Tigers Catering Feedback.

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LE18
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Re: Tigers Catering Feedback.

Post by LE18 »

Oh dear, pre pouring beer is not going well, in the bar we used after the match pre poured beer was left over, presumably went to waste, staff need to monitor this more closely to ensure non goes to waste, i am sure that the reaction will be to stop pre pouring. :smt017
Tom Tom
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Re: Tigers Catering Feedback.

Post by Tom Tom »

This is ridiculous.
This pathetic situation with the bars and lack of service / catering has been going on since the CAT stand first opened some ?5? seasons ago.
I started off this thread back then - (although it has been culled by about 20 pages of the earlier contributions and opinions - presumably because its so embarrasing to the powers that be!)

I have given up with posting because no-one with the clout to alter the situation is interested or can be bothered to sort it.
Tiger Dad has tried hard, had meetings, etc.
Look at his minutes of the meeting he had in 2012 on page 1 of this topic.

Tell me which, if any, of the action points in those minutes have happened.
You will have difficulty.

The only way to make the powers that be sit up and take notice is a total boycott by us all of all catering and bars for just one game, and hence a massive revenue reduction for Tigers PLC as a Company.
I am realistic enough to realise that we could not get enough people together to do this and make a difference for the future.

We just have to face it. No-one is interested in improving or adding to my / our match day experience or to the income Tigers PLC generate.

The recent losses of games, the injury situation, lack of fit players available, the turnstiles not working last Sat and making fans queue onto the road when the turnstiles could just have been opened up, etc. etc. just adds to my complete frustration with Tigers PLC and the almost amateurish way the club is run and the apparent complete lack of respect for paying customers Tigers PLC put across. (To me at least.)
Noddy555
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Re: Tigers Catering Feedback.

Post by Noddy555 »

Whilst catering has again improved in the try line club this year, I still think there needs to be more variation on the menu particularly for vegetarians, and can I make a plea for proper plates not the wooden salvers everything seems to be served on. It's still not a proper restaurant feel which it should have, it's more like an upmarket fast food outlet still.
Another plea for baked potatoes, what has the honest and simple spud done to be so maligned and missed off the menu.
smileyd
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Re: Tigers Catering Feedback.

Post by smileyd »

Sadly i have to say that having upgraded to the Try line club, the speed of bar staff (especially at half time) is no better than the final whistle....to have a chance of getting served in the final whistle where my old seats were you had to leave before half time ended, or risk missing the start of the 2nd half. I had hoped i could stop this behaviour after joining the Try Line Club ........... sadly its the same. Yes the lounge is nice, and yes Michelle and her staff are very welcoming, and the facilities good, nice menu all good, except the bar staff are v v slow and un-organised. Rant over!
wormus
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Re: Tigers Catering Feedback.

Post by wormus »

[quote="Tom Tom"]This is ridiculous.
This pathetic situation with the bars and lack of service / catering has been going on since the CAT stand first opened some ?5? seasons ago.
I started off this thread back then - (although it has been culled by about 20 pages of the earlier contributions and opinions - presumably because its so embarrasing to the powers that be!)

I have given up with posting because no-one with the clout to alter the situation is interested or can be bothered to sort it.
Tiger Dad has tried hard, had meetings, etc.
Look at his minutes of the meeting he had in 2012 on page 1 of this topic.

**Totally agree Tom Tom , there is no interest in better food or bar service I am advised the refreshment service at Sandy Park Exeter is excellent quick service and now they are doing carvery's.
Where we are on no beer or foamy stuff and a unedible burger.So perhaps a buy elsewhere is needed before the contractors wake up.
Remy in the hip flask before long!!
Iain
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Re: Tigers Catering Feedback.

Post by Iain »

And the catering omnishambles at Welford Road rumbles on.

