Things You Ate: Catering At The Vic

Discussion in 'The Hornets' Nest - Watford Chat' started by Moose, Oct 25, 2021.

  1. Moose

    Moose First Team Captain

    Not only was the last game an embarrassing thrashing, but the half time cuppa descended into hitherto unmatched farce as I was offered two milk sachets for four cups of tea and no tray.

    It’s always been a wonder to me why over the years the various versions and suppliers of the catering never seem to predict a half time rush and have things like milk, or sometimes even tea, to hand.

    But hey, some of the fare looked fancy. A fennel sausage roll? Mmm Fennel…

    Marks out of ten for the current catering?
     
  2. Chumlax

    Chumlax Squad Player

    I've only ever had a balti pie from the Vic, once, about 15 years ago, and I never did again after it made my sweat vaguely green.

    I can tell you that the sausage rolls at the Tottenham Hotspur stadium are both artisanal in appearance and delicious, though...
     
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  3. SkylaRose

    SkylaRose Administrator Staff Member

    I'd give it a solid 8. It's a lot better than it used to be, especially with the stadium upgrade. It's still a bit pricey for my taste but the food is much better. Not sure if anyone has tried the new "Grill" selection? Although that could be for hospitality events only. We have a few new chef's in too. I used to buy a bag of crisps from the Red Lion before the game, hide them in a back pack and eat them at HT :D Nowadays with the new checking and security that's getting harder to do.
     
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  4. luke_golden

    luke_golden Space Cadet

    I always used to like the hot dogs. Those ones where the roll was a hollowed out French stick sorta thing, that the dog slid into. You could inject ketchup and mustard into the hole, then slip the meat back in. The height of delicious processed meat parts.

    This was about 20 years ago, mind.

    The last home game I made was Swansea under Silva, when we capitulated late on. I tried to get some tea at half time, but gave up after 20 minutes in line. My wife, raised on American customer service, was not impressed.
     
  5. HornetMan

    HornetMan Academy Graduate

    This would sound horrifying out of context.

    But on the subject of the catering, I think it's got marginally better. The wait for a drink/food has been reduced (slightly) and the staff seem much more friendly, in the Upper GT anyway. Although having to pay £9 for chicken and chips from the van was a bit of a joke. Could get that from Sam's for less than half that.
     
  6. domthehornet

    domthehornet Moderator Staff Member

    They used to do a cracking beef curry in the GT but it's now been binned off. The willy pie was decent.
     
  7. Lloyd

    Lloyd Squad Player

    For many years its been my policy to not spend any money at all at Vicarage Road on match day as a protest at the extortionate prices, poor quality and generally shambolic serving arrangements. I do all my eating and swilling outside the ground.
     
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  8. Mazzereth

    Mazzereth Academy Graduate

    The red wine at £7 a pop for a 187ml a bottle is a rippppp and does not taste nice, I drink it though as I have issues.
     
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  9. LondonOrn

    LondonOrn Squad Player

    It leads to a dilemma as to what to do about lunch when we have an early kick-off.

    Where I live it’s too early to have lunch before setting off to the match and too late to have it after I get back. A hot dog and chips is OK (I sit in the lower GT) but not very substantial and poor value for money and it’s uncool to take a packed lunch to the ground, even if you eat it during HT.
     
  10. Lloyd

    Lloyd Squad Player

    It's 'uncool' to take a packed lunch anywhere
     
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  11. Hornpete

    Hornpete Squad Player

    Rollover hotdogs...

    Whats the difference between a fridge and a v****a?

    A fridge doesn't fart when you pull your meat out.
     
  12. Diamond

    Diamond First Team

    Catering at the Vic, (for those of us in the stands), has always been horrific. Not much has changed since I started going except the prices. Long queues, utterly cr*p food and drink, served by spotty youths who don't want to be there and definitely don't have a clue. The catering has always been a window for me about how much the club give a sh*t about the real fans.
    Only QPR is worse.
    Could someone have a word with BHA & MK Dons about how to do catering, (Newcastle wasn't bad either).
     
  13. wfcwarehouse

    wfcwarehouse First Team Captain

    £4.80 for a can of Magners (a can!!!!). It's a no from me.

