MCG members bars run out of beer in opening-round debacle

Punters at the Richmond-Carlton opening blockbuster were left fuming after an absolute debacle at the bars of the MCG.

Hawthorn fan Nicole Menzel with a burger and a beer and Collingwood fan Mikelle Stott with a bag of doughnuts at the MCG.

It costs you more than ever to go to the footy at the MCG these days, but the extortionate cost of a night out at the biggest sporting coliseum in the country still can’t get you a beer in the members, it seems.

Despite 88,000 fans packing into the MCG for the traditional Richmond-Carlton season opener on Thursday night, and the fact that (barring Covid-19 years) the blockbuster fixture hasn’t had less than 70,000 in the house for over a decade, the Melbourne Cricket Club (MCC), who manage the MCG, were caught asleep at the wheel, with bars reportedly running out of beer.

The MCC have managed the Ground since 1853, with the ground owned by the Victorian Government through the MCG Trust.

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A footy fan, identified only as Russ, called into Neil Mitchell’s 3AW Mornings program on Friday morning, exclaiming “Delaware (North, the hospitality partner of the MCC as of 2022) have just got to go”.

“That organisation at the MCG last night was just dreadful,” he said.

“Dreadful, dreadful, dreadful.

“Members area, level 1, beer stall ran out of beer, cold beer, just after half time.

“We were left drinking the fruit-infused beer!

“We were drinking (fruit-infused) craft beer because they ran out of standard, normal beer in level one in the members.

The Trumble bar at the MCG.

“In the Stumps bar (the STUMPS Tavern, a premium bar bordering the Olympic Stand), they would’ve had 200 people waiting but they had only four or five staff on.”

Mitchell said that there had been ongoing staff issues at the MCG.

Another patron in the MCC members on Thursday night confirmed to news.com.au that “they did run out of beer.”

“It took a whole quarter to line up for a drink,” they said.

“Only two staff on any bar at any one time.”

Delaware North manage several large sporting venues around the world, including London’s Wembley Stadium, and MetLife Stadium in New York.

Delaware North have also been responsible for hospitality at the Australian Open since 1988.

The queues and waits come as footy food prices rose at the MCG this year for the first time in four years.

Fans are paying more at the footy for food and drink than ever before. Picture: Jay Town

Hot chips, meat pies and hot dogs went from $4.50 to $5.50, while a schooner of beer rose by a dollar to $10.50, and a 600ml bottle of soft drink went up 80c to $5.50.

MCC chief executive Stuart Fox said in early March that the MCG wasn’t “immune to inflation, supply chain issues or the steadily rising cost of labour in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, making it necessary for us to adjust prices for some food and beverage items.”

“We continue to strive to maintain price points that are manageable for all fans, and in particular families, coming to the footy,” he said.

Richmond would end up drawing with Carlton in a thrilling start to the season on Thursday night, with the Blues letting yet another lead slip from their grasp.

“Delaware North is proud to partner with the MCC and to serve as the hospitality provider at the iconic MCG,” said a spokesperson for Delaware North.

“At last night’s exciting AFL season opener, which was attended by nearly 90,000 fans, at no point did any of the 48 fully stocked and fully staffed retail or pop-up bars run out of any product, including beer.”

“Naturally, the process of restocking products at some outlets can occasionally cause slight, temporary delays in service, which is normal in a stadia environment.”

It remains unclear what the definition of “fully staffed” is, given the complaints of delays in service, and spokespeople for Delaware North would not be drawn on specific staffing numbers in the Members on Thursday night.

A former Delaware North employee with knowledge of the company’s hospitality operations told news.com.au it was “likely” that there were simply not enough staff on hand to be able to change a keg of beer that had run out, rather than actual supplies of beer running out.

The same former employee cited understaffing as a common issue across sporting hospitality and not specific to Delaware North.