Got to the ground early so I could enjoy the octoberfest. A shame to find this amounted to six bar staff over two kiosks. Credit where it's due, they were pre pouring though, but still, with a lack of cask ales as the pumpkin I was looking forward to trying had already run out, I decided it would be quicker to go into the final whistle as the octoberfest really wasn't all that.

How wrong I was. From joining the queue to getting served, at least twenty minutes passed. Twenty long frustrating minutes. Where I witnessed a comically understaffed bar dither and bumble their way through each order. After trying my best to direct them, I got to the front of the queue where a young lad who I can only assume had either been lobotomised or was in some kind of care in the community scheme to get him behind the bar and out the house was dithering at the back watching the crowds build up. I enquired as to whether he might serve me, and he dithered and panicked as to whether he should serve me. I ordered two pints of pumpkin ale, as I had no intention of waiting in the queue twice, and a steak and ale pie. I asked him to pour them in the handled glasses so I could carry them. Alarm bells rang when he told me he'd go and look for them.

He dithered away, picked up a price list, frowned, walked off, asked questions, dithered back and handed me a pie with a napkin wrapped round the bottom. "Is this what you meant when you said you wanted a handle for your pie?"

I confirmed that wasn't what I meant, no.

So he asked again "what else was it". When I told him pumpkin ale, he dithered over to the pump in a manner which suggested he had never seen it before, and was told that it had run out. A bit disappointing so long before kick off, but there we are. I never did get to try the pumpkin guest ale. So he told me it would have to be Tiger instead. Fair enough. So he went to pour the smooth version. To which I told him no, the cask version please. "Okay" he said, and continued to go for the smooth. Using the term "hand pulled" similarly confused him, so I shouted "THIS ONE!!!" at which point the penny dropped.

Of course, the Tiger Cask barrel was dry at that pump, so he went further down the bar. By this point I had finished my pie. He returned with one pint and told me he'd be back in a moment as there was a bit of a queue at that pump.

A few minutes later the second pint arrived in a straight glass. I reminded him I wanted a handle so I could carry them. "oh we've ran out" said the simpleton. I pointed out the huge stack of them behind him. "Oh yeah"

"What's the matter" said another bar staff.

"We have comfortably the most inept bar service of any ground in the country despite having the biggest bar"

So I queued at half time. And still they dithered. As soon as Tim Wigglesworth blew his whistle I dashed out my seat to evacuate my previously drunk beer and joined the queue in the final whistle. And such was the general level of short staffed dithering I missed the first five minutes of the second half.

God help them next week when Ulster come to town.
speedski
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Re: Tigers Catering Feedback.

Post by speedski »

The last four pints have taken me 70 minutes to get in the ABC in the last two games.

The new pint glasses are very cool, great addition but the pouring pumps are too slow and there simply are not enough of them.Two sets of pumps for four tills, bar staff queuing to even pour, let alone the poor punters.

Stop selling food at the bar, sell it at a separate stand - reduce the amount of work the bar staff do behind the bar to bar related items and give them the equipment to do their job!

Grrrrr! :smt019
speedski
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Re: Tigers Catering Feedback.

Post by speedski »

Iain wrote:And the catering omnishambles at Welford Road rumbles on.

Got to the ground early so I could enjoy the octoberfest. A shame to find this amounted to six bar staff over two kiosks. Credit where it's due, they were pre pouring though, but still, with a lack of cask ales as the pumpkin I was looking forward to trying had already run out, I decided it would be quicker to go into the final whistle as the octoberfest really wasn't all that.

How wrong I was. From joining the queue to getting served, at least twenty minutes passed. Twenty long frustrating minutes. Where I witnessed a comically understaffed bar dither and bumble their way through each order. After trying my best to direct them, I got to the front of the queue where a young lad who I can only assume had either been lobotomised or was in some kind of care in the community scheme to get him behind the bar and out the house was dithering at the back watching the crowds build up. I enquired as to whether he might serve me, and he dithered and panicked as to whether he should serve me. I ordered two pints of pumpkin ale, as I had no intention of waiting in the queue twice, and a steak and ale pie. I asked him to pour them in the handled glasses so I could carry them. Alarm bells rang when he told me he'd go and look for them.

