Obscene food prices at Cosford, time to boycott.

[TheMaster]

Unbelievable people still pay prices such as those below, with a constant queue for 8 hours I calculate one ice cream van took £10k for 8 hours work. £5 for single cone.
Burgers £8
2 rashers of bacon (it was very specific on the menu!) in one of those rank 'floured' buns (like anyone gives a toss) £6 - I'll let you work out what the ingredients would cost from Aldi for that
5 mini donuts £5
Lager £7
100g (minute) of toffee/fudge £3.50

Utterly diabolical. Nothing to do with so called food crisis or cost of living crisis, just utter p taking that should be met at future shows by people ignoring these people and taking their own.

At least thats what seemed to be happening here, good, hope you made zilch and came out worse after paying for the pitch.

https://i.postimg.cc/xqDY2rZx/IMG-3052.jpg

[psquiddy]

Take a packed lunch and a flask of tea next time

[TheMaster]

Take a packed lunch and a flask of tea next time

That's just what I did

[boff180]

You do realise the prices are usually that high because of what they’ve had to pay for the pitch?

They have to make a profit somehow sadly and when all operating costs are going up - fuel, gas, NI.etc that is the knock on, it’s not just the cost of a bun and a few bits of bacon. Diesel costs alone are up 42% since the last show in 2019.

Some shows also fix the price so that it’s consistent over the entire showground therefore the operative doesn’t actually get a say.

It’s not a problem that’s unique to Airshows.

[TYPHOON3]

Food prices are always a rip off and usually poor quality. My advice to anyone is always take your own. Some people are willing to pay it as they class it as a one off day out so will never be boycotted by these said people.

[TheMaster]

Diesel has nothing to do with some bloke selling ice cream at £5, it was £6 with a flake or something I think. His diesel was the trip there and back. As for the price of the pitch, this is an MOD base with Government rates, not Duxford or some private venture. This guy will not be selling at those prices when he is on the streets of Birmingham (or wherever) tomorrow.

And today it wasnt fixed across the whole area, there was a replica WW2 pub near the farthest hangar boasting pints at £4. Funny that.

[CJS]

Food prices are always a rip off and usually poor quality. My advice to anyone is always take your own. Some people are willing to pay it as they class it as a one off day out so will never be boycotted by these said people.

Pretty much this. I always take my own (although never enough tea!) and get an ice-cream if a) the queue isn't too long and b) I don't have to re-mortgage the house.

I've never had an ice cream at an airshow...

What Andy said is correct though, it certainly isn't only airshows.

Thing is, they will charge what they can (or think they can) get away with. And to be honest, if they can manage to sell burgers at £8 a pop because there are enough willing punters, good luck to them!

[CJS]

Diesel has nothing to do with some bloke selling ice cream at £5, it was £6 with a flake or something I think. His diesel was the trip there and back. As for the price of the pitch, this is an MOD base with Government rates, not Duxford or some private venture. This guy will not be selling at those prices when he is on the streets of Birmingham (or wherever) tomorrow.

And today it wasnt fixed across the whole area, there was a replica WW2 pub near the farthest hangar boasting pints at £4. Funny that.

Are there government rates for the price of a pitch to sell ice cream at an airshow?? And if there are, why on earth would they be any less than a private place? You do know what kind of government we have at the moment, right?!

I don't disagree that it's a rip off, but like I said, they are charging what they can get away with charging and they're running a business to try and make as much ££ as possible. If no-one was willing to buy a pint for £7 or whatever it was, then clearly they would have to drop the prices.

[purple_95]

Being doing air shows since the 80s, its always been a case you pay more than you would if you went to your local chippy, burger king, pub for a pint etc etc. I am happy enough to pay it, only a couple of times a year and I do not usually do fast food or junk so consider it a treat as part of the day out.

[Domvickery]

Diesel has nothing to do with some bloke selling ice cream at £5, it was £6 with a flake or something I think. His diesel was the trip there and back. As for the price of the pitch, this is an MOD base with Government rates, not Duxford or some private venture. This guy will not be selling at those prices when he is on the streets of Birmingham (or wherever) tomorrow.

And today it wasnt fixed across the whole area, there was a replica WW2 pub near the farthest hangar boasting pints at £4. Funny that.

Why so angry?

Airshow food has always been expensive, if you dont like it, take your own & let others be, who cares if others choose to buy it?

[boff180]

Diesel has nothing to do with some bloke selling ice cream at £5, it was £6 with a flake or something I think. His diesel was the trip there and back. As for the price of the pitch, this is an MOD base with Government rates, not Duxford or some private venture. This guy will not be selling at those prices when he is on the streets of Birmingham (or wherever) tomorrow.

And today it wasnt fixed across the whole area, there was a replica WW2 pub near the farthest hangar boasting pints at £4. Funny that.

The show has to cover its costs (and in the case of non-RAF shows, make a profit), one way is selling pitches for this sort of thing, there is no such thing as "government rates" in this situation. They are obliged under best value regulations to market the spaces at the going market rate.

As for saying Diesel has nothing to do with it.
How does the guy pay for these vans to travel from their home locations to the venues and back again?
How do you think the guy pays for something to power the alternator to charge the batteries that power the ice cream machines and fridges are charged?

They are all overhead costs that contribute the overall price. Costs go up - prices go up if they can't be absorbed.

[DOUGHNUT]

Quick reply to The Master.
Lucky you could buy the ticket and afford the cost of driving to the airshow. For the first time in over forty years I am having to restrict my travelling due to the current costs. Thankyou yourself lucky you got to go, shame the only contribution you could make was to have a moan. Did you actual watch the show or see any aircraft ?

