Tuesday, September 10, 2019

It's 1950's Weekend at MSU Saturday

It's back to the 1950's this weekend in Starkville.  Mississippi State University is rolling back prices to the 1950's.  MSU-KSU tickets are going for four bucks on Seatgeek and $6 on Stubhub.  Meanwhile, MSU Athletic Director called out Aramark for poor service during Saturday's game:


Yesterday's unpreparedness by concessionaire @aramark was unacceptable. Assured us last wk all stands would be fully operational. Met this a.m. to convey deep disappointment. Aramark guaranteed will not happen again. Our sincerest apologies to @HailState Family-You deserve better

Apparently not all gates or concession stands were operational.  Check out this picture taken after kickoff:

Credit: Paul Wallace
 Some comments from Twitter and message boards:

You are the man!! I knew that twitter would get you on it!! Just fix getting in the game now!! Waited over 30 minutes to get in the game

 Yes that is my only complaint. Showed up 40 minutes before kickoff and took about 45 minutes to get into the stadium.

 It’s disappointing that all parties,@aramark and@HailState, had 9 months to prepare for Saturday and this is the best they could do. The heat aside, the logistical aspects are poor, and have been, couple that with the incompetence of@aramark and it’s down right embarrassing. (KF note: Don't feel too bad, A did the same thing to LSU)

How about not offering all the new concession items hyped in that announcement. When I went to get something, I was told they were only offered downstairs. Will they offered to those of us in the upper deck or are we just SOL?
 Sev ppl left the game just bc the lines were so long & you couldn’t anything to drink. Hard to blame it solely on Aramark...we’ve been playing football at MSU for a long time. We should have concessions & entry at the gates kinda figured out by now.
 What about the ridiculousness of trying to get into the stadium! Got in line at 1:30. Finally made it to seat with 9 minutes left in 1st quarter! 2 weapon scans operating with hundreds of disgruntled fans trying to get in!! Please make improvements!!!
 My student waited in line for 30 minutes for bottled water that was hot. Said another student passed out while waiting in line.
 Stood in line to get into the stadium for maybe 7 minutes. Concessions line took 25. Way too many people behind the counter not doing a damn thing. Unacceptable. I missed the national anthem and the team running onto the field because I needed water so badly but it took forever.
Was Aramark also responsible for the broken metal detectors? Only two operated at the Northwest gate. The crowds, heat, and getting into the stadium well after the first touchdown did not make for a good game day experience
 

No surprise here. The Titans kicked out Aramark for poor service. Aramark has managed to ruin the game experience at Tiger Stadium. Aramark consistently underbids, and then provides poor service. The stands at Tiger Stadium were staffed by non-profits. A bunch of kids happy as hell to be there and working their tails off. Groups such as the local 4-H, Boy Scouts, and other similar organizations. Aramark replaced them with understaffed, surly employees paid a minimum wage who made it clear they would rather be somewhere else.

Get used to it Bulldog fans, this is what Aramark does.

26 comments:

Anonymous said...

1950's prices, but 2019 toughness when it comes to concessions.

Anonymous said...

I think 1750's would be more appropriate since most are still living in an 1850's world.

Anonymous said...

Aramark Sucks. Season ticket holder at MSU and Aramark employees look like they don't want to be there. They take their dear sweet time, the lines are long and inefficient. Lat year MSU was a pilot program with the metal detectors. It was awful. Several in each section unmanned. I heard there were several "media entry" metal detector lines that were empty they wouldn't let anyone through. "media" is usually in the game a good bit prior to kickoff". Its got to change or I will quit going.

Anonymous said...

Note to political subdivisions who are forced to follow the f*cking bid law: The law does NOT require a political subdivision to accept the LOWEST BID. The bid law requires the political subdivision to accept the LOWEST AND BEST BID. Newsflash: Aramark provides shitty service pretty much everywhere it has a bid presence. A track record of providing shitty service serves as a specific factor justifying the refusal to declare Aramark the lowest AND BEST bid. Reject their f*cking bid.

Anonymous said...

So the gate operations have nothing to do with Aramark, completely different subcontractor there. As to Aramark at MZU they are absolutely awful. They are routinely caught overcharging, or reselling leftovers that we’re bought and paid for by other groups. There were some inspection photos floating around a few months ago that showed one of their kitchens completely covered in filth, with dust & grease just caked to fans and other appliances. The issue is that the contract is managed by the Division of Student Affairs, and several conflicts exist. A total lack or accountability. They got an extension a few years ago by agreeing to pay a portion of the new cafeteria.

Anonymous said...

The parking situation needs to be addressed. The ParkMobile disaster last year was pulled and now the school is not doing any better. Parking went from $20 last year to $30 year. Yes, some lots were reduced to $10 but they are miles away from the stadium. I purchased a parking ticket online. When I got to the lot (SP behind Longest) and presented the printed ticket the attendants had no idea what to do with it. I suggested she scan the bar code. She then had to read directions on how to scan the code. She couldn't figure it out. I was able to park but the whole situation was a disaster! On top of that, purchasing the pass in advance doesn't guarantee a parking spot.

Anonymous said...

Some would say "it was the first game of the season; things will get better as the season progresses." I say bull crap to that. The university has had campus football games for decades. Things should be down to a fine art by now. It's not like this was the first ever campus game.

