Game Day Experince-TCF

[josh087]

+4th & 37. That was absolutely ridiculous! I can follow the game easily, but others may have issues. These things just keep popping up that make us look like some Mickey Mouse operation....

They had a new guy operating the scoreboard for this game - hadn't seen him before. He was obviously not familiar with how it operated and was WAY off most of the game and slow.

We had to keep yelling at him what the down and distance was, who took the timeout, etc, and he still couldn't keep up. Frustrating.

 

[BleedGopher]

This person that wrote a letter to the editor at the STrib weighs in on his game day experience:

Letter of the Day (Sept. 3): Gophers football



My wife and I decided to leave for Gophers football opener early and have a sandwich before the game. The traffic from Bloomington on Interstate 35W was quite light — but then we reached I-94.

One and a quarter hours after leaving home, we arrived at our prepaid parking spot on Oak Street — but the lot was full because not enough people had left from the afternoon. We were told to follow the car ahead of us to the 4th Street ramp.

We did so, wondering if our “guides” really knew where to go. A few spots were open on the fifth floor. We were already wondering how long it would take to vacate the building when the game was over.

Now the long walk to the stadium — we could hear the announcer; the game had begun. Rather than getting something to eat, we went to our seats. The Gophers were already behind.

At the end of the first quarter, we headed to the concession stand. The beer lines were very long, so forget about that. We waited in the food line for some time and finally got to order … but no food was available for 15 minutes: sold out.

We returned to our seats to watch the final minutes of the first half. Then, at halftime, we went home and watched the rest of the game on TV. It was the best decision we made that night.

JOHN DEBLON, Bloomington

http://www.startribune.com/opinion/221865571.html

Go Gophers!!

 

[bleedsmaroonandgold]

This person that wrote a letter to the editor at the STrib weighs in on his game day experience:

Letter of the Day (Sept. 3): Gophers football



My wife and I decided to leave for Gophers football opener early and have a sandwich before the game. The traffic from Bloomington on Interstate 35W was quite light — but then we reached I-94.

One and a quarter hours after leaving home, we arrived at our prepaid parking spot on Oak Street — but the lot was full because not enough people had left from the afternoon. We were told to follow the car ahead of us to the 4th Street ramp.

We did so, wondering if our “guides” really knew where to go. A few spots were open on the fifth floor. We were already wondering how long it would take to vacate the building when the game was over.

Now the long walk to the stadium — we could hear the announcer; the game had begun. Rather than getting something to eat, we went to our seats. The Gophers were already behind.

At the end of the first quarter, we headed to the concession stand. The beer lines were very long, so forget about that. We waited in the food line for some time and finally got to order … but no food was available for 15 minutes: sold out.

We returned to our seats to watch the final minutes of the first half. Then, at halftime, we went home and watched the rest of the game on TV. It was the best decision we made that night.

JOHN DEBLON, Bloomington

http://www.startribune.com/opinion/221865571.html

Go Gophers!!

And we wonder why we've had attendance problems. What a gong show. As for Josh's comments about the new guy working the scoreboard, the U really should have trained the guy better or had some better supervision.

 

[maroonfive]

I don't get it. I eat before and after the game and I don't leave my seat. I am there to watch the game.

 

[monk10]

Excuse me stewardess? I speak rant:

I refused to stand up just so I could piss off the "we need to stand on third down" crowd to make me feel better.

Dammit my lack of spelling always ruins a good troll post

Satire; he was being satirical.

But then again there are always the easy ones to bait. Maybe I've been quiet too long on this board to shame the fools away?

 

[We're Comin']

My only bad experience was at halftime at Famous Dave's. i ordered two BBQ sandwiches, then found out they were out. They told me they had two Burnt Ends left, which I said "fine, I'll take them". She took my money, then she discovered that the only had one left. Ridiculous. I got my money back and asked to throw in a bun for the one order of Burnt Ends. She did, and it looked like a bun that was sat on. Come on!

 

[NateDawgUM]

Minnesotan's obsession with traffic makes me laugh, hard and consistently.

My sister was driving through Tennessee on her way to a wedding this weekend. She got caught in game day traffic, 100 miles outside of Knoxville, SEVEN hours before kickoff. And our fans are upset about a little traffic on I-94 when they arrive too close to game time?