[Ken Shabby]

Airshow organisers normally sell their catering pitches as a single concession, so quite often all the cream vans and all the burger vans will be working for a single company or will have had to purchase their pitch from the concession holder.

The airshow organiser and the concession holder will often agree standard prices to be applied across the whole site so all the caterers get a fair crack of the whip and no one starts ripping off the public (or the public all get ripped off to the same extent, depending how you see it).

Not defending the prices, but the cost of catering pitches can be pretty fierce. They’re not sold at the normal rates general stallholders pay. I do know that ice cream vans were paying the best part of £1.5K a day at a RIAT back in the 1990s.

[FarnboroJohn]

Diesel has nothing to do with some bloke selling ice cream at £5, it was £6 with a flake or something I think. His diesel was the trip there and back. As for the price of the pitch, this is an MOD base with Government rates, not Duxford or some private venture. This guy will not be selling at those prices when he is on the streets of Birmingham (or wherever) tomorrow.

And today it wasnt fixed across the whole area, there was a replica WW2 pub near the farthest hangar boasting pints at £4. Funny that.

The show has to cover its costs (and in the case of non-RAF shows, make a profit), one way is selling pitches for this sort of thing, there is no such thing as "government rates" in this situation. They are obliged under best value regulations to market the spaces at the going market rate.

As for saying Diesel has nothing to do with it.
How does the guy pay for these vans to travel from their home locations to the venues and back again?
How do you think the guy pays for something to power the alternator to charge the batteries that power the ice cream machines and fridges are charged?

They are all overhead costs that contribute the overall price. Costs go up - prices go up if they can't be absorbed.

The MOD commercial people working on maximising the take may even invite tenders from aspirant traders asking what they are going to offer to pay for their pitch. I would if I was still in that business. Then let in the amount of space you intended to sell for the best prices offered - or notify all that the highest price offered per square metre is the going rate.

[CJS]

Diesel has nothing to do with some bloke selling ice cream at £5, it was £6 with a flake or something I think. His diesel was the trip there and back. As for the price of the pitch, this is an MOD base with Government rates, not Duxford or some private venture. This guy will not be selling at those prices when he is on the streets of Birmingham (or wherever) tomorrow.

And today it wasnt fixed across the whole area, there was a replica WW2 pub near the farthest hangar boasting pints at £4. Funny that.

Why so angry?

Airshow food has always been expensive, if you dont like it, take your own & let others be, who cares if others choose to buy it?

Amen to this. Nail - head - hit.

And it's really, really obvious when you think about it.

[138EAW]

Last time I was at The 02 (March for Genesis), they were charging £15 for burger and chips. So £8 doesn't sound too bad considering where you are and being a captive audience

[iainpeden]

To add to the post above, I believe the O2 won’t allow to take your own food and drink in either. (Queen this coming Friday when the place will be like an oven.)

[CJS]

To add to the post above, I believe the O2 won’t allow to take your own food and drink in either. (Queen this coming Friday when the place will be like an oven.)

Most places I've been to like that have the ban on cans and bottles but you get around it by taking cartons! (Don't quote me on that). Way back in the olden days (well, 2008...) I saw REM at Twickenham and someone alerted me to the fact you couldn't take your own stuff but when I asked they pointed out that it only specified cans and bottles, so we went with about 10 litres of orange juice I think!

Are you going? Enjoy!

[UKTopgun]

It's true that most vans at airshows sell stale and horrible food but it's a problem in all venues not just airshows, as others have said.

What I did find odd at Duxford a few years ago was at least one barbecue type thing was operated totally by Scots, now I have nothing against that but if they had to travel from Glasgow or whatever it's no wonder they were recouping fuel costs! Seemed an odd choice by DX to book catering from the other end of the country!

Anyway, I do sometimes get food from vans but more often take my own nowadays. Problem with taking food can sometimes be that it's a mess after 8 hours in my bag! I don't carry a coolbag as it's too bulky with the other stuff like a chair etc.

[MiG_Eater]

I honestly can't remember ever buying food at an airshow. Why would you?

[Mike]

What I did find odd at Duxford a few years ago was at least one barbecue type thing was operated totally by Scots, now I have nothing against that but if they had to travel from Glasgow or whatever it's no wonder they were recouping fuel costs! Seemed an odd choice by DX to book catering from the other end of the country!

For years now, pretty much the entire food and drink concession at Duxford has been let to a company who bring the staff in from Scotland for each event.

[Mike]

I honestly can't remember ever buying food at an airshow. Why would you?

I always buy food at airshows. I grew out of taking sandwiches and an apple in my satchel every day at about the same time I left junior school and went up to the big school where we were allowed to wear long trousers.

Each to their own.

[iainpeden]

The staff working the ice cream vans at Fairford are often booked into the Premier Inn at Blunsdon - shows how much profit can be made.

[Tommy]

The prices were ridiculous, yes. But quite why that’s a surprise or an outrage is a bit odd to me. It’s always been that way. Just vote with your feet and bring your own stuff. I sometimes use them if I fancy something, but mostly I just bring food/drink in with me.

The one thing I don’t like at events is charging usual obscene amounts for water. I think at open air events that clean drinking water ought to be supplied for free (or very discounted) and regularly around the place - particularly given that people are out in the sun with little cover for up to 12 hours.

RIAT do this quite well with their water bowers, but I’m not sure I’ve seen the same at other venues/events. If organisers don’t want to include water bowsers, then they ought to cap/subsidise the vendors for bottled water.

[MiG_Eater]

Yeah agree with you Tommy.

To Cosford's credit there was at least one water bowser, plus a fountain in the museum.