Anonymous said...

@10:22 So give money for the new cafeteria, and you can offer unsafe food? Sounds about par for this course.
I was once a fan of President Keenum. I now believe he is just a corporate lackey for the Higher Ed wonks that overcharge for a diminishing educational degree. I have written him with legitimate concerns and Keenum doesn't even respond.

I wrote the Dean's Office objecting to the propaganda they were celebrating cramming down my sons' throat and asked them to educate my son, not indoctrinate him. The Dean's Office did respond, albeit with lies claiming the school was founded on the four pillars of Learning, Service, Research and Diversity. I pointed out to the Dean's Office that the school was founded on three pillars (Learning, Service and Research) and the addition of diversity was revisionist history. I reminded the Dean the name of the institution is not Mississippi State Diversity. The Dean then did not respond.

I'm a two time graduate of MSU. MSU will not get another dime of my money.

Anonymous said...

Hope everyone enjoys the game.

I wouldn't sit out in that heat, deal with the crowds, parking and other bullshit for any function.

I wish college was more about learning than having a good time.

Anonymous said...

why would you ever go with the low bidder on food service? you'll get dog food

Anonymous said...

11:28 they are the dogs after all - why not dog food

Anonymous said...

And folks wonder why attendance is down at football games, both college and professional. If it's not the kneeling thugs in the NFL, it's this kind of BS at MSU. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the game from my living room with the AC set on 68 degrees, frig full of cold beer and plenty of home-cooked food. Oh, and my own personal bathroom about 10 steps away. To hell with going to games in person!!

Senator Blutarsky said...

7 years of college down the drain....

Anonymous said...

Once again Cohen blamed everbody but himself just as he did as badeball coach. There were many problems at that game that went beyond Aramark. Cohen is an empty suit. Keenum came out of Republican politics but his whole bullshit at State is Diversity.

Anonymous said...

I went to a MSU football game many years ago and parallel parked along a city street as at least 30 cars had done prior to my arrival. After the game I found every car had been towed away. I have not been back since and won't ever go back again.

Anonymous said...

For the first time in 43 years, I did not order season tickets LAST year. I should have never done that, because now I will never order them again. Long lines, hot, crowded, ridiculously long games, honoring silly "things" or groups from 30 years ago, obnoxious rap music, stupid jumbotron games and distractions, long concession lines for overpriced food....the list goes on. It is very obvious to me that this is not a MSU situation, but across the country as attendances are down everywhere. The focus is now MONEY more than ever.

Anonymous said...

It is increasingly hard to justify even going to the game. There's 100 available on TV, in the AC, for free.

Why make it even easier to stay home?

Anonymous said...

Wow! Evidently MSU Ned’s a new President, AD, concession manager, director of parking. I thought things were going pretty good.
Guess I’ll look harder for something to bitch about.

Anonymous said...

So game days are different. Parking, tickets, concessions all fall under athletics. Employees, students, everybody that paid $175 to park on campus, loses their ability to park. Parking Services has nothing to do with game days.

Anonymous said...

While I know they will never come back, I do miss those 1:30 PM kickoffs at Memorial Stadium. Making sure that your date had a big purse was the only concern. Simple times. Damn, I'm getting old.

Stuff About ZeroBear PolyBear said...

To the person (maybe KF) who wrote that they knew a stadium that allowed Civitan's club, BSA, Church groups, etc. to run their concession stands, MSU used this approach in the past and it worked much/much better then Saturday. I understand it might be easier to just give a 100% contract to someone and then walk away from it and let them do whatever they like. Sadly, if you grant a contract, you must have a contract manager to (Shocking comment follows) makes sure ahead of time, that the contract will be followed.

With a low bidder food service group, you can probably assume they will give les that decent service. However, you can assume they will give low bid service.

All of this is a shame, because folks pay lots of money to attend the games and they walk into the stadium prepared to spend even more for concessions. If concessions aren't available, the school loses money. What a shame.

Anonymous said...

I saw that line at that gate and walked two minutes to the next gate and went right in with no wait. Had a friend who stood in that line for 45 minutes. They said they saw the short line but just waited. Apparently a lot of other people did the same for some reason. Not saying it doesn’t need improvement but there were other gates to enter.

Try going to park at any other SEC school and see how far you walk. States gameday has stepped it up light years from 10 years ago. It’s not perfect but it’s not bad apart from the heat which they don’t control.

Anonymous said...

My experience was the same as 6:47. The line was no longer than last year. We were inside in less than 10 minutes.

Anonymous said...

Its time to rethink this "low bidder" mentality when it comes to football games. They only go out and hire minimum wage workers who could give two flips about making the experience better for patrons. MSU cashes a 30 million dollar check each year from ESPN and they turn around and act like they are broke when it comes to this stuff.

Anonymous said...

Any word from Kennum? he is too busy mugging for the next MSU promo video.

Anonymous said...

Question for those of you in the know...what happened to Derek Cody, the star video co-ordinator. He worked for Columbus WCBI, EMCC, then MSU. I think he married EMCC's VP's secretary. If you get a chance, read the Cody article on the MSU bus driver who retired after 30 + years. He said he would love to write a book, but he would have to go in the witness protection program.


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