    On a serious note, why aren't pints pulled ahead of half time? I think literally every person in front of me in the queue asked the staff last week, who didn't seem to know/care.
     
    UEA_Hornet likes this.
  14. LondonOrn

    LondonOrn Squad Player

    Are you referring to Stadium MK?Watford have never played MK Dons, but they did play Wimbledon for one season after their move to Milton Keynes when they played at the National Hockey Stadium (they were relegated that season and then they changed to MK Dons).
     
  15. Moosegasm

    Moosegasm Reservist

    It seems I'm no longer the most inappropriate poster!
     
  16. WillisWasTheWorst

    WillisWasTheWorst Its making less grammar mistake's thats important

    But we did play there against Spurs a few years back.
     
    AndrewH63 likes this.
  17. LondonOrn

    LondonOrn Squad Player

    Oh yes, I'd forgotten about that - have Spurs played at more stadiums than any other club this millennium? There's White Hart Lane, Stadium MK, Wembley and now their current one.

    I was a bit puzzled that Diamond should be positive about MK Dons in any shape or form (a disgrace that thankfully will never be repeated it seems) but it makes sense if he's referring to our match there rather than him attending an MK Dons match as a neutral.
     
  18. AndrewH63

    AndrewH63 Reservist

    For me part of the problem is that the circulation areas, at every stand, are too small, and the serving areas inadequate. So you get queues that simply frustrate the number of sales. I would never attempt to buy at halftime, it simply takes too long.

    Generally event catering is not something I purchase. In terms of price I assume it’s pitched to be profitable rather than say a loss leader like at Costco, where £1.50 gets you a large hotdog and large ,(sugar free), soft drink.

    Maybe they should give up on pints and pies and just sell vodka cocktails and a decent prawn sandwich.

    To be honest not many away grounds get it right either. Honourable exception in recent times were the pies at Huddersfield.
     
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  19. Diamond

    Diamond First Team

    Yes it was the Spurs game in the Cup, and much as I hate the whole MK Don's journey the stadium is outstanding in every way.
    The best part about it was that Spurs fans had HUGE queues to get in while we walked straight in. What's not to like?
     
  20. HappyHornet24

    HappyHornet24 Crapster Staff Member

    I get all my food and drink from outside the ground after failing to get a simple bottle of water inside the ground during the second home game because they’d run out by half time.
     
  21. SkylaRose

    SkylaRose Administrator Staff Member

    You would think we would have more on offer now Deeney is gone. Or is it Rose and Tufan? :D
     
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  22. hemelhorn88

    hemelhorn88 Academy Graduate

    They ran out of water in the Elton John stand during the Villa game. In the second half I saw people coming back to their seats and they had given people cups of water instead. Only at Watford.
     
  23. HappyHornet24

    HappyHornet24 Crapster Staff Member

    In the Rookery I wasn’t even offered that - I was only given the option of buying an alternative soft drink (some sugary thing that I didn’t want but I was desperate as I was thirsty and also had a bit of an “end of cold”cough and you daren’t cough any more in public as people death stare you in case you have covid). The person serving me said he wouldn’t charge me the difference in price between that and the water I wanted, as if he was doing me a huge favour.
    Edit: thinking about it, I think I’m getting the games mixed up and that this was at the Villa game too.
     
  24. Maninblack

    Maninblack Reservist

    My worst purchase at the Vic was a burger & chips in the Lower Rous about 10 years ago. The burger was the size, consistency and (probably) flavour of an ice hockey puck in a cheap bun that stuck to the roof of your mouth. The chips (all 12 of them) were undercooked and tasteless. I made the mistake of trying to add flavour with that cheap, acidic 'glow in the dark' alleged tomato ketchup in those difficult-to-open sachets that discharge their contents all over your hands when you eventually manage to open them. So I generally avoid buying food or drink inside a football ground on the basis that it is a) expensive and b) ****.

    On the water front (dang, daanngg) it's worth mentioning that by law, tap water has to be available free of charge inside stadiums, gigs etc. When I'm thirsty and as I refuse to pay for bottled water I ask for a pint of tap water, which often throws the spotty adolescent server into confusion and sometimes they need to consult their supervisor. It's often handed over begrudgingly with a "Why aren't you buying bottled water, you miser?" look on their faces. My next petty little victory is when the stewards march over thinking you are taking alcohol pitch-side and look disappointed when they see it's only water.
     