We have a small stadium in a major metropolitan area. Our traffic situation is nothing, we have massive interstates feeding into campus.

As far as the concession fiasco, isn't this virtually all the doing of Aramark? I can't imagine that anybody in the Athletic Department has much control over game to game concession operations since all staffing, ordering and prep work is done by an outside firm. When does the Aramark contract expire? There are many other firms...Delaware North has Target Field and the Target Center, Levy does the X, Centerplate runs concessions at the Dome.

 

[station19]

Minnesotan's obsession with traffic makes me laugh, hard and consistently.

My sister was driving through Tennessee on her way to a wedding this weekend. She got caught in game day traffic, 100 miles outside of Knoxville, SEVEN hours before kickoff. And our fans are upset about a little traffic on I-94 when they arrive too close to game time?

We have a small stadium in a major metropolitan area. Our traffic situation is nothing, we have massive interstates feeding into campus.

As far as the concession fiasco, isn't this virtually all the doing of Aramark? I can't imagine that anybody in the Athletic Department has much control over game to game concession operations since all staffing, ordering and prep work is done by an outside firm. When does the Aramark contract expire? There are many other firms...Delaware North has Target Field and the Target Center, Levy does the X, Centerplate runs concessions at the Dome.

Good question.

 

[MrC]

Satire; he was being satirical.

And fun to parse at that!

 

[CP Gopher]

We gave ourselves plenty of time, battled little traffic, found a decent parking spot near the lot where we tailgate and had a fabulous time. We don't eat at the games, maybe have a beverage or two, and always time our concession visits so we're not there at the busiest times. It's pretty simple if you take a few minutes to plan ahead.

 

[Bayfieldgopher]

A FYI for those exiting after the game on Univ. Ave east. The left turn north onto Hwy 280 is now reduced to one lane due to the train construction. Traffic was backed up as the brief green left turn arrow only allowed 5 or 6 cars to make it. We will be using Raymond Ave. next time.

 

[e.bigelow]

We gave ourselves plenty of time, battled little traffic, found a decent parking spot near the lot where we tailgate and had a fabulous time. We don't eat at the games, maybe have a beverage or two, and always time our concession visits so we're not there at the busiest times. It's pretty simple if you take a few minutes to plan ahead.

+1

 

[RailBaronYarr]

Minnesotan's obsession with traffic makes me laugh, hard and consistently.

My sister was driving through Tennessee on her way to a wedding this weekend. She got caught in game day traffic, 100 miles outside of Knoxville, SEVEN hours before kickoff. And our fans are upset about a little traffic on I-94 when they arrive too close to game time?

We have a small stadium in a major metropolitan area. Our traffic situation is nothing, we have massive interstates feeding into campus.

As far as the concession fiasco, isn't this virtually all the doing of Aramark? I can't imagine that anybody in the Athletic Department has much control over game to game concession operations since all staffing, ordering and prep work is done by an outside firm. When does the Aramark contract expire? There are many other firms...Delaware North has Target Field and the Target Center, Levy does the X, Centerplate runs concessions at the Dome.

What makes you think this is something that alleviates the congestion problem rather than exacerbating it?

I call BS on most of the story - I picked up my wife from downtown Minneapolis at ~4:30 PM, 1.5 hours prior to kickoff. I decided to take any number of alternate routes in to campus beyond the freeway (which, any person who currently lives in the metro area should know will be flooded on a weeknight with the Fair and Twins game -the U did a great job informing people of the possible traffic situation). I went north out of downtown via 3rd/Central, hiked over on University Ave, then when the congestion there seemed a bit much, went up to 8th St. Fed right down in to campus no problem.

Getting out was a completely different story, obviously. Washington Ave was gone last year as an option, but something seemed worse this time around. However, the U is hardly in a position to be blamed for the fact that 95%+ of non-students choose to arrive by car and then bitch and moan about congestion when everyone leaves at once. I'd like to think a variety of things to do post-game would slow the rush to a trickle - have a bite to eat at a restaurant, walk around, do some more post-game tailgating, etc. But I doubt more than 10% of fans would ever truly consider this. Ultimately, a campus smack dab in the middle of an urban area will need to have people shift their mindsets in how to arrive. The Green Line next year will be crucial. People may consider parking further away and using a Nice Ride bike rental. Or the bus (maybe the buses along 4th and University should get dedicated lanes on gamedays/always?).