He dithered away, picked up a price list, frowned, walked off, asked questions, dithered back and handed me a pie with a napkin wrapped round the bottom. "Is this what you meant when you said you wanted a handle for your pie?"

I confirmed that wasn't what I meant, no.

So he asked again "what else was it". When I told him pumpkin ale, he dithered over to the pump in a manner which suggested he had never seen it before, and was told that it had run out. A bit disappointing so long before kick off, but there we are. I never did get to try the pumpkin guest ale. So he told me it would have to be Tiger instead. Fair enough. So he went to pour the smooth version. To which I told him no, the cask version please. "Okay" he said, and continued to go for the smooth. Using the term "hand pulled" similarly confused him, so I shouted "THIS ONE!!!" at which point the penny dropped.

Of course, the Tiger Cask barrel was dry at that pump, so he went further down the bar. By this point I had finished my pie. He returned with one pint and told me he'd be back in a moment as there was a bit of a queue at that pump.

A few minutes later the second pint arrived in a straight glass. I reminded him I wanted a handle so I could carry them. "oh we've ran out" said the simpleton. I pointed out the huge stack of them behind him. "Oh yeah"

"What's the matter" said another bar staff.

"We have comfortably the most inept bar service of any ground in the country despite having the biggest bar"

So I queued at half time. And still they dithered. As soon as Tim Wigglesworth blew his whistle I dashed out my seat to evacuate my previously drunk beer and joined the queue in the final whistle. And such was the general level of short staffed dithering I missed the first five minutes of the second half.

God help them next week when Ulster come to town.
Whilst its bad there simply is no justification to call people trying their best such crass names.

The problem isn't the staff. Its the club contracting out the catering services.
InGuinnessVeritas
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Re: Tigers Catering Feedback.

Post by InGuinnessVeritas »

speedski wrote:The problem isn't the staff. Its the club contracting out the catering services.
The problem is both. It's painfully obvious some of the staff are simply not up to the task and therefore shouldn't be there.

I've given up bothering to use any of the catering facilities or bars at the ground. Admittedly, I drive to Leicester and would only have one pint before the game started but even then that would pose a great problem for some of the bar staff. Milady usually has a cup of tea and a bar of Cadbury's chocolate at the ground but the latter now seems to be off the menu in favour of 'sharing packs' which contain around three times as much chocolate. No doubt these have a wider profit margin but it's another customer they've now lost.

I appreciate the Tigers have to generate revenue in order to survive but I feel a lot of the essence of the club is being lost in the drive to get more money in the coffers. A couple of weeks back, my brother asked me to pick up a Tigers car sticker for him at the Irish match. I checked the shop but couldn't find any. I emailed them on the following Monday and was told they had none in stock (no information on whether there would be in future) but 'I was welcome to choose from the extensive range of other merchandise'. If I'd wanted anything else, I would have asked for it!

I am happy to go to the matches, support the team and renew my season ticket every year. However, as things stand, that's as far as I'm willing to go at the moment.
Tyzot
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Re: Tigers Catering Feedback.

Post by Tyzot »

Terrible service again last night in the Captains bar. At 6pm I tried to buy two pints of cider and for some reason they could not get the pumps to work. So I had to go the the ABC bar to get served.

Now the thing which particularly irritates is that when they failed to get the cider to work they just stand open mouthed and look at each other waiting for me to break the silence, as though I am going to fix it for them. They seem to be completely clueless when it comes to dealing with customers. Now I know its a case of pay minimum wage - get minimum ability (or whatever the saying is)but really its not that hard.

One more point from last night is that the new glasses were much better - easier to carry and more solid. Hopefully as one server said to me they were on trial and may be adopted.
Grumpy of Crumbie
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Re: Tigers Catering Feedback.

