27 September 2008

Ainslie Schnitzel Club

| nathan
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It’s AFL Grand Final Day – not that you’d know from the treatment we received at Ainslie Football Schnitzel Club. The big screen, in thesmall area just apart from the pokies, was crowded when we arrived 20 minutes before ball-up, so we found a seat in the decidedly uncrowded bistro area, near a TV without the sound on. Fine, we thought, until all of the screens in the bistro were switched off a minute before ball-up. Luckily, they returned three minutes after ball-up, still sans sound, which wasn’t switched on until about 5 minutes in.

A hard-fought game ensued, punctuated by raffle announcements, until the Hawks finally put it to bed. Unfortunately, post-game commentary went unheard, as the screens & sound were exinguished immediately after the final siren, ten minutes after the bistro’s bar closed.

When we inquired of Adrian, the duty manager, as to why paid members were receiving this treatment on grand final day at ostensibly the most relevant venue in the inner north, if not the Territory, we were brushed off with a terse “we need to reset the bistro for dinner”, before Adrian went about whatever business was more important than calming jilted members.

Why, of all places, are Ainslie Football Club so disinterested in Aussie Rules’ biggest day?

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Yeah, without the pokies the beer would definitely not be cheaper! But stuff it, let’s all pay an extra dollar or two for a pint (if only) or schooner and get rid of the damned things. The people who play them only drink soft drink anyway! Spread out the lounge areas and get more beer drinkers in. YAAAAAAA

tylersmayhem9:39 am 13 Oct 08

Any word back on this Astro?

123qwe said :

Typical of these establishments.

If I had my way, the pokies would be gone, beer would be cheaper, chook raffles would be held hourly, the football would be the number ONE priority, the only meal served would be sausages in bread, and thongs wuld be acceptable footwear.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE!

That’s probably enough of my drunken ramblings.

I hate pokies too but I’m pretty sure without the revenue generated that they wouldn’t even be able to afford a TV to show the footy on, let alone a big screen.

and btw, both letters were hand delivered to reception, so should be no excuse for them not being received…

(and i meant early winter, not spring – was early may last year)

@astrojax, if you go to the reception desk and ask them to switch one of the smaller tv’s or even the big screens to a channel there should not be a problem. did u sit in the lounge wondering why the game was not on as you had been promised days earlier? or did you actually ask for it to be turned on when you were there to watch it?

i went into the club on the wed night before the saturday evening game to ensure the match would be shown, and assured it would, if on an outside set in the smoker’s area off the bistro. suited me, just wanted to see it.

arrived in good time, again saw reception and was directed to this outdoor area (in early spring, a bit chilly, but i was prepared to endure the cool night to watch). no game on. guests who had come from interstate arrived, met, no game. back to reception for third time, ‘sorry, but we don’t actually get that particular channel and can’t show it’… faaaark…

so why tell me you could when i went out of my way to find out? don’t you know ‘no’ is a perfectly acceptable answer, especially if its true!

i wrote a letter to the manager, then some months later to the senior executive officer – replies neither time. i find that the most disrespectful (i can forgive staff stupidity &/or inadequacy, but not management dismissing criticism)

tylersmayhem8:52 am 29 Sep 08

That’s terrible Nathan. I’d do the official thing and formally write a letter (not e-mail) and address it to the Club’s general manager. Make it clear that you doubt you will return due to that experience. I’d say that you will, and most rightly should receive a decent response.

Slightly off topic but what p*ssed me off during the grand final was that after every frikking goal was kicked whichever channel it was threw on an ad so fast we didn’t even hear what the last of the commentators words were. For me it destroyed the whole intensity and atmosphere especially when Hawthorn scored three in a row really fast to extend the first proper lead of the game. What happened to replays and commentary and momentum?

Back on topic Grand Final days for the clubs should be better than Christmas why would they stick to any sort of normal routine or approach… simply shows a lack of imagination and business ingenuity oh that’s right don’t need those when you’re making the odd million per year with flashy machines with pretty colours and lights….

It’s a strange old world….

Norfside4lyf4:26 pm 28 Sep 08

In defense of the club, the TV’s in the bistro are all programmed to automatically turn off at 2.30 as this is when the bistro closes from lunch everyday to prepare for dinner. I guess they are set, so as to save costs on electricity. It was quite unfortunate that 2.30 also happened to be the exact minute the first ball was bounced up for the match.

With that said, I can still understand the frustrations of people who wanted to see the post game analysis, celebration etc. A little accommodation for one day of the entire year would have been nicer.

@astrojax, if you go to the reception desk and ask them to switch one of the smaller tv’s or even the big screens to a channel there should not be a problem. did u sit in the lounge wondering why the game was not on as you had been promised days earlier? or did you actually ask for it to be turned on when you were there to watch it?

they were pathetic when i went in and asked some many months back for a socceroos game to be shown, assured three days out it would be, then given some half-ars’d excuse twenty minutes into game time – saw the end of first half and all second half at dickson tradies, btw.

i am a boycotter now.

and depressed – c’mon cats, what happened??

Football should never take second place to anything else.
Especially at the Ainslie.
They should be ashamed of themselves.

I agree that the club is poor, the fact that the reason for the club is squashed between the pokies and the bistro is awful.

Typical of these establishments.

If I had my way, the pokies would be gone, beer would be cheaper, chook raffles would be held hourly, the football would be the number ONE priority, the only meal served would be sausages in bread, and thongs wuld be acceptable footwear.

POWER TO THE PEOPLE!

That’s probably enough of my drunken ramblings.

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