Beyond that, I honestly had no complaints about the atmosphere or food - lines went quickly, they had what we needed, etc. Calm down on the announcer, seriously. Are we really so foamy at the mouth over the scoreboard numbers/digits? I could look down on the field and see what down it was and how far they had to go. They'll work the kinks out, that's what these tune-up games are for.

 

[pointman99]

Ridiculous. What kind of route did John take? His definition of early must be game time.

I left downtown Minneapolis at 4pm, went home, met wife, drove to Ski-U-Mah and parked at 5. Since we were running behind we met my in-laws at Campus Pizza for dinner. Tthey came from working in Apple Valley & Eden Prairie and parked on the street... We ate and got into the stadium at kickoff. Bummed I couldn't get out of work for tailgating earlier, but still...

And as someone earlier stated...go to an out of state game. Florida Homecoming 2010 vehicles everywhere, highways, Gainesville roads, parked on campus lawns, etc.

I was disappointed I couldn't read any comments to his article.

 

[Bayfieldgopher]

Yep. Providing food, drink and parking on a college workday for 40-45,000 people is a breeze.

A few kudo's are in order. The UM allowed empty water bottles into TCF and also had free water stations available. And as usual, the bathroom lines were short and they are serviced very well. Easy access through the ticket gate into the stadium. The band sounded great and the students were loud and active. Great time!!

We took in the Twins game, parked in our usual place, took the University Ave #16 bus to and from which worked like a charm even though it was rush hour. Using common sense and a bit of creativity goes a long way and makes for an enjoyable experience.

 

[Ski U Mah Gopher]

The only bad experience I had was the traffic the #16 bus had to endure going downtown after the game. But next year the Green Line should be smooth sailing down Washington. But all of us on the bus were in it together.

I ended up taking the bus to Nicollet and got on the train to Bloomington there. A good choice, since the Vikings game had just finished by the time the bus got downtown.

 

[Central Valley Bowties]

I apologize if this has been mentioned prior in this post or other posts..but thinking about 'Game Day' experience perhaps the 'Grounds' of TCF Bank Stadium need to be expanded. On the open (West) end of the stadium sits now beer tents...where there is a log jam of people and no where to meet up or just congregate. My suggestion is adding a second fence outside the stadium to where you could add vendors have the beer tents to open up congestions in the main concourse. This way fans could come and go from the stadium-proper but be allowed back in. The U could regulate the vendors and such. The gates at the end of the stadium could be opened to let fans freely go between the areas and make it easier/quicker to get service. Just a few thoughts.

 

[tikited]

Bike to a tailgate party (if you can). No traffic issue. No food or drink issues.

We were able to do that for every game last year. If cold, we drive the bikes as close as we can get to campus and then ride the rest of the way. In fact, we have only had to drive to about three-four games total since the new digs.

 

[savagerube]

Yep. Providing food, drink and parking on a college workday for 40-45,000 people is a breeze.

A few kudo's are in order. The UM allowed empty water bottles into TCF and also had free water stations available. And as usual, the bathroom lines were short and they are serviced very well. Easy access through the ticket gate into the stadium. The band sounded great and the students were loud and active. Great time!!

We took in the Twins game, parked in our usual place, took the University Ave #16 bus to and from which worked like a charm even though it was rush hour. Using common sense and a bit of creativity goes a long way and makes for an enjoyable experience.

Considering how the game was managed last Thursday, you're right!

First of all, Aramark was well aware of the 6,000 or so tickets that were given out the student section. A company like Aramark, who services 150+ stadiums (most are larger than TCF) should have the foresight and be able to successfully accommodate fans. There wasn't enough food for a half, much less a whole game. Secondly, If I'm paying over $1000/year for tickets I should be able to order food at halftime. Lastly, this isn't TCF's first rodeo, the UNLV game was the 29th game held @ TCF. If providing food,drink and parking for 40,000 fans is such a feat (which I'll admit is no small task), then why doesn't Target field have the same issues? Target Field manages a gameday experience 80+ nights a year, whereas TCF Bank hosts about 7 games/season. I know Target Field isn't perfect but at least I can get a hot dog during the home half of the 5th inning. The lack of food and basic concession shouldn't be an issue at this point considering we're in year 5 @ the bank.

