
I blame the outsourced company employing them but not training them rather than the teenagers
And email jon.blythe@cafc.co.uk and barry.higson@cafc.co.uk with any complaints or suggestions; moaning on here won't channge anything.
The fan zone was very busy when I went passed which is good, not sure how popular it will be on a November midweek game but it was popular and similar fan zones at other clubs ie Ipswich are popular albeit much bigger but we're an inner city club, not in a rural setting
Too early a KO for the Radical so hung around in the not very exclusive (they let me in) Colin Cameron lounge.
Free food and tea and coffee plus teamsheets. What's not to like
Portman Road is hardly rural ?
It's in the country, they have parking restrictions for tractors 😉
At McDonald’s, they have a designated lane for farm vehicle takeaways…..including combine harvesters.
I blame the outsourced company employing them but not training them rather than the teenagers
And email jon.blythe@cafc.co.uk and barry.higson@cafc.co.uk with any complaints or suggestions; moaning on here won't channge anything.
The fan zone was very busy when I went passed which is good, not sure how popular it will be on a November midweek game but it was popular and similar fan zones at other clubs ie Ipswich are popular albeit much bigger but we're an inner city club, not in a rural setting
Too early a KO for the Radical so hung around in the not very exclusive (they let me in) Colin Cameron lounge.
Free food and tea and coffee plus teamsheets. What's not to like
Portman Road is hardly rural ?
It's in the country, they have parking restrictions for tractors 😉
At McDonald’s, they have a designated lane for farm vehicle takeaways…..including combine harvesters.
North Stand Lower today - left our seats after 40 mins to get a drink - had to wait 15 minutes before I got a beer - there were 5 in the queue before me.
There is no feeling of urgency at all from the bar staff. The club could be taking loads more money if they do some simple things.
Pre pour drinks at half time. have one person on the till and one getting the order.
Introduce some feeling of urgency - competition between the tills with a decent prize for who takes the most money / serves most customers.
It’s pretty simple
Even easier, only serve bottles.
You can't do that at some idiot will throw them and even being hit by a plastic bottle from 30 meters is dangerous. We've had a few fans hit in the lower CE thrown from the upper CE.
I blame the outsourced company employing them but not training them rather than the teenagers
And email jon.blythe@cafc.co.uk and barry.higson@cafc.co.uk with any complaints or suggestions; moaning on here won't channge anything.
The fan zone was very busy when I went passed which is good, not sure how popular it will be on a November midweek game but it was popular and similar fan zones at other clubs ie Ipswich are popular albeit much bigger but we're an inner city club, not in a rural setting
Too early a KO for the Radical so hung around in the not very exclusive (they let me in) Colin Cameron lounge.
Free food and tea and coffee plus teamsheets. What's not to like
Portman Road is hardly rural ?
It's in the country, they have parking for tractors 😉
I blame the outsourced company employing them but not training them rather than the teenagers
And email jon.blythe@cafc.co.uk and barry.higson@cafc.co.uk with any complaints or suggestions; moaning on here won't channge anything.
The fan zone was very busy when I went passed which is good, not sure how popular it will be on a November midweek game but it was popular and similar fan zones at other clubs ie Ipswich are popular albeit much bigger but we're an inner city club, not in a rural setting
Too early a KO for the Radical so hung around in the not very exclusive (they let me in) Colin Cameron lounge.
Free food and tea and coffee plus teamsheets. What's not to like
Portman Road is hardly rural ?
It's in the country, they have parking for tractors 😉
Weird response
yeah, is a bit weird. it's not like they're known as the tractor boys...
I blame the outsourced company employing them but not training them rather than the teenagers
And email jon.blythe@cafc.co.uk and barry.higson@cafc.co.uk with any complaints or suggestions; moaning on here won't channge anything.
The fan zone was very busy when I went passed which is good, not sure how popular it will be on a November midweek game but it was popular and similar fan zones at other clubs ie Ipswich are popular albeit much bigger but we're an inner city club, not in a rural setting
Too early a KO for the Radical so hung around in the not very exclusive (they let me in) Colin Cameron lounge.
Free food and tea and coffee plus teamsheets. What's not to like
Portman Road is hardly rural ?
It's in the country, they have parking restrictions for tractors 😉
I blame the outsourced company employing them but not training them rather than the teenagers
And email jon.blythe@cafc.co.uk and barry.higson@cafc.co.uk with any complaints or suggestions; moaning on here won't channge anything.
The fan zone was very busy when I went passed which is good, not sure how popular it will be on a November midweek game but it was popular and similar fan zones at other clubs ie Ipswich are popular albeit much bigger but we're an inner city club, not in a rural setting
Too early a KO for the Radical so hung around in the not very exclusive (they let me in) Colin Cameron lounge.
