XL Concessions are a disaster

[ZenConn]

This is the new UConn fan generation spawned by the Noescalators of the world. Football will be blamed for every problem under the sun. I guess it's football's fault that every Big East team not named VIllanova got their behinds handed to them so far.

If they don't want any blame, they should stop sucking so much and win a fscking game.

 

[Excalibur]

So much for eating in Downtown Hartford restaurants before the game. I don't see the millions pumped into the Hartford economy if they are all in the line at concessions. Stupid buffoons. Stopped at Chimiris bakery in Wethersfield and had the two best slices of pizza anywhere along the way.

Wow there is so much stupid in this . . . The restaurants were swamped.

Eating before/after the session simply wasn't an option for us. I picked my son up from an early dismissal at school, drove like a bat out of hell to Hartford, parked at Morgan St. garage, took a shuttle to the front door, walked right in 2 minutes after tipoff of VT-FSU. All of this went very smoothly. Had to get the kid back for 7:45 so we left at the 4:00 timeout of the Murray Marquete game, so he needed something from concessions to eat.

The city did a good job putting everything together. As for the concessions, part of the problem was the facility itself, and part is poor planning and execution by Spectra. They had plenty of people, but the equipment and space limited them -- they simply couldn't cook the food fast enough. That was compounded by the fact that they ran out of certain food items repeatedly and had trouble getting replenished, which probably also has to do with the facility since the concourses were so packed you couldn't get supplies to the concession stands easily.

 

[Waquoit]

Big lines at the concession stands. Horrors! At the least the Hartford haters got a thrill.

 

[August_West]

There are no words for session 2. Awful. I have no regrets for attending, but I’m also tempted to fire up the laptop and email Lamont.

Yeah. Ned Lamont is responsible.


Holy cow.

 

[MilliniumPrince]

Ask anyone is event planning/management the type of nightmare flipping a venue with that many people would be. The NCAA stuck it to the XL with the scheduling. Also ask yourself why staffing is an issue at every Tourney Venue (save the Final 4) almost every year. Might be a funding issue.....

 

[Letsgohuskies11]

how long did the XL center know it would be hosting the NCAA tournament for?

 

[J187Money]

Ever been to a game at MSG? It’s at least as bad as this, but probably worse.

Not since the remodel. Still not great from an entry perspective - but once you are in it is 100 times easier to move around.

 

[BrassBonanza]

I got a Ted's burger right before the Murray State Tip- nice addition to available food options. Wait was not long at all.

I wonder if anyone was able to hide out after session 1 and stay for session 2. There had to be people who tried this.

 

[Chin Diesel]

Tequila nippers.

Great name for a stripper.

 

[Hurleyman216]

No its not.

Not anymore.

Well when I went to the UConn Nova game there this year it was awful. Maybe because I was in the upper level? The hallway is about 10 feet wide and it took me 30 minutes to buy food meaning I missed the first part of the 2nd half. Maybe they’ve improved the concourse lower levels, but the upper level at MSG is far worse than the XL

 

[August_West]

Well when I went to the UConn Nova game there this year it was awful. Maybe because I was in the upper level? The hallway is about 10 feet wide and it took me 30 minutes to buy food meaning I missed the first part of the 3nd half. Maybe they’ve improved the concourse lower levels, but the upper level at MSG is far worse than the XL

That could be. I plead ignorance.

 

[Excalibur]

Well when I went to the UConn Nova game there this year it was awful. Maybe because I was in the upper level? The hallway is about 10 feet wide and it took me 30 minutes to buy food meaning I missed the first part of the 2nd half. Maybe they’ve improved the concourse lower levels, but the upper level at MSG is far worse than the XL

Were you in the 300's behind the basket? That area is cramped. Most of the rest of the arena flows smoothly.

 

[wheelerdog]

Whoever put together the plan for Pratt Street should be commended. Laid out well, great beer prices, lots of TVs. Having been to these types of events in other cities, I thought it was really well done.

 

[August_West]

Whoever put together the plan for Pratt Street should be commended. Laid out well, great beer prices, lots of TVs. Having been to these types of events in other cities, I thought it was really well done.

Nice the rain held off

 

[FartMan69]

Big lines at the concession stands. Horrors! At the least the Hartford haters got a thrill.

You can like Hartford and hate the facility. It's widely considered one of the worst large arenas in the country. If you actually like the city you should be able to point out the flaws and want a fix. The big lines and Hillsborough like crush to get in and out of the arena is going to be the reason events/people stop coming and it turns into a parking lot. Your weird stance is exactly why the building is in the condition it is and will soon cease to exist.

 

[FartMan69]

Well when I went to the UConn Nova game there this year it was awful. Maybe because I was in the upper level? The hallway is about 10 feet wide and it took me 30 minutes to buy food meaning I missed the first part of the 2nd half. Maybe they’ve improved the concourse lower levels, but the upper level at MSG is far worse than the XL

The upper level at MSG is cramped but thats for one level. The XL has the same size concourse for all levels.

 

[huskymedic]

 

[BY06518]

Andrew is right

 

[Robertelamin]

What story are these people going to tell? I couldn’t get in so I waited in line until I could?

 

[Fishy]

Andrew is a moron.

 

[ConnHuskBask]

They got shafted on tip times. But that isn't why they didn't have enough food or enough people to handle the entry. It made a bad hand worse. Thankfully the place filled up and had a crowd all day, which is a lot more than you can say for a lot of 1st/2nd round sites.

I had an awesome time. It doesn't mean there weren't parts that were poorly handled.

Start demanding more and you'll get more. Or keep settling for less.

How does one start demanding more?

 

[zls44]

How does one start demanding more?

Call or email the people who can fix the building in the state legislature.

 

[JMick]

I really can't stand Putterman

 

[August_West]

Call or email the people who can fix the building in the state legislature.

They will listen, but that is so far down the agenda right now (and Ive discussed it with people) . while Im a sports fan and would love to see a modern XL that keeps up with what fans are looking for in a venue experience, CT has far too many real challenges to address first. First rate coliseum for what? The wolf pack? and 8 mens basketball games? I know there is chicken or egg here, but that is an unjustifiable investment at this particular snapshot in time.

 

[zls44]

They will listen, but that is so far down the agenda right now (and Ive discussed it with people) , and while Im a sports fan and would love to see a modern XL that keeps up with what fans are looking for in a venue experience, CT has far too many real challenges to address first.

Doesn't even have to be a new building. Can ask they look into the management structure in place now.