I say it every week but the only way that service in the CSH is going to improve is if they start prepouring pints... yes it's not ideal but I don't even bother trying to get served at the bar anymore
Maybe not quite true. Trafford had a gazebo with a man selling cans of beer. Not to everyone's taste maybe, but it was quick and effective (another thing I loved about Trafford were those wooden seats. The little things really do matter...).
Agreed, we could easily have a separate stall in the CSH offering cans and bottles. Makes absolute sense.
The way the club has responded to poor service in the CSH is offering loyALTY subscribers a jump of the inordinate queue. Recognising the problem without solving it..
This was offered at a few home games last season and seemed to be very popular. I'm not sure why it isn't more consistent because as you say, I'd much rather pay £3 for a cold can poured into a cup, than queue 15 minutes for a £4 pint I have to rush.
Re. the LoyAlty queue, I think it's important to say that this wasn't introduced as a fix for queuing problems, but rather, as a perk for supporting a certain tier of the scheme.
There will always be queueing problems in the CSH as it simply is not set up to meet the demand of however many hundred people wanting a pint within a 15-minute timeframe.
The club has visibly put far more staff on to try and meet the demand, and introduced lane queueing, but it will never be enough. The only suggestion I have to try and make it marginally better is introducing a max order of 4 pints per person, which is commonplace at bigger sporting venues now (Old Trafford cricket ground for example). Too many times I've been stood in the queue behind someone who's getting drinks added to their order from mates stood outside the queue. You end up waiting for about a dozen pints to be poured last minute.
As maligned and debated as it has become, the Fan Zone can't come quick enough if simply to take some of the pressure from the CSH bar.
That was not my point. My point was by doing this, the club is recognising the queue is a problem, but doing nothing to fix it.
I take your point. Got to say I disagree with the notion that the club are doing / have done nothing to at least try and improve the experience.
As I said, they've done can bars in the past, added queuing lanes, and brought in more staff but it's not been enough
or it's been done inconsistently. I personally think that no matter what they do, the Sports Hall simply isn't equipped with a bar big enough to get that many people served in a 15-minute window unless rules are put in place to cap the order quantity.
Even then, we'll still be queueing for a good few minutes. It is half-time at a football match at the end of the day.