Free food and tea and coffee plus teamsheets. What's not to like
Portman Road is hardly rural ?
It's in the country, they have parking for tractors 😉
Weird response
yeah, is a bit weird. it's not like they're known as the tractor boys...
I blame the outsourced company employing them but not training them rather than the teenagers
And email jon.blythe@cafc.co.uk and barry.higson@cafc.co.uk with any complaints or suggestions; moaning on here won't channge anything.
The fan zone was very busy when I went passed which is good, not sure how popular it will be on a November midweek game but it was popular and similar fan zones at other clubs ie Ipswich are popular albeit much bigger but we're an inner city club, not in a rural setting
Too early a KO for the Radical so hung around in the not very exclusive (they let me in) Colin Cameron lounge.
Free food and tea and coffee plus teamsheets. What's not to like
Portman Road is hardly rural ?
It's in the country, they have parking for tractors 😉
I blame the outsourced company employing them but not training them rather than the teenagers
And email jon.blythe@cafc.co.uk and barry.higson@cafc.co.uk with any complaints or suggestions; moaning on here won't channge anything.
The fan zone was very busy when I went passed which is good, not sure how popular it will be on a November midweek game but it was popular and similar fan zones at other clubs ie Ipswich are popular albeit much bigger but we're an inner city club, not in a rural setting
Too early a KO for the Radical so hung around in the not very exclusive (they let me in) Colin Cameron lounge.
Free food and tea and coffee plus teamsheets. What's not to like
Portman Road is hardly rural ?
It's in the country, they have parking for tractors 😉
Weird response
It.was.a.joke
No biggie, just didn’t understand your initial post suggesting that Portman Road was in a ‘rural setting’ whereas the Valley is ‘inner city’. That was all ….
I blame the outsourced company employing them but not training them rather than the teenagers
And email jon.blythe@cafc.co.uk and barry.higson@cafc.co.uk with any complaints or suggestions; moaning on here won't channge anything.
The fan zone was very busy when I went passed which is good, not sure how popular it will be on a November midweek game but it was popular and similar fan zones at other clubs ie Ipswich are popular albeit much bigger but we're an inner city club, not in a rural setting
Too early a KO for the Radical so hung around in the not very exclusive (they let me in) Colin Cameron lounge.
Free food and tea and coffee plus teamsheets. What's not to like
Portman Road is hardly rural ?
It's in the country, they have parking for tractors 😉
Weird response
It.was.a.joke
No biggie, just didn’t understand your initial post suggesting that Portman Road was in a ‘rural setting’ whereas the Valley is ‘inner city’. That was all ….
Maybe I'm getting old, but eating out is now getting pricey. I went to a warehouse type bar in trendy Kelham Island in Sheffield on Friday night. We wanted a bite to eat and the burgers were £14, fries £7.50. Two of us were being cheap so went hungry but one mate gave in to his hunger. The burger was OK and better than a McDonald's one, but the fries were actually served in a mug, hence not the biggest portion I've ever seen. Also a non alcohol beer £4.50.
I blame the outsourced company employing them but not training them rather than the teenagers
And email jon.blythe@cafc.co.uk and barry.higson@cafc.co.uk with any complaints or suggestions; moaning on here won't channge anything.
The fan zone was very busy when I went passed which is good, not sure how popular it will be on a November midweek game but it was popular and similar fan zones at other clubs ie Ipswich are popular albeit much bigger but we're an inner city club, not in a rural setting
Too early a KO for the Radical so hung around in the not very exclusive (they let me in) Colin Cameron lounge.
Free food and tea and coffee plus teamsheets. What's not to like
Portman Road is hardly rural ?
It's in the country, they have parking for tractors 😉
Weird response
It.was.a.joke
No biggie, just didn’t understand your initial post suggesting that Portman Road was in a ‘rural setting’ whereas the Valley is ‘inner city’. That was all ….
Maybe I'm getting old, but eating out is now getting pricey. I went to a warehouse type bar in trendy Kelham Island in Sheffield on Friday night. We wanted a bite to eat and the burgers were £14, fries £7.50. Two of us were being cheap so went hungry but one mate gave in to his hunger. The burger was OK and better than a McDonald's one, but the fries were actually served in a mug, hence not the biggest portion I've ever seen. Also a non alcohol beer £4.50.
You've only just come to the conclusion?
Eating out for the past 18months to 2 years has been akin Rolex watch shopping!
Maybe I'm getting old, but eating out is now getting pricey. I went to a warehouse type bar in trendy Kelham Island in Sheffield on Friday night. We wanted a bite to eat and the burgers were £14, fries £7.50. Two of us were being cheap so went hungry but one mate gave in to his hunger. The burger was OK and better than a McDonald's one, but the fries were actually served in a mug, hence not the biggest portion I've ever seen. Also a non alcohol beer £4.50.
