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Doncaster 2019 - catering costs


Emmo
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While I enjoyed the show today, I thought the catering was downright exploitation and one of the worst I've experienced, very close to Peterborough. £4.50 for a sausage roll was taking the preverbal p*** and £9.50 for a pie and peas in a cardboard tray was disgusting. Coffee in a paper cup at £2.50 was also taking the biscuit. We ended up nipping  over the road for some fish and chips. I will not be using these facilities ever again and it's time we all boycotted them and they will soon understand we are not prepared to pay these ridiculous over inflated prices.

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Have to agree about the food. £2.50 for a bottle of pop. Mind I think they are missing an opportunity to get the future of the hobby through the door. Let under 16’s in for a £1 or less. Warley do it

 

spent nothing on the trade either this year. Prices pumped up probably to cover stall rents. Bought all items I wanted whilst at the show off EBay. Saved £30. I can wait a few days. 

 

Some good layouts though!

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As a Exhibition organiser I feel your frustration about the food prices you quoted.

 

They are pretty well normal for all type of exhibitions.

 

£2.50 for a coffee is probably cheaper than you local Costa or Starbucks  or even local supermarket.

 

Quite simple solution take your own food & drink.

 

In most cases whoever the exhibition organiser is, be it commercial or ran by a club they have little or no control of refreshment pricing, hence most exhibitions have a seating area to consume your own refreshments.

 

Hooe you find time to comment on the exhibition layouts etc

 

Eltel 

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Better still come to Leeds. Excellent catering at sensible prices. Hot breakfasts available 2 course lunch and a hot drink was £3.50 last year. And the refec staff at the Grammar School are very friendly.

 

Baz

 

Ps 2 children free entry with every paying adult..we have done that for a number of years...

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The catering facilities are the responsibility of the venue or its franchisees, not linked to the event organisers at all. In fact we have to pay them for exhibitor's lunches etc.

 

It's a racecourse so many of its core customers wouldn't blink at those prices as a percentage of their spend on the day.

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6 minutes ago, Andy Y said:

The catering facilities are the responsibility of the venue or its franchisees, not linked to the event organisers at all. In fact we have to pay them for exhibitor's lunches etc.

 

It's a racecourse so many of its core customers wouldn't blink at those prices as a percentage of their spend on the day.

 

That is a very good point; and of course a fair number of the race-goers will be richer when they are leaving than when they came in ;) 

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1 hour ago, ELTEL said:

As a Exhibition organiser I feel your frustration about the food prices you quoted.

 

They are pretty well normal for all type of exhibitions.

 

£2.50 for a coffee is probably cheaper than you local Costa or Starbucks  or even local supermarket.

 

Quite simple solution take your own food & drink.

 

In most cases whoever the exhibition organiser is, be it commercial or ran by a club they have little or no control of refreshment pricing, hence most exhibitions have a seating area to consume your own refreshments.

 

Hooe you find time to comment on the exhibition layouts etc

 

Eltel 

I never visit Starbucks or Costalotta for the same reason. My golf club only charge £1.10 for coffee in a proper mug, MacDonalds charge £1.45 who use fresh beans ground on the premises. I understand and agree with the comments re bringing your own food and drink, which I will next time as the exhibition by and large is a good one. I also understand the show organisers have their hands tied with regards the prices the venue charge, but can anyone here honestly agree that £4.50 for a single sausage roll is good value for money? The mark up must be at least 400%. York is a racecourse, and has a very large restaurant at reasonable (normal) prices and on proper plates with metal cutlery, so I don't see why Doncaster can't do the same. Warley, I no longer visit and a lot of others don't either for similar reasons - £15 to get in, £15 to park and at least £12 for a lunch, not to mention the 60 mile drive/fuel - I'd rather spend the 50 quid on my layout.

 

Leeds sounds a good bet Barry O. Let me know when it is and I might take you up on it. If you are ever in the Midlands, Loughborough are a similar venue (Grammar School) and the catering is done by the school at prices you would associate with the hobby.

 

Don't get me wrong Andy, I enjoyed the show, some good layouts and I got everything on my shopping list (a rarity). I just think the venue are exploiting us. We are not visiting to see horse racing, we are railway modellers who, I would suspect, are quite happy with a bacon butty and cup of tea for a few quid.

