Fans Bar

Weegie Addick said:

Yes it was all a very poor experience today. V long queues and v slow service pre match in Fanzone and they ran out of most stuff. Had pre poured pints at the back but not seeming to serve them?? 

Despite that we still thought Fanzone in this weather might be a good place to meet after but it was closed. Missed opportunity?!

So reverted to Fans Bar - where after one round the pumps were no longer working because apparently no one had been down “in the cellar” changing barrels. I thought we had professional caterers? 

Not quite sure how we’re meant to compete at average Championship revenue if the club can’t get its act together on this basic stuff. 

Fanny Fanackapan said:

Well where to start ? 

Entered Crossbars @12.10 to discover the top end by the main doors was apparently set out for a disco ...acres of space, no tables or chairs but a kiddie's party set up in the window area. First thought was is Two Sheds back in the driving seat ? What time does the DJ start playing? 

Progressed further into the area past the first bar to find a vastly reduced number of tables with chairs in place than usual in recent seasons. SO few that those who had entered in the first 5 mins of the Bar opening  had already claimed those on offer !!! Fortunately our pal
who queues before midday had managed to bag one for our number.

For those who query why fans choose to use this area pre ko, there are several reasons but for our group of approx 10 who attend every home match, this is the only place close to the Stadium itself where we're able to meet up at home games as we sit in different areas of the Ground. And with 6 of us in our mid to late 70s, standing to chat, drink & sometines eat for up to 2.5 hours before we take our seats in the Stands is NOT an option. There are no pubs locally close enough to The Valley where we could guarantee this arrangement week after week. End of. The alternative would be to park up around 2-2.30 & go straight to our seats, spending no money in the Ground whatsoever. For us, this pre match "ritual" is almost as important as the football itself as it is clearly for many others. 

We rarely buy hot food in the Bar although the younger members of the group would regularly buy a portion of chips from the counter at the entrance end. Today, it was immediately obvious that there was no food on view in the usual area....hmm. Eventually, someone was told that the cardboard "sign" on our table ( where there was always a matchday menu in the past) was for the use of those with an iphone ( not us wrinklies) to view the food on offer & to order accordingly. In the 2.5 hours we were there this afternoon I saw no-one use this updated method . Why wasn't there something about this inovation in one of the numerous emails we receive from the club as matchdays approach? What an odd way to conduct  a catering operation ? I'd love to hear some feedback from anyone who dared to dip their toes into today's unexpected method ...Needless to say, we all went hungry & kept our credit cards safely in our pockets, unused. 

Them there was the small matter of the bar itself & the reason many fans USE the Fans' Bar. With no Larry present ( great shame !) there was a cocktail "menu" on the bar itself. I stood behind a long term fan who was endeavouring to assist one of the young bar staff in making the drink that she had requested....It appeared that there was an actual recipe  on view but the process was lengthy, tortuous & , I believe, did not reach a particularly successful conclusion.  Whilst I stood ( patiently of course  waiting my turn, several customers were seen to be having issues with the pints they'd been served ...Voices all around to be heard saying " You'll have to pour those 2/3/4  away & use a different pump - the one you used doesn't have any gas !" Cue puzzled young faces behind the bar & a distinct lack of management to save the day ....And it would seem that the situation barely improved from then onwards. From previous posts regarding the catering in general today, I'd venture that most present would give a mark of 8 out of 10 or more for the match itself but, if feeling generous or in hospitality of course, a possible 1 out of 10 for the unacceptable catering on offer at OUR football club. 
 
If you're reading this, Mr Carter, please may I ask why there are so many on going consultations with Fan Groups of late with either insufficient guidelines as to their remit and/or members who do not have personal experience of USING  the facilities in question. Regarding the catering issue, I'd respectfully suggest that a detailed questionnaire with room for relevant responses is emailed/sent by post to everyone with a Charlton ID for their views and that the responses are collated on return as a matter of urgency with  conclusions announced within a time scale of, say 1 month, followed closely by a revised modus operandi. IMO, following today's start of a new season, to leave this unaddressed & in the unacceptable state we endured this afternoon, would be foolish as regular attendees may well vote with their feet. And surely that is not what the owners will want to learn....This has to be nipped in the bud to show the average supporter that their needs on a matchday are as important as those who are able to pay a deal of money in hospitality, as I'm certain you will agree. 

I'm pretty sure that the Fans' Bar & the way it was operated last season was decent on the whole so why try to mend something that's not broken ? 

Fans Bar 

In the Meantime Fans Bar, a new way to order food to your table has been implemented. Web-based table offering will now be available, to help give supporters greater choice and convenience to order food to their tables, should they wish to avoid the queues. Food will be available on the app.

Food and drink retail operations have been assessed, and changes have been made in order to increase the efficiency of service across the stadium.

• Enhanced beer offer – Improved refrigeration and draught technology to support the quality, consistency and speed of service of draught beer.
• Faster service – Optimised kiosks, back-pour and fast-pour technology, upgraded beer infrastructure and new Fast Service Bars to reduce queuing times.
• Improved EPOS – A new till system to speed up transactions and improve the customer journey and experience.
• New food offerings – A new homemade sausage roll, improved hot dogs, increased choice of menu and the return of the Bahji Burger.
• Sustainability – Drinks will be served in new club-branded Nopla packaging, that is 100% recyclable, to help the club be as sustainable as possible.
• Seasonal range – An expanded offering across the concourses, including an enhanced winter menu.

EugenesAxe said:

Can't the club just have a training day for Bar staff? it wouldn't take long to teach them the basics, pouring a pint, changing a barrel, changing gas, using the EPOS; it would help keep things moving. I'll come and do it myself if the club want to cover my travel costs.