You've only just come to the conclusion?
Eating out for the past 18months to 2 years has been akin Rolex watch shopping!
I suppose this is a reflection of the price of food generally going up a lot in the last two years.
Korean chicken burger at the Sky bar Eltham yesterday. £15
North Stand Lower today - left our seats after 40 mins to get a drink - had to wait 15 minutes before I got a beer - there were 5 in the queue before me.
There is no feeling of urgency at all from the bar staff. The club could be taking loads more money if they do some simple things.
Pre pour drinks at half time. have one person on the till and one getting the order.
Introduce some feeling of urgency - competition between the tills with a decent prize for who takes the most money / serves most customers.
It’s pretty simple
It’s only simple if you employ people who have common sense and they are given training and advice on how to multitask and move fast However the club seem only to select staff that cannot think for themselves, probably on a piss poor wage
I don’t think the people working in crossbars (and the kiosks) are selected or employed by the club. They’ll be employed by an agency engaged by the company we’ve outsourced the catering to, and they probably work in various locations every other week so never get the chance to build up their experience of working in a particular place, learning the systems and how to be as efficient as possible. I don’t think they are all “thick” or lacking in common sense (some may be, but that’s society in general).
I also suspect that many of them aren't even drinkers, certainly not in pubs.
I was about to say the first question at the interview should be "Do you drink in pubs". A no and they are out.
In which case you won't get any staff at all.
There isn't a vast pool of workers, willing to do these zero hours irregular hours. A lot of them will be local students I imagine.
What kind of student doesn't drink in pubs? They don't make 'em like they used to. Bloody woke, tofu eating... blah, blah. blah...
Seriously though - you have a good point, one that could be addressed by paying better so you retain staff, it might actually be of benefit in the long run, one decent barman can be worth two or three crap ones.
As Henry says, actually training them properly would help.
The staff should be paid a good rate. The staff should be properly paid because the prices people pay are very high. I have heard capitalists say that a market finds its own level, if that is true then something has to happen. Exploiting the workforce in order to squeeze a marginal profit whilst alienating customers seems to be a poor version of capitalism…unless you have a monopoly or a captive market.
It was shocking on Saturday, even pre match. Maybe it was busy as it was early kick off but seriously just pour ten beers at a time when busy. It was literally a case of ordering and the guy lackadaisically wandering over to another guy pouring the beer even more lackadaisically. During halftime they didnt even have all the tills open. I heard the fan zone ran out of beer too.
The staff should be paid a good rate. The staff should be properly paid because the prices people pay are very high. I have heard capitalists say that a market finds its own level, if that is true then something has to happen. Exploiting the workforce in order to squeeze a marginal profit whilst alienating customers seems to be a poor version of capitalism…unless you have a monopoly or a captive market.
Here we go again. You could have just written the first two lines to get your point across, which I agree with.
The rest is just you trying to politicise another thread.
The staff should be paid a good rate. The staff should be properly paid because the prices people pay are very high. I have heard capitalists say that a market finds its own level, if that is true then something has to happen. Exploiting the workforce in order to squeeze a marginal profit whilst alienating customers seems to be a poor version of capitalism…unless you have a monopoly or a captive market.
Thats irrelevant using one niche example to tear down the capitalist system.
Either way the whole point is crap, you could pay the staff £25 an hour and they still wouldnt work quicker without some form of involved management.
It feels like a good idea. I recall going to watch us play Reading a few years back and they had a nice fans zone.
It was something I hope we would do. However, I was not sure how it would play out due to a lack of available space around The Valley. Hopefully it’s something that will look at and continuously try and improve.
I didn’t go to it myself as wasn’t sure whether it’s a family place with kids of somewhere to have a beer and chat with friends etc.
Comments
All the kids loved the fan Zone and the music.
easy access and parking for all tractors at Portman road.
Eating out for the past 18months to 2 years has been akin Rolex watch shopping!
Seriously though - you have a good point, one that could be addressed by paying better so you retain staff, it might actually be of benefit in the long run, one decent barman can be worth two or three crap ones.
As Henry says, actually training them properly would help.
The staff should be properly paid because the prices people pay are very high.
I have heard capitalists say that a market finds its own level, if that is true then something has to happen. Exploiting the workforce in order to squeeze a marginal profit whilst alienating customers seems to be a poor version of capitalism…unless you have a monopoly or a captive market.
You could have just written the first two lines to get your point across, which I agree with.
The rest is just you trying to politicise another thread.
£7.40!! Wow
Either way the whole point is crap, you could pay the staff £25 an hour and they still wouldnt work quicker without some form of involved management.