 

[RailBaronYarr]

Again, I must be buying the right food in the right locations. Got a hot dog and brat in the early part of the 2nd quarter, wife got a thing of nachos/cheese in the late third quarter. I've purchased hot dogs, Gopher Sticks (panini things), and hot chocolate at all times of the game in the past. People seemed to be coming and going freely with beer (glasses and bottle cans) throughout the game. I must be sitting in the lottery-winning section every game?

 

[lexicalNinja]

My biggest probem on game days is actually the fans that sit and wach the game. I don't really care how you spend your money on tickets, but I am going to stand up and be loud and cheer my team on. I hate the fact that I have to sit down except on third down on key drives because some jerk wants to sit down and not clap or cheer or do anything.

If that is how you want to spend your money, fine. But give me a break. I'v been to Beaver Stadium during a white out. There isn't a whole lot of sitting and people are loud and cheering for their team. Being loud disrupts the other team and causes mistakes. There is no rule that say you sit down unless it is third down. Nothing is going to change in rectruiting or student attendance if the malais in the stands continues.

 

[WorkingMyTailOff]

I'm with you LexicalNinja. I don't think you can go wrong standing and cheering the entire time. If there is a little person behind me, I make sure I get out of that person's way and I will usually let them people around me know that: 1. I'm excited for the game and 2. I might stand and yell the whole game.

 

[Schnauzer]

Again, I must be buying the right food in the right locations. Got a hot dog and brat in the early part of the 2nd quarter, wife got a thing of nachos/cheese in the late third quarter. I've purchased hot dogs, Gopher Sticks (panini things), and hot chocolate at all times of the game in the past. People seemed to be coming and going freely with beer (glasses and bottle cans) throughout the game. I must be sitting in the lottery-winning section every game?

Or... everyone else is dumb or untruthful. I'm sure that wasn't the point you were trying to make.

I have had concession issues in the past with them being out of food. Multiple times, multiple outlets. I can't speak to the UNLV game because I didn't buy any concessions during that game. However, based on my own experience I certainly believe it, and it sounds like they ran out of stuff even earlier this time.

 

[e.bigelow]

Or... everyone else is dumb or untruthful. I'm sure that wasn't the point you were trying to make.

I have had concession issues in the past with them being out of food. Multiple times, multiple outlets. I can't speak to the UNLV game because I didn't buy any concessions during that game. However, based on my own experience I certainly believe it, and it sounds like they ran out of stuff even earlier this time.

I typically do not buy concessions at the game. If I do though, my season tickets are in section 103, which is near the open end of the stadium, and the vendors down there (set up in the open end) typically do not run out of food when I have gone, which has been from half way through the second quarter to around the end 3rd quarter or whenever they close up for the game. Just from my experiences anyways.

Dr. Don will like this, I do frequent the beer lines often, they haven't seemed to run out yet.

 

[Formo]

Solutions:

Don't eat stadium food (it tastes like pooh, expensive, and is terrible for you) and if you do, buy it 30 minutes before kickoff.

Only buy drinks from the vendors that come down the isles (or that sit at the tops of the sections).

Come early/stay late. No, seriously. Traffic is less of a hassle when you plan on making the experience a 12 hour event instead of a 3 hour football game. Walk around campus. Meet other fans. Hit up the bars/restaurants in Stadium Village/Dinkytown. Watch the Victory March and high five your favorite Gopher (Goldy and the players). Enjoy the tailgate lots/live music on Block G. 90 minutes or so before kickoff, make way to the stadium. Use the facilities, get whatever food/drink you may want. Walk around the concourses and get the views of the field from different perspectives. Make way to your seats. Kick back and relax. During the game, DON'T LEAVE YOUR SEATS unless it's something serious. After the game, stick around for the Alma Mater song. Let the vast majority of your section clear out before trying to fight your way through the crowd. Take your time in getting back to your vehicle. When you do, if you tailgate, kick back at your spot and relax. If not, chill out in your car.

I know not everyone will do this and even if they did, it would generate a whole other group of problems.. But for the complainers that want solutions: Stop expecting TheU, Aramark, etc to wipe your ass, take charge of your own stress levels. It will make your gameday experiences a lot more enjoyable. Seriously.

