White Waltham Catering - any good?
 

Dear fellow pilots,

I'm a member of WLAC (West London Aero Club) as I know many of you are. I just wanted to do a quick straw poll on what you all think to the current catering arrangements at our splendid club?

I'm of the opinion that since the catering arrangements changed a year or so back things have actually got worse rather than better. My main issue is the lack of food, any food, on weekday evenings. Missed in particular are traditional flyers fayre like the good ol' "bacon buttie" or the much missed "Waltham Burger". I also resent the high prices now being charged - for example £7 for fish and chips and £30 for the annual barbecue. Most of my flying is done on a weekday evening and sadly these days I always have to do it on an empty stomach.

What do you folks think? Am I the only one ?

Your feedback would be gratefully received....

- Andy.

P.S. I don't want to start a war here, just want to get a feel for how others think.

Visited there last year and thought it was rather good. Much better than the usual flying club greasy spoon-style junk food.

But if it's your club, surely it's your say?

Toasted ciabatta with crisp bacon, perhaps?

Thanks Beagle, glad you liked it. In the main the quality of the food is excellent - I don't have an issue with that personally, my gripe is around price and availability....my question was really aimed at regulars who are members of the club (but your views are welcomed of course!).

Cheers,

- Andy.

Waltham Catering
 

As a Waltham based person I like the food that the new (ish) caterers are offering. However I do agree with you that the hours of service are appalling. I often arrive back late afternoon or early evening and feel like something to eat only to find that they stop serving food, any food, after 14.30 on weekdays and 18.00 on summer weekend evenings.

You can, however, still get a bacon butty or baguette there if you ask.

Maybe this is something that we ought to be taking up with the Members Committee.

I do miss the spiral fries though... :(

Hi Phoenix09,

Thanks for the reply. How do you get a bacon butty or baguette at that time then, that's all I'm after!? I've asked and just get told "sorry there's nothing left" - if I'm really lucky I might get the last ham sandwich but more often than not I go hungry. This is the core of my problem, not the quality of the food they serve just when they serve it and the price.

Needless to say I have taken it up with the members committee (+ve response) and the catering staff (-ve response), but before going any further I want to test the water to see if mine is a largely unrepresentative view or if others feel the same.

Bring back the curly fries!

Cheers again,

- Andy.

Andy

Sorry to disagree, you must have a poor memory. Old catering was appalling. From Deep fried George to Mad Lucy. Whilst I could concur a bit on value, the general quality has gone up. Although quality has slipped slightly since the new Moroccan chef has appeared, the catering management have taken this on board. Having just completed a 10 day tour round the UK by air, Waltham has a much greater standard than most.

I am a very regular customer (almost every non work day). I would explain more of my thoughts but I am knackered.

regards

Wide
:zzz:

I rarely get to Waltham weekdays these days, but my experience of weekend visits has been excellent. It's not cheap I agree but it is good value.

The old facilities had reached appalling and were descending so I certainly wouldn't want to go back to that.

I suggest that someone asks Sandra if she could arrange for some sandwiches to be available in a cold cabinet evenings and see if that can do the trick?

I must say that the last time I was there 2-3 years ago, the food was not really that good (one tends to remember the bad experiences).

Nice friendly people though.

Tony

I like WW, the airfield is great and with 6 RWYs what more can you ask for. People are friendly and the ambiance is great.

Food is very nice and I quite often just amble down to meet with some mates at lunchtime either by car (90 mins) or plane.

Can not say either that the prices are outrageous. Nothing more than I would expect in a decent pub.

Sorry mate, think you are barking up the wrong tree here, although I can not comment on whether they always have what you want available.

FD

Thanks for your replies all,

I'm a little disappointed that I've only heard from the weekend/ lunchtime crew as my gripe is about service of a weekday evening, but it seems (so far at least) we are a very quiet bunch.

I too have no problem with quality, it's just availability and price that sparked my original post and it would seem, from this poll at least, I am in a minority. So I'll climb off my soapbox.

Incidentally Johnm, I have suggested a vending machine in the ops room for evening sarnies but not yet received any feedback on the idea.

Thanks all, happy flying!

- Andy.

OK Andy

I am a bit more awake now. First of all I am not a weekend/ weekday flyer. I fly at all time during the week. I probably spend more time at the club than is good for me. the subject of catering is close to my heart (just see my name).

There seems to be three areas to look at. Quality, Price and availability. Quality has improved beyond recognition. The food now is properly cooked and presented. As for value it is on a par with all the local food pubs. I certainly have no probs apart from the soup! Availability, yes it is a problem. as you are such a frequent evening flyer you will have seen how few people there are there most of the time. The catering franchise pays a full commercial rate to WLAC and is unable to advertise for trade outside the club. The cost of providing a full evening service are just to high.The only way to achieve full availability would be to write to Roger Mac and suggest that the club subsidise the operation-good luck.

