copy of e-mail to Old Warden

SVAS

Both MRS Spring chcken and myself are members, we definitely wouldn’t want our cash spent on catering at the expense of the aircraft.

This is for all public events where masses meet in a smallish areas,such as airdisplays,there not picking on anyone in particular.Credit where credit is due but there are alot of places where the facilities [or lack of them] leave an awful lot to be desired,so criticsm where criticsm is due as well,and if enough people say something to the organisers [they probably never use the public facilities so don’t know,or care] maybe they will get improved.There off my soapbox.

Are you Mad? or Just completely picky!

I am rather amazed at your statements. I can understand that you visited just one of the food areas available. There is unless I am mistaken at least two food areas (a proper cafeteria) with toilets attached. There are also two real ( not mobile one arm bandits ~ in that you open the door and luck takes over if you need boots, waders an environmental hazard unit on call let alone if it has toilet roll!) toilet areas. I am sure Old Warden can not be held responsible completely for the actions of certain users who still struggle to come to terms with using toilets or urinals!
I have, and it is only a personal thing, found the food to be representative of the standards one would expect of such events. I have also found that the queues at peak times are rather less than those found at Silverstone, Duxford or IAT ~ Which by the way are often independant vendors ~ Have you ever tried to get into Duxford’s Cafe on a Display Day ~ Nightmare! I have on reflection also seen several vendors selling/offering their wares at Old Warden as well.
Let us not forget, we make the choice of what food we want and the times that we eat it at. As for the toilets lets be fare and say the public has a lot to do with their state ~ but they are real and not portable ones.
Why not praise Shuttleworth for its unique Collection, the superb displays, the value for money, the commitment of its ever friendly voluntary people, maybe even offer offer your services to the collection and as a volunteer to help clean the toilets on a rota basis ~ even set and help promote the standards we expect of all those others who fail to meet the standards of common decency.
OK so I am on my orange box ~ constructive criticism and not winges please.

there is no way that I am suggesting that OW invest in catering facilities rather than restoration. Exactly the opposite. By investing in the catering side, they can actually create revenue.

I would guess that any museum that seeks to maximise the funding for the restoration of it’s exhibits at the sacrafice of it’s infrastructure will not last long. Most punters judge their enjoyment of an airshow on the total experience rather than simply the list of aircraft seen. And it is this judgement which decides if they return again and what they tell their friends.

My complaint to OW was both that the catering is poor and that they are missing out on potential revenue.

Originally posted by philo
How many others here are members out of interest?

joined in Sept
K

Me too

Count me in.

I still feel that this is a slightly unfair moan about OW, maybe because I am stuggling to see what it is that people are looking for in the way of catering.
I, as I said earlier, often use the cafe for some form of breakfast as my visits usually start after parking up by wandering across for a ‘natural break’ then into the cafe. I do take a picnic lunch however, so come 12.30 /1.00 ish I sit by my car and tuck in, and probably don’t notice queues at the kiosk and cafe.
I could understand that if I took my family, which I do from time to time, we might want to go for a lunch together and that the cafe might not be offering want we wanted, or indeed have the room to seat us.That does not however make it bad quality as was first suggested in this thread, it makes it ‘not what we really wanted’ which is quality of choice.
I dont think I can think of any venue that has regular airshows that does have a ‘quality catering service’.
The toilets at OW I think are acceptable, they are not the Hilton nor will they ever be. What should be remembered about public toilets that are used intensively ,as these are at cetain time of the day, is that much of it is down to the user and the way he/she treats the facility. Clearly I cannot vouch for the ladies, but I fail to see why so many apparently normal people manage to make such a mess of mens toilets. I know that there are many jokes about male aim but often it is beyond a joke, do these people do this at home ?.
Anyhow, however messy the loos are I don’t think you will find me trying to record the event with my camera as I dont fancy a 400mm lens being inserted.
Seriously though ,as I said earlier what you get for your money pretty much depends on what money you put in to start with and for say £12 to get into OW I think we get excellent value.
If you would rather that more of that £12 went on catering than preserving this unique collectioin then so beit, but I know where I want my contribution spent.Thats why I have chosen to Join the SVAS to give more to the preservation of OW and its collection.
How many others here are members out of interest?

I think that OW have the balance just right, I mean, if they don’t sell ‘muck from a truck’ they don’t need so many toilets…er…if you know what I mean…;)

Originally posted by trumper
😀 Free biccies too. Cuts down on the need to buy expensive food. says Moggy

OOOOH now we are talking,go on what sort,if you tell me they are choccy i’ll start to dribble LOL:D
The problem is i normally go with others that arent members either:(

Fraid so. Choccy Suggestives and Bourbon Creams. 🙂

Moggy

Originally posted by Lancman
I remember all too well opening a door of a portabog at something like the ’85 RIAT; there was nowhere to stand inside without, erm, ‘treading in it’, and indeed, a wee brown jobby plopped out onto the grass as I opened the door.

