Last night was the first time i have been in the CF stand for a couple of years and i was shocked how poor the facilities were. The 'bar' is the main issue... why is it not open until the half time whistle blown!? seriously is there a genuine reason? I left 5 mins before half time to get a drink but had to get in a queue of disgruntled people waiting for the bar to open. The young girl was doing the best she could but to have a 2000 seater stand and have one girl serving is ridiculous. By the time i got my drink time was running out and there wasn't time to queue up again for food.
Even small things... in the toilets there are posters advertising Cheltenham races 2020 and season tickets for last season and the old away shirts.
Why has the robins bar been shut at half time the last couple of games?
Colin Farmer stand
Moderators: Admin, Ralph, asl, Robin
Although i am aST holder in the autovillage I have never used any halftime facilities other than the loo
Last night there seemed to be a ticket check for those going down to the facilities and a cup of tea
I missed the announcement but I assume the bar was shut due to skittles but that is only because skittles were being played on the eve of the Morecombe match
Can anyone trust or board of directors tell us what is going on or is irt you bought your ticket lump it
Last night there seemed to be a ticket check for those going down to the facilities and a cup of tea
I missed the announcement but I assume the bar was shut due to skittles but that is only because skittles were being played on the eve of the Morecombe match
Can anyone trust or board of directors tell us what is going on or is irt you bought your ticket lump it
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RegencyCheltenhamSpa
- Posts: 29814
- Joined: 21 Nov 2009, 03:27
Again not her fault, but for the Wednesday game pre-match the woman in the bar was pouring cans into plastic pints. Individuals in front of me were getting rounds in and slowly pouring each can into pints took ages, especially as it kept foaming.
I guess cans are not allowed to be taken out the bar area but come on, get a couple of staff to do the pouring so the main person at the till can serve others. I only wanted a Fanta, a 30 second transaction which took ages. With just one hatch open and a queue of families getting chips meant the hatch would be even longer.
Maybe a vending machine for soft drinks, crisps and chocolate would be the way to go? They all come with contactless payment nowadays and would mean people who want a quick transaction can actually spend money at the club.
On an aside, rather than the cheap disposable plastic pints is it not time the club got with the programme and sold reusable cups for £1 (can be returned to get pound back) like Gloucestershire Cricket and Glos Rugby? Gloucestershire Cricket ones are made of bio-plastic.
Then, if there were water taps people could also fill their CTFC branded pint with water.
Also, it is always fun seeing the kids collecting discarded cups to return for a bit of pocket money.
I guess cans are not allowed to be taken out the bar area but come on, get a couple of staff to do the pouring so the main person at the till can serve others. I only wanted a Fanta, a 30 second transaction which took ages. With just one hatch open and a queue of families getting chips meant the hatch would be even longer.
Maybe a vending machine for soft drinks, crisps and chocolate would be the way to go? They all come with contactless payment nowadays and would mean people who want a quick transaction can actually spend money at the club.
On an aside, rather than the cheap disposable plastic pints is it not time the club got with the programme and sold reusable cups for £1 (can be returned to get pound back) like Gloucestershire Cricket and Glos Rugby? Gloucestershire Cricket ones are made of bio-plastic.
Then, if there were water taps people could also fill their CTFC branded pint with water.
Also, it is always fun seeing the kids collecting discarded cups to return for a bit of pocket money.
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RegencyCheltenhamSpa
- Posts: 29814
- Joined: 21 Nov 2009, 03:27
[quote="Anteros"]There's a small club shop kiosk in there (closed). Use that. All you need is a fridge with cans of soft drinks/alcoholic[/quote]
Unless the issue of pouring cans into pints is resolved with more staff then the same issues facing the little bar will persist.
The obvious solution? Work with Parklands and the Council to build a new shared facility at the end of the CF which is why extends into the current car park. It can have a proper bar and a coffee bar that on match days is accessed from inside the CF with the rest of the building closed, and during the week from the car park with all the rooms for Parklands open. The existing Parklands can be bulldozed and used for car parking spaces to replace those lost to the new facility.
Unless the issue of pouring cans into pints is resolved with more staff then the same issues facing the little bar will persist.
The obvious solution? Work with Parklands and the Council to build a new shared facility at the end of the CF which is why extends into the current car park. It can have a proper bar and a coffee bar that on match days is accessed from inside the CF with the rest of the building closed, and during the week from the car park with all the rooms for Parklands open. The existing Parklands can be bulldozed and used for car parking spaces to replace those lost to the new facility.
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Edam Nevada
- Posts: 19
- Joined: 25 Apr 2021, 09:42
Allegedly the main bar was closed to fans on the new stadium security managers instructions, nothing to do with skittles, and to be honest the catering/bar facilities inside the ground are shambolic, but they have been for years, i left on 40 minutes to queue in the PRE for 20 minutes for what turned out to be frankly rank chips and a burger that was almost inedible
The bar in the CF is a strange one - from what I can tell, in the few years I've now been in the stand as a season ticket holder it's been completely harm free. People go down up to 5 mins early and then, when there's an influx at the half-time whistle, whilst there's a queue it's not nearly as bad as it was against Sheffield Wednesday and, I'm sure, what it was like on Tuesday.
