An update on the Bars and Kiosks

General Manager Albert Davies provides an update on the Bars and Kiosks operation at the Deva Stadium so far this season…

We’re now one month into the new Enterprise National League North campaign as we continue to navigate what is a huge project of bringing the Bars and Kiosks in-house here at Chester Football Club.

So much work has gone in from Sara and her team, our Facilities Director Nick Phillipson, and the rest of the staff and volunteers to get us up and running. From stocking, to painting and decorating, to new POS software, there’s been so much to consider and tackle – and they’re doing a brilliant job.

We’re all really pleased with the progress we’ve made so far, but recognise (and hope supporters do too) that it isn’t going to be perfect after just a month, but we hope to continue to improve as the season progresses.

With that, here’s where we are at and what we still hope to achieve in the coming months…

BLUES BAR

With more than 2,000 pints sold in the first month of the season, it’s brilliant to see the Blues Bar buzzing and so busy on matchdays both before and after matches.

Full credit to Sara, our Bar Manager, who managed to negotiate a brilliant deal to see Sky Sports return to the bars and – when you add in the TNT Sports package courtesy of the National League – supporters will struggle to miss a minute of the action this season.

Of course, queuing can vary based on the time and day but hopefully you will see an improvement on serving times, with the extra ‘Craft’ Bar as it’s known also serving the same beers as the Main Bar.

In terms of next steps for us, we are going to be adding further variety to the ‘Craft’ Bar so supporters are not as limited if they queue for this bar rather than the main bar. We are also preparing to undertake a refitting of the kitchen area which will enable us to serve hot food within the Bar before and after games in due course – something we are really excited about.

KIOSKS

Along with staffing the Bars, we’ve also recruited 30 of our own Kiosk Staff, who are all hard-working and dedicated and hopefully they are enjoying their experience working here at the Deva!

As we continue to progress, we are looking for even more staff to join our team, so if you are interested in some casual paid work: CLICK HERE

We’ve received plenty of positive feedback on the hot food additions now available in our kiosks, including chips, alongside burgers and hot dogs – which complement the fantastic pies we’re proudly supplied with by Cottoms.

That said, we know there’s still work to do in finding the right balance across all stands to ensure everyone is well catered for on matchdays. Initially we were only able to open one kiosk on the Harry Mac, but now we have both full operational going forward. As we move forward and gather more data, we’ll be able to make even more tweaks to get things just right.

Supporters in the West Stand will be aware they are currently unable to purchase some food such as chips, this is due to the size of the kiosks – but we are working on renovating these kiosks to ensure we can install some friers over time. We’re also in the process of procuring a coffee supplier to offer better quality hot drinks throughout the stadium.

Just finally on the kiosks, we understand there is a frustration over the removal of bottle caps on drinks within the kiosks, particularly as they are now attached to the bottle as they assist with recycling.

Unfortunately, this is a decision beyond the control of anyone at the football club. We would like to emphasise this point as it is not the fault of the hardworking kiosk staff serving you, they are doing what they are instructed to do – so please treat them with respect.

CANOPY

We opened the Canopy back in March and the growth it has seen since then has been tremendous. We must firstly thank all of the external vendors who have assisted us throughout this time, and continue to do so, with a special mention to Spookton Brewery who did a great job on the ale front as we got up and running.

Much like the bars and the kiosks, being supporter owned means we must make decisions – however difficult – that we feel gives us the best opportunity to continuously grow revenue streams in an increasingly competitive environment.

We’ve been working with Hawkstone in the new ‘Seals Shed’ which has been open for the last two home matches and served 250 bottles of beer.

For those that want pints in the Canopy, not to worry, we will be installing pumps for us to serve pints by the end of the month.

For transparency, the Hawkstone agreement means they are very kindly fitting all of the equipment completely free of charge, which has saved us tens of thousands of pounds. That makes such a huge difference to us and we thank them for their support!

And equally, we really appreciate your support and patience. Fan ownership means we all have a part to play and we can all make a difference, and I stress once again that the benefits of the above all being ‘in-house’ means that every pint you buy, every soft drink, every burger, every pie – it all benefits YOUR club.

As ever, if you have any questions or feedback, you can email me at albert.davies@chesterfc.com or Sara at bars@chesterfc.com.