If you don't take action towards a solution for your 'poor' gameday experiences, you are as much as part of the problem as TheU/Aramark/etc are.

 

[bleedsmaroonandgold]

Solutions:

Don't eat stadium food (it tastes like pooh, expensive, and is terrible for you) and if you do, buy it 30 minutes before kickoff.

Only buy drinks from the vendors that come down the isles (or that sit at the tops of the sections).

Come early/stay late. No, seriously. Traffic is less of a hassle when you plan on making the experience a 12 hour event instead of a 3 hour football game. Walk around campus. Meet other fans. Hit up the bars/restaurants in Stadium Village/Dinkytown. Watch the Victory March and high five your favorite Gopher (Goldy and the players). Enjoy the tailgate lots/live music on Block G. 90 minutes or so before kickoff, make way to the stadium. Use the facilities, get whatever food/drink you may want. Walk around the concourses and get the views of the field from different perspectives. Make way to your seats. Kick back and relax. During the game, DON'T LEAVE YOUR SEATS unless it's something serious. After the game, stick around for the Alma Mater song. Let the vast majority of your section clear out before trying to fight your way through the crowd. Take your time in getting back to your vehicle. When you do, if you tailgate, kick back at your spot and relax. If not, chill out in your car.

I know not everyone will do this and even if they did, it would generate a whole other group of problems.. But for the complainers that want solutions: Stop expecting TheU, Aramark, etc to wipe your ass, take charge of your own stress levels. It will make your gameday experiences a lot more enjoyable. Seriously.

If you don't take action towards a solution for your 'poor' gameday experiences, you are as much as part of the problem as TheU/Aramark/etc are.

I don't believe I have ever purchased food at the stadium. I am usually stuffed full from tailgating, and regretting how much I have eaten in the 5 hours prior to the game. I weighed in earlier on the lines because I spent a long time in a five person line to by some bottled water, because my pregame activities combined with the heat had left me dehydrated. However, I understand that different people come to the games for different reasons, and some people think of the overpriced stadium food as part of the experience. If they want a hot dog at the game, who am I to judge? What I can't figure out is why so many people think that, with what ticket prices are, it is unreasonable to expect that there will still be hotdogs there available for overpriced purchase in the second half of the game.

As to my experience in line, I would have had no problem with the line taking a long time if I decided I wanted water from that stand at the same time 100 other people did, and I had to wait for all 100 of them. What bothered me was how on earth could it take an employee several minutes per customer to grab bottled beverages from the fridge behind him and swipe a credit card?

Finally, I saw someone suggesting we were taking the scoreboard thing too seriously. I think that is a fundamental and simple part of the experience that was absolutely bungled. Probably the worst part of the operation. As TV broadcasts get better, stadium football is having to compete with TV that offers frequent statistics, graphics, and multiple camera angles. The Gophers have not been selling out, so we cannot afford to lose any fans. There is only so much that the stadium can do to compete with people who want the up to date, detailed stats, but accurately reporting the down and distance is something that absolutely should be taken care of.

 

[Grant]

Run the scoreboard correctly.
Stock the concessions properly and somehow give the people running them some incentive to not be complete dolts.
Run the stadium entrances efficiently. This aspect actually has improved a great deal.

This isn't asking a lot and things don't need to run perfectly but if you want people to come to the games put some effort into the things that affect their experience.

 

[Formo]

I don't believe I have ever purchased food at the stadium. I am usually stuffed full from tailgating, and regretting how much I have eaten in the 5 hours prior to the game. I weighed in earlier on the lines because I spent a long time in a five person line to by some bottled water, because my pregame activities combined with the heat had left me dehydrated. However, I understand that different people come to the games for different reasons, and some people think of the overpriced stadium food as part of the experience. If they want a hot dog at the game, who am I to judge? What I can't figure out is why so many people think that, with what ticket prices are, it is unreasonable to expect that there will still be hotdogs there available for overpriced purchase in the second half of the game.

As to my experience in line, I would have had no problem with the line taking a long time if I decided I wanted water from that stand at the same time 100 other people did, and I had to wait for all 100 of them. What bothered me was how on earth could it take an employee several minutes per customer to grab bottled beverages from the fridge behind him and swipe a credit card?

