Spencer Williams, Contributor
Catering for thousands of hungry cricket fans is no small feat, but it's not something new to Barry Byrne, the genius behind Versair, which provides our national airline's meals. There is little to whine about the quality of the stew peas, curry goat, chicken dishes, fish fare and oxtail. However, the service at Sabina Park during the first round of the ICC Cricket World Cup was so slow, it would have been quicker to watch the grass grow!
I feel like a stuck record when it comes to complaining about the service we provide in Jamaica. There is no doubt that the last thing we are left with when we go out to eat is the taste of the food, but it's difficult to enjoy any culinary delight if we've just spent a frustrating period of time watching five people fill and bring one box lunch at a time to a customer.
The match between the West Indies and Pakistan was an exciting and successful one, only to be marred by the fact that the concession shop on the party stand ran out of chicken and rice and peas, so we were left with the choice of beef, chicken or shrimp patties. And to make matters worse, for one lunch stub, we were given one patty. Um, I'm sorry but am I so wrong in believing that two would have been a fairer substitute for a missing meal? A full Styrofoam container of Jamaica's staple can stave off a rumbling tummy, but a six by three inch pastry hardly touches the appetite of a grown man, especially with eight Red Stripes in tow!
Breakdown of communication?
Finally, on the day when the West Indies played against Zimbabwe, an announcement was made: "Anyone holding a ticket for lunch can use it at any of the concession stands throughout the entire stadium." Excuse me, why did it take four match days for them to inform us of this? Turns out that from day one this was the case. There was simply a breakdown of communication between whom? The ICC and the caterer? The caterer and the man with the microphone? Either way, surely this was an avoidable mistake on someone's part?
So, we scurried to discover a whole world of delights other than jerk chicken! Only to find that the queues in the George Headley, West and North Stands were longer than the distance between the wickets. Then word got out that we could go to the third level where lines were much shorter. Once we had convinced the security at the elevator that a notice had indeed been made about accessing food from any refreshment stand, we went on up to gratify our bellies.
Honestly, I don't even want to get started on this one. I am so embarrassed at the lack of urgency the staff had. I am wondering whether there was some deal where they would be able to take home the food not served by the end of the day. What else could have caused this team to be so disorganised in churning out ready cooked meals and sodas? And what amazes me so much is that very few people were making a fuss about it. It's like they're so used to appalling service they don't even bat an eyelid when it happens. This was an international event for goodness sake! They ought to have made every effort to use the workforce which was clearly there, and ensured that at busy moments, lunches were ready to go as they were ordered. And during lapsed time, they should have got on the ball and opened the drinks for the thirsty clients!
Jamaica knew way in advance that we were to host the ICC World Cup, and I assume, Versair had some idea of the numbers that would show up. A training programme to improve the speed of service would have been the cream on the cricket, which was some of the most exciting sports I have watched in a while.
They ought to have made every effort to use the workforce which was clearly there, and ensured that at busy moments, lunches were ready to go as they were ordered.