Post by Grumpy of Crumbie »

I think some of the comments on here regarding the catering staff are a bit harsh and the personal insults are out of order. For me the problem is a lack of training and supervision. For most of the staff it's probably their first job and you get the feeling they are thrown in at the deep end. Many appear to lack a bit of confidence and it can't be easy being confronted by a swarm of predominantly middle aged blokes desperate for beer.

For me the problem is one of management both from Tigers and the Caterers neither seem to have any desire to sort the problem out.

I know it's frustrating but go easy on the kids we all have to start somewhere and they deserve better support from their employers. If it was your son or daughter trying to earn a few quid you'd expect them to be given the right training and support to have a fighting chance.
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Tyzot
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Re: Tigers Catering Feedback.

Post by Tyzot »

I am all for giving the kids a chance. My own have worked in customer facing roles in the service industries and we have a large number of student interns at my place of work.

But whilst there are some good youngsters working behind the bars and counters at Tigers, it is clear that a significant number find the simplest tasks impossible, like realising you make tea with hot water for example - do you really need training to know that?

I do agree however, that volume of work and being overwhelmed by demand is not their fault.Nor is faulty equipment.
thebearisstilldeano
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Re: Tigers Catering Feedback.

Post by thebearisstilldeano »

Captain's Bar utterly utterly useless again last night.

I queued for just over 10 mins at half time and progressed all of 3 metres before I could see the quins players coming back out onto the pitch on the TV. Had to just walk out.

Some of the people around me in the queue who were also in the Crumbie must have continued to wait to get served as they returned 10mins into the second half.

Let's face it - our bars are a shambles.

And whilst I agree it is wrong to generalise about the bar staff - I have to say I have been served by some who really do appear to have stepped straight out of central casting for dawn of the living dead as they show no signs whatsoever of life.

When I finally got served in the final whistle after the game last night (again after waiting for 5 mins) the guy who poured my two beers could not have moved more slowly had he been on a double dose of mogodon and walking through treacle. If it wasn't finding a tap which was working it was finding a till to put the ruddy money in! And all in ultra slow motion.

Good customer service would suggest you should apologise for the wait and at least give the impression you are hustling to get the next one serviced as quickly as possible. Yet there is rarely any sign of urgency or concern for the level of queuing.

Here's an idea - pay them by the number of pints they serve, because the current model of paying staff to stand behind the counter is getting just that - people who are just standing about.

Sorry - but our stadium is a joke as far as service is concerned and it makes me very very angry to see things that are relatively easy to sort out going on time after time after time. :smt017
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L Smith
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Re: Tigers Catering Feedback.

Post by L Smith »

I sat in my seat 15 minutes before half time and thought there was plenty of time to get a pint in.
NEVER AGAIN Tigers & Lindley; you have had the last cent of my money inside the stadium.
It took around 25 minutes to get a pint while you could clearly see much smaller queues on the other side of the final whistle, yet most of the kids behind the bar decided to attend to the smaller queues.
Truly shambolic and from now on, I will vote with my feet.
:smt013
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longlivethecrumbie
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Re: Tigers Catering Feedback.

Post by longlivethecrumbie »

A friend of mine had a relative over from Aus - he disappeared to the bar just after the half time whistle had gone along with another regular. The captains bar had run out of cider, only replacement solution was wine, which was far more expensive, and the pair promptly wandered back to their place on the terrage with roughly 15 minutes gone in the second half.

The best part of 30 minutes spent queuing and half of that missing the game. How you can run out of your staple drinks is beyond me and the cost of the drink is far beyond what you'd pay at a pub for, quite frankly, :censored: beer.

Gloucester have happy hour at their ground up until an hour before kick off and you get served far quicker and have better beers/ciders as well as the Guinness actually tasting like Guinness.

Absolutely awful, as always.
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