  25. Hornpete

    Hornpete Squad Player

    I used to manage a gym and we swapped the water fountain.(unhygenic) for a bottle filling dispenser and I had so many complaints from people that said we were profiteering in bottle sales and vending sales when they forgot their bottle..
     
  26. a19tgg

    a19tgg First Team

    This is why we need a new ground, a better quality, more enjoyable, increased value for money experience for the fans and more revenue for the club, a win win. Every penny spent outside the ground is money that could benefit the club, as is every lost penny because people can’t deal with the hassle at half time.
     
    hornmeister likes this.
  27. Diamond

    Diamond First Team

    We could run the Amex and still make the catering an absolute disaster.
     
  28. Bwood_Horn

    Bwood_Horn Squad Player

    Isn't all the catering at the Vic outsourced?

    Interesting that someone mentioned the old national hockey stadium at MK. My memories of the catering were an 'in-house' stand (something in a bread roll and chips) and quite few vans and stands - all pretty good quality (crispy chips!) and not a major rip-off. The present set up is much the same at Lee Valley: a single in-house stand (serving well-cooked burgers, hot dogs and chips) and a number of external suppliers selling 'interesting' (Mexican, Tandoori etc) well-cooked bits and bobs. It was interesting to have seen their complaints policy in action: immediate replacement or refund no questions asked (I've only ever seen one complainer) - it is pricey (we get a 10-20% discount as we're season ticket holders) but it's good, interesting and well prepared/presented so I don't mind paying the premium.

    Was at Allianz Park the StoneX on Sunday: all out-sourced and everything from bbq'ed bits and bobs to a carton of noodles. Pricey but I didn't mind as the quality (and choice) was excellent.

    Contrast to the last (and only) time I got something in the Rookery (as someone else wonderfully described it) an ice-hockey puck in a stale roll. I don't attend sporting events expecting a gourmand experience but I do expect something 'nice' for that premium price they're asking. I always wondered why the stands don't represent the multicultural diversity of Watford especially with our club's community ethos?
     
  29. LondonOrn

    LondonOrn Squad Player

    Most of the time I only manage to open those by biting them, just as well my teeth are in good shape!
     
  30. Stuart_Slater

    Stuart_Slater Academy Graduate

    Time for the return of the Hornet Burger...........
     
  31. Cthulhu

    Cthulhu Keyboard Warrior Staff Member

    The food in the SEJ stand is awful.

    I had the driest pie Id ever tasted. It took 2 people about 10 minutes to serve the 1 person in front of me. Who ordered 2 teas and some crisps.
    Train some staff instead of relying on minimum wage youngsters.

    The service is too slow
    The cost is too high (but you are probably going to pay that at any ground and Id mind less if it wasn't slow and bad food)
    The product is not great
     
  32. EB Hornet

    EB Hornet Reservist

    Thought getting food at the cup game would be fairly painless as smaller attendance, but queues still pretty long to the point you wonder if you’ll get back for kick off.

    then noticed nearly all the hot food was pretty much sold out, I had a mini 1st world grumble and so my lovely wife popped along to another section and had better luck.

    The pie was pretty tasty though I have to say.
     
  33. Herbert

    Herbert Academy Graduate

    The only catering I use is the Tring Brewery real ale bar in the UGT. Usually too busy to comfortably fit in a half time pint but very enjoyable before kick off. Also don’t think £5.30 for a decent pint is a total rip-off in the circumstances.
     
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  34. CaveManHornet

    CaveManHornet Reservist

    I was starvibly forced to go for the Vegan pie at the Liverpool game as they had run out of the Steak/Chicken options.

    Although expected for any pie costing £4.75, it was actually pretty tasty.

    The prices they charge for a small bottles worth of lager is absolutely criminal. For £5 you should be allowed to take it to the stands AND throw it at the players.
     
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  35. Shakespearo

    Shakespearo Reservist

    Just like restaurant locations that consistently fail, change hands and re-open and then fail again, I wonder if Vicarage Road is just fated to always offer poor catering. We have moaned for years about the poor quality / value and glacially slow service at matches, the club make major changes and still the situation is dire.
     
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