Then, people were left to drink up in the bar a good 5-10 mins into the second half with the game being on the screen in the bar.
As for pouring the drinks, I've never understood why people getting rounds don't help her pour. She has no issue with myself and my uncle pouring whilst she's serving, as long as we don't leave the bar with the can. If you've ordered 4 drinks, she gets them all out at the same time. Whilst she's pouring one, grab one of the others and pour with her.
I feel so sorry for the poor girl in the bar because against Sheffield Wednesday she got a lot of unwarranted c!#p, and you could see she felt the same as the rest of us. If it's due to a new stadium security manager, then it smacks of changing something that's worked for years simply to make an impression. Well done, you've made an extremely expensive day that little less fun. Thank God we're doing ok on the pitch at the moment, because I'm struggling to see why anyone would want to come to Whaddon Road and pay nearly £30 for a ticket at the moment.
Then, people were left to drink up in the bar a good 5-10 mins into the second half with the game being on the screen in the bar.
As for pouring the drinks, I've never understood why people getting rounds don't help her pour. She has no issue with myself and my uncle pouring whilst she's serving, as long as we don't leave the bar with the can. If you've ordered 4 drinks, she gets them all out at the same time. Whilst she's pouring one, grab one of the others and pour with her.
I feel so sorry for the poor girl in the bar because against Sheffield Wednesday she got a lot of unwarranted c!#p, and you could see she felt the same as the rest of us. If it's due to a new stadium security manager, then it smacks of changing something that's worked for years simply to make an impression. Well done, you've made an extremely expensive day that little less fun. Thank God we're doing ok on the pitch at the moment, because I'm struggling to see why anyone would want to come to Whaddon Road and pay nearly £30 for a ticket at the moment.
[quote="Edam Nevada"]Allegedly the main bar was closed to fans on the new stadium security managers instructions, nothing to do with skittles, and to be honest the catering/bar facilities inside the ground are shambolic, but they have been for years, i left on 40 minutes to queue in the PRE for 20 minutes for what turned out to be frankly rank chips and a burger that was almost inedible[/quote]
Try using the "Robins Retreat" before the game good food,but my bugbear is the bar being used for skittles on matchdays farcical situation for a club in EFL 1 the club must improve the clubhouse if we are to capitalize on the increased crowds.Extending the old stand seems to be the cheapest option given our lack of financial backing meaning a new build is never going to happen.
Try using the "Robins Retreat" before the game good food,but my bugbear is the bar being used for skittles on matchdays farcical situation for a club in EFL 1 the club must improve the clubhouse if we are to capitalize on the increased crowds.Extending the old stand seems to be the cheapest option given our lack of financial backing meaning a new build is never going to happen.
Skittles teams don’t drink like they used to do so not much revenue there and I doubt it costs much to hire the alley.
Trouble is the skittles fixture lists almost certainly don’t take into account that the Robins are at home. No way could you allow for replays etc.
Cheltenham Skittles League is decreasing year on year, Covid has made things worse, fewer teams and players these days.
But yes it does hark back to the non league days. 30 years ago we used to go in there at half time for a pint, wouldn’t even consider it these days.
Trouble is the skittles fixture lists almost certainly don’t take into account that the Robins are at home. No way could you allow for replays etc.
Cheltenham Skittles League is decreasing year on year, Covid has made things worse, fewer teams and players these days.
But yes it does hark back to the non league days. 30 years ago we used to go in there at half time for a pint, wouldn’t even consider it these days.
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London Exile
- Posts: 3195
- Joined: 06 Dec 2009, 15:48
Our stadium is very, very tired looking and in desperate need of some TLC.
Looking around and seeing what other clubs are doing to improve facilities for their supporters shows off our shortcomings.
On the recent online forum with David, Paul & Clive it was brought up how tired the stadium was looking and how even a bit of red paint and banners would make a big difference.
Hopefully this will happen because even small things like painting and cleaning would be an improvement and something that could happen immediately if there’s a will to do it.
I’ve seen mention on the website of a new disabled area as the old patio is out of bounds so hopefully this will happen as the temporary disabled area by the PRE isn’t going to be attractive to wheelchair users in the coming months!
I get the impression that our board believe that the loyal supporters will just keep on turning up and putting up as, like Si Robin says, the performances on the pitch are good at the moment, but I think if this was to change, then the board might have a problem on their hand because our off field offering is poor.
Looking around and seeing what other clubs are doing to improve facilities for their supporters shows off our shortcomings.
On the recent online forum with David, Paul & Clive it was brought up how tired the stadium was looking and how even a bit of red paint and banners would make a big difference.
Hopefully this will happen because even small things like painting and cleaning would be an improvement and something that could happen immediately if there’s a will to do it.
I’ve seen mention on the website of a new disabled area as the old patio is out of bounds so hopefully this will happen as the temporary disabled area by the PRE isn’t going to be attractive to wheelchair users in the coming months!
I get the impression that our board believe that the loyal supporters will just keep on turning up and putting up as, like Si Robin says, the performances on the pitch are good at the moment, but I think if this was to change, then the board might have a problem on their hand because our off field offering is poor.