Perhaps you should talk to Sandra, she runs the catering concern. I have done so in the past and always had any problem solved. Funny old thing I normally tell her how good things are. Instead of trying an old bulliten board assasination try talking in person.

Regards

Wide

Just popping down the club for a chicken pesto pannini for less than £3.30. Try that at ANY other flying club.

Thanks Wide-Body for taking the trouble to reply again. As I said in my original post, my intention is not to "start a war here". I just wanted to test the water and see if the lack of availability of any food in the evenings (and the prices of the daytime fayre) was an issue for any other members at WLAC.

Fly safely and enjoy your lunch!

- Andy.

Things have got a lot better since the days of Country Catering when George was enjoying a slice of Lynn's hairy fish-pie and the instructors were participating in a spit-roast of their own.:=

I agree that the opening hours could be better, but I think that the quality of the food is very good. As Wide Body says, it's a sort of superior pub grub, expecially things like Game Pie. As for the prices, they don't seem excessive, but, hey, I'm used to paying the membership fee, after which anything is cheap. It's a pity that they don't let the caterers advertise outside the club: that might even snare a few new flyers.

If you have time in the evening, you could stroll or cab down to the Beehive pub in Waltham village, where the menu is quite ambitious but the quality quite good.

You could do if you want to get ripped off even more than the flying club

AS for the club it really is a shambles when it comes to the bar / catering. Sandra is obviously making too much money (not difficult at her prices) if she can afford to close at 15:00 on a Saturday and Sunday. I went in there the other day and got charged £1 for a can of coke for my lad and £5 for a large glass of wine for Mrs Applycarbheat. If I am being tucked up with hotel prices at the bar then I expect a decent service and food on until 21:00 during the summer at weekends. CL should be having words with Sandra to make sure Food is available when it is most needed.........not when the caterers feel like it.

Why all the comparison with pubs :confused:
It's a flying club and I, along with quite a few others expect flying club food which means things like homemade cottage pie, burgers, salads etc and a special of the day........under a fiver.

£7 for fish and chips..........with frozen chips !!!
If you are going to charge hotel prices for food then at least have the professionalism to supply the quality

Sorry wide body, I don't know where you get your information from but the above statement is rubbish.
Over the last 18 years everyone else has been able to provide a full service.........except for the current operatives. Speaks volumes.

£30 for a BBQ !!! :mad:
Not sure it will happen as I believe very few tickets have been sold (and they are wondering why ) :rolleyes:

So .............my opinion of the catering ? Another good example of "rip off Britain".........only this is with attitude.......I'll only rip you off when I can be bothered to open

I'm with Walthamburger all the way on this and so are a lot of regulars at the club

Regards
ACH

Pilots, eh? Always willing to spend zillions on flying, but equally willing to gripe about a landing fee or the cost of a burger. Pub grub used to be generally dire, but has improved over the last several years. Why not the same with flying clubs?

PS: The Beehive did not strike me as a ripoff, but I eat out in London restaurants several times a week, so judgments on this may be relative. As for WLAC, well it is the West London Aero Club, so everything costs more, but at least it keeps the pikeys at bay.

PPS: Shouldn't we have this discussion on the Club's somnolent bulletin board?

PPPS: try the biltong as a beer snack: yummy.

Quote:

whilst George was enjoying a slice of Lynn's hairy fish-pie.

Unquote

Sounds like the food is of minor importance....;):ooh:

Mmmmm....Biltong...

...and I'm a big fan of the Waltham Big Breakfast as a stomach liner prior to a spot of aerobatics - the recently added
pinch of thyme on the mushrooms was a nice touch. If it
came down to a choice, I'd vote for the current situation of
plenty of food being available at the start of the day vs. the
end of the day - need the energy, you see.

The so-called Eggs Benedict is, however, a let down: Poached egg with some cold ham and mayo. Not the real deal.

As for the hairy fish pie, in an attempt to keep us out of Jet Blast, I will observe that doubtless the reference was only to this:-

http://www.candyboots.com/wwcards/fl...ckpudding.html

BRING BACK CURLY FRIES AT ALL HOURSplease

Food is often no more than adequate. Prices at top "gastro-pub" rates. Yeah it doesn't cost as much as an hours flying, but it is more than anywhere else in the area.

Personally I would rather have a greasy-spoon experience available at all hours at greasy-spoon prices. Thats normally what I look for when I fly out for lunch (Kemble take note), but maybe these places don't me to take up space with my tight wad...