Still, at least I then knew where most of the burger ‘meat’ was sourced!!! 😮

Was that after queuing up for an hour for the priviledge:)

I remember all too well opening a door of a portabog at something like the ’85 RIAT; there was nowhere to stand inside without, erm, ‘treading in it’, and indeed, a wee brown jobby plopped out onto the grass as I opened the door.

Still, at least I then knew where most of the burger ‘meat’ was sourced!!! 😮

😀 Free biccies too. Cuts down on the need to buy expensive food. says Moggy

OOOOH now we are talking,go on what sort,if you tell me they are choccy i’ll start to dribble LOL:D
The problem is i normally go with others that arent members either:(

Originally posted by trumper
😀 Nope, i don’t buy the Mag anymore.and the facilities should’nt be good only for those that do:)

Seems to me the answer is in your own hands.. 😉

Moggy

Free biccies too. Cuts down on the need to buy expensive food.

😀 Nope, i don’t buy the Mag anymore.and the facilities should’nt be good only for those that do:)

Originally posted by trumper
…. my comments were NOT directed to Old Warden,we went to an evening one there 2 months ago or so and it was wonderful,but they don’t have the crowds there that you get at other air displays.
My comments were for the larger displays

But, of course, Trumper, as a FlyPast subscriber surely you get to use the luxurious and uncrowded loos in the private enclosure at Duxford, Elvington etc.

Don’t you?

Moggy

Originally posted by patb
best/worst food and best/worst toilets.

Did you want the food and the toilet in the same photo?

one of my points to OW was that they are missing out on potential revenue by not offering better food. I think many people are happy to pay £4/5 for something decent. Setting up a shed selling donkey burgers simply shows no imagination. There is no real reason why they have to use outside contractors who turn up with the fish and chip vans on the morning. They run so many events thoughout the year that I am sure that they could invest in some better quality catering units. (they cold even hire them out to DX when the dates don’t clash) In the long term, they would repay for themselves both financially and from a good will basis from punters who want something better than a piece of donkey in a 5p bread roll. I realise why many of you take picnics but from OW’s point of view, every visitor who brings a picnic is lost revenue.

I don’t want to go into marketing speak but the demographics at OW is different from other shows with a more mature audience who I am sure may pay an extra £1 for the chance not to wait 20 mins to be served and also some decent food. OW has fantastic potential (similar in my mind to Brooklands) with a very strong brand/image and they are really not making the most of it.

I am hoping to go to France next year for a couple a shows and I have heard that they do have decent grub

The cafe is a very nice place for a tea and pastie but only on a non-display day. As soon as we saw the the line of punters waiting to be served at the cafe , we thought why bother?. Again, more lost revenue.

Final point, with so many of us using digital cameras, perhaps next year we should run a competiotion for best/worst food and best/worst toilets. Each nomination must come with a colour photo as evidence. Perhaps Flypast could sponsor a “Golden Burger” Award (or “Golden loobrush 🙂

I wont pay the extortionate prices for the rubbish at most airdisplays, the ONLY exception is Mildenhall [ when it’s on] and i suspect the Americans enjoy their food and i enjoy eating their burgers at a GOOD price as well.
We should all boycott the stands until they get the message,but alas we don’t complain.I also agree about the total lack of usable toilets as well,oh why, oh why ,oh why.
——————————————————————————–

.:) Sorry my comments were NOT directed to Old Warden,we went to an evening one there 2 months ago or so and it was wonderful,but they don’t have the crowds there that you get at other air displays.
My comments were for the larger displays ive been to in the past at other places and in general,sorry if it was mistaken as just against O W it was’nt,my apologies

Went to the second Military Pageant at OW during the summer,and it was my first visit to OW.Personally,I couldn’t fault it-brilliant weather,lovely aircraft,decent facilities etc.Me and my ‘bruvver’ brought along our own nosh and just sat back and enjoyed the day.
I can only comment on that particular display,but when I went to the toilets at 6pm-ish they were pretty decent,streets and streets better than the portaloos we usually have to put up with! I can only assume the chap above was talking about Mildenhall.I even thought things at OW were a little better than Duxford-sorry all you DX people!
I can understand a few people feeling that there isn’t enough catering on site,but as some have suggested,bringing your own and making a picnic of it is probably the best idea anyway.
I’ll definately be back to OW next year,hopefully several times! 🙂