Finally, I saw someone suggesting we were taking the scoreboard thing too seriously. I think that is a fundamental and simple part of the experience that was absolutely bungled. Probably the worst part of the operation. As TV broadcasts get better, stadium football is having to compete with TV that offers frequent statistics, graphics, and multiple camera angles. The Gophers have not been selling out, so we cannot afford to lose any fans. There is only so much that the stadium can do to compete with people who want the up to date, detailed stats, but accurately reporting the down and distance is something that absolutely should be taken care of.

You just answered your own question. The ticket price isn't for the right to get hot dogs, brats or whatever crappy food you want to consume. It's for the right to sit in a seat/bench to watch a football game. That's why we pay $8 for a stinkin' 40 cent heavily processed steamed 'meat'. If they don't have that steam processed meat in stock, then you don't pay for it (thus relieving yourself of the 'right' to have it). It IS unreasonable that one thinks they are entitled to a hot dog guarantee with the price they pay for admission.

I'm not saying TheU/Aramark/etc are flawless and absolved from all responsibility here. I am simply offering a solution for those who ACTUALLY want one. For those that want to bitch about the tiniest details 'ruining' their gameday experiences, that's cool too. Just know that you only sound like a spoiled brat. The rotten child, not the steamed processed meat.

 

[Iceland12]

They gave out coupons for food to those Freshmen who got free tickets for orientation. Maybe they didn't TELL the vendors about that.

They then had far more people that wanted to eat at the stadium than usual because they had to. It was a Thursday Night game kicking-off at 6:00 and many people had obligations that meant they couldn't stop and eat or get down there early enough to tailgate or eat from the food trucks. Put those two things together and that might explain the 2nd Quarter food shortages.

Now add in the fact that TCF only has 40,000 people plus 7 days a year. That meant that they didn't build in a lot of space for vendors to have kitchens or cooking areas large enough to prepare a lot of food onsite and a "bad estimate" of demand by vendors and Aramark could explain a problem that should be limited to the opening day.

The problem could have been solved by Paul Geil 35 years ago if he could have convinced the big time donors to write some big checks or help him lobby the Legislature for $15 million to renovate Memorial Stadium. He couldn't. They wanted the HHH Dome. The stadium was torn-down and things were built in it's place.

Or the University could have waited and thrown-in with the Vikings and been secondary tenants again. This time in a football palace that would never run out of food or parking. It would also have 70,000 seats. 25-30,000 of which would be full of Badger, Hawkeye and Husker fans this year.

Most of us didn't want that. That Viking Stadium drawing is damn nice though...

Concessions WERE a problem last Thursday. They shouldn't be a problem again.

Now for everybody complaining about the scoreboard...yeah, I got nothing.

They should have had plenty of time to practice running it before Thursday's game. That was just screwed-up.

 

[bleedsmaroonandgold]

You just answered your own question. The ticket price isn't for the right to get hot dogs, brats or whatever crappy food you want to consume. It's for the right to sit in a seat/bench to watch a football game. That's why we pay $8 for a stinkin' 40 cent heavily processed steamed 'meat'. If they don't have that steam processed meat in stock, then you don't pay for it (thus relieving yourself of the 'right' to have it). It IS unreasonable that one thinks they are entitled to a hot dog guarantee with the price they pay for admission.

I'm not saying TheU/Aramark/etc are flawless and absolved from all responsibility here. I am simply offering a solution for those who ACTUALLY want one. For those that want to bitch about the tiniest details 'ruining' their gameday experiences, that's cool too. Just know that you only sound like a spoiled brat. The rotten child, not the steamed processed meat.

I feel like the ticket includes the whole shebang. Yes I have paid for my butt to be in the seat. However, I feel like implicit in the deal is that I should expect to have accesss to other benefits, such as access to restrooms and concessions. If I take my girlfriend out on a date, and when we get inside after I have paid, they tell me they have ran out of popcorn, I would be annoyed as well.

I have sympathy for your general sentiment that we should not be whining about every little thing. But I think the scoreboard consistently displaying wildly inaccurate game situations and running out of food are not little. It is not like people are complaining that the scoreboard said 3rd and 1 when it probably should have been 3rd and a short.

Sincrely,

Spoiled Brat