Food at regionals?

[Forsaken85]

Hey i got a question. Did everyone else have food problems at the regionals. Our food that we could buy was over priced as well as terrible. In my chicken there was a piece of cartiledge. Also the french fries were over salted. All F.I.R.S.T cares about is giving the better food to the vips and voulenteers. I was outraged when we could not bring in descent food from the outside. They even took our water away. And then told us to buy water costing 2.00 dollars or more. So did anyone else have these similar problems to?

[Ryan Albright]

Well if you look most of the food provided at the venue is from the people supplying the staduim. Then the food for vips is provided by FIRST. Its like any sporting event you go to you are not aloud to bring food in,. I wish they would change the rule about water though, because that is something you need and they shouldnt charge you for bringing in the water

[Trinora]

237 anticipated food problems and did a good deal of smuggling, but there was some complaining. FIRST has a hard enoguh time keeping places to hold compitions, so it is understandable why they would not complain if we violated Arena standards. FIRST -should- ake care of their voulnteers first, and with good reason... And you could have always left the Arena and tried to find a place to eat, as arduous as the task would be.

However, by Saturday, I was talking, fighting, eating, drinking, sleeping, DREAMING robotics, and found I had little enough appitite as it was.

[Rich Wong]

Originally Posted by Forsaken85

Hey i got a question. Did everyone else have food problems at the regionals. Our food that we could buy was over priced as well as terrible. In my chicken there was a piece of cartiledge. Also the french fries were over salted. All F.I.R.S.T cares about is giving the better food to the vips and voulenteers. I was outraged when we could not bring in descent food from the outside. They even took our water away. And then told us to buy water costing 2.00 dollars or more. So did anyone else have these similar problems to?

NJ Regional arena food prices were crazy!
These are high school students, who eat and drink constantly, several people complained to me when I was chatting to them about lunch. When I looked at the prices I was shocked. Luckily they found a pizza shop down the road.
Someone please give these kids a break.
(and I hate the hockey ring walls too)

[sygterm]

Originally Posted by Ryan_team710

Its like any sporting event you go to you are not aloud to bring food in

True, however I've never heard of a sporting event which went as far as to take away the food if they saw you eating it, usually they just frown upon you bringing food in from outside. For the $5000 entry fee, I think they could afford to let you bring in your own food.

Originally Posted by Rich Wong

Someone please give these kids a break.

Agree'd

[kjohnson]

At VCU there were two places to eat. Both were overpriced but one was worse than the other. I don't know how they managed to get us to pay $3 for a hot-dog but we did. But there was also a sandwich place at VCU. They had sandwich wraps and fried chicken. Their prices weren't so bad but both had fountain drinks for $3. <--Crazy prices.

[Rich Kressly]

I see this as a very unfortunate downside to securing these large stadium venues for regionals. Most stadium venues have direct contracts with food service companies that cannot be violated during any event booked within. The problem with a FIRST event is that it's three days long, eight plus hours per day and many participants are busy enough with team jobs/duties that leaving for food is not an option. It really would be nice if a more student/team friendly arrangement could be made at the SBA in NJ for 2005.

[Adam Y.]

Isn't there a law in some states that specifically says you cannot deny anyone water if they ask.

[Koko Ed]

Eh,
Go to any professonal sporting event and you have to pay for the same crappy overpriced food. It's called a captive audiance. If we were given the choice of paying for the food and having a great place to hold a competition or getting kicked out and having it in a high school or college gym ,but we can have any food you want (no food allowed in the Wilson Magnet gym), I'll pay for the food. Call it a necessary evil.

[Jones571]

3.00 for a bottle of water in NJ what is up with that? So to keep lunch prices down we bought lots of cold cuts and ate lunch on our bus. it wouldn't be so bad if they charged so much for food that actually tasted good.

[Steve W]

Let me explain a few things to those that think FIRST is responsible for the food costs. The arenas have contracts with food vendors. These contracts are for ALL events held at the arena. First has NO imput into cost or quality of the food. The arena gets paid by the food providers for the right to sell food in that location. The best bidder wins. That usually means the provider that gives the most back to the arena. Prices are then set so that the provider makes money. You then go to the arena and pay what they ask ( like the $3.00 for a soft ice cream cone I bought) or don't. If no one bought then they would have to do something about it.
Some arenas will allow you to bring in your own food at a cost. i know for a fact that the numbers that I heard were nuts.

Secondly, the food provided for volunteers and invited guests are provided by the same catering company that provides the venue food. FIRST does not bring in their own food. Being a volunteer at many different venues, I can safely say that some food IS better than you buy in the stands BUT some is no better and sometimes ...

To finish off, PLEASE do not try and smuggle food etc into venues. When people are caught it sets a very bad example of FIRST. When I have asked people if they have food and they give me their word that they don't, I would like to believe them. It only takes a few to distroy trust for all. Also when it was said that they look the other way when you are caught, this is wrong. The organizers of the event (Volunteers) hear all about it and see the distrust building with the venues. This can cause the venues to consider raising rates for following years which means you pay more. It's all a cycle so lets try and stop the bad by following the restrictions set out by FIRST.

[OneAngryDaisy]

My friends and I always walk to the nearest restaraunt to buy food.. I do know that at Philadelphia the food is provided not by the venue, so the prices are unbelievably low in comparison to other FIRST events..

[Rich Wong]

The NYC Regional's venue is at the NY Riverbank State Park.
The State Park do not have as much food vendor restrictions like the large sport arenas.
Outside food is tolerated in the park. There is no giant parking lot but a real park right outside the arena doors.
So last year a lot of the teams were relaxing and eating outside the pit.

[Heretic121]

well at BAE the prices were somewhat overpriced compared to other sporting venues in RI and MA that i have been to (like the Duknin Dounuts Center and Fenway Park) but what made it worse was IT WAS A 20 MINUTE WALK BOTH WAYS to the CLOSEST fast food place (mcdonalds at that) luckily there was a quicky mart deal w/ some sandwiches and a pizza/wraps place and a chinesse place... i just couldnt stand venue food for 3 days straight!!!! (even the chicken for dinner during the social wasnt that impressive but it was free =/)

[jacob_dilles]

Originally Posted by nukemknight

Their prices weren't so bad but both had fountain drinks for $3.

yes i was also at VCU and the $3 fountian drink is rediculus!!! they even put ice in it to give you LESS soda, if that was even possable. after my 3rd $3 coke i started asking them not to put ice in it.

Originally Posted by Ryan_team710

Its like any sporting event you go to you are not aloud to bring food in,.

i dont think this is like any sporting event, because were actualy working. this is more like a marathon. maybe they should seperate it out, so that the audence cant bring food but the people in the pits can. a "pit pass" may be in order. i dont know about the rest of you, but i was sweating up a bunch and working very hard on our robot, and i think that it is crimnal to charge $3 for a soda!!! i meen geez guys i would pay a buck for a gatorade, but this is just crazy