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If you knew all this information in advance why didn’t you go prepared with your own refreshments.

 

I don’t see what Warley parking or admission have got to do with your original posting.

 

Happy Modelling 

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15 hours ago, Emmo said:

 If you are ever in the Midlands, Loughborough are a similar venue (Grammar School) and the catering is done by the school at prices you would associate with the hobby.

 

I recall the exhibitors catering at Luffy was very good, but not all clubs have enough free resources and have to rely on commercial catering instead of willing volunteers.

 

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8 minutes ago, 298 said:

 

One word. Blatant capitalism.

 

There was excellent finescale craftsmanship in the cheese and tomato sandwich I had on Saturday, the thinnest sliced cheese I have ever come across. Sunday did not disappoint with the ham alternative shaved so finely parts were transparent enough to flushglaze a few locos representing excellent value.

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£2:50 is more than the price for most costa coffee selections(just.)

My sailing club charges 60p for a coffee,

If you go to the sailing club "to be seen in" down the road, with full time staff and restaurant it's £1.50

Our own MRC show it's £1.

 

I'd agree with no longer going to Warley, the costs of entry and parking are enormouse, let alone adding the rediculus prices for food... plus the travelling..

 

It's noticable where most businesses say they save money due to the economies of scale, in the hall hire /exhibition business the larger the venue the more expensive it is per person addmitted..

 

Right I'm off for a cornned beef sarni.. Bye for now..

Edited by TheQ
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1 hour ago, 298 said:

 

One word. Blatant capitalism.

As Andy Y says, you are stuck with venue catering and parking..at Warley the club have no control over the catering or parking (the club has to pay for the exhibitor catering and car parking). 

As far as the charge to get in..90+layouts..£15 entry 6 layout per £1. Smaller show.. say £6 entry..perhaps 12 layouts...2 layouts per pound.

This has been discussed on RMWeb before...

 

Indeed 298 I seem to recall you lead a vocal chorus against the Warley Club then..which, by the way is still undertaking charitable work.

 

Baz

Edited by Barry O
I remembered previous discussions
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Simple fact is they will exploit people because they can - when I was at university a lecturer told us "the reason supermarkets charge £1 for a chocolate bar (or whatever price it is now) is because they can. If you go to the next services it will be the same price", they will exploit your hunger. These venues will be the same - as above not the exhibitions fault. Choices are either pay up, go without till you leave or plan ahead and bring your own.

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Well, I thought the prices were OK for a captive market. I don't go to shows every weekend so treating my son to a hot sit down meal was a good thing to do. His jacket spud was large, loaded with cheese and coleslaw. Condiments were free too - how many establishments charge 25p or more for a sachet of mayo?

 

My pizza slice was also good and the tea was top quality.

 

George loves a "café" and generally on a trip out will not settle for home made sarnies in any case. Those who know me and my family will appreciate that the provision of these facilities is vital to my sanity LOL

 

 

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Any money made from club exhibitions goes back into the hobby. Bigger shows cost more to put on. Bigger layouts from further afield cost more in expenses to get to the show.

Someone needs to pay for these. This is eventually the visitor.

The venue needs to make money too. Making money from parking & catering is a way to subsidise the hire of the venue.

 

Ultimately, the visitors pay for the show. If they didn't, there would not be one the following year & we will all lose out.

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19 minutes ago, Pete the Elaner said:

Ultimately, the visitors pay for the show. If they didn't, there would not be one the following year & we will all lose out.

 

Irrelevant to this discussion maybe but I had a chat with one of the venue's security/stewards and she said she felt that the visitors to the show were the most pleasant and courteous crowd that she had seen at any event at the venue.

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1 hour ago, Barry O said:

Indeed 298 I seem to recall you lead a vocal chorus against the Warley Club then..which, by the way is still undertaking charitable work.

 

Baz

 

Nope, just the NEC. (although I'm not convinced by your cost per layout as I'm likely to be having a passing glance at no more than a dozen or so and having that many in theory buys a more centered choice).

 

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