The thing I've noticed is the huge variation you get depending on the crew, it's just not a consistent experience and almost a lottery as to whether you'll get a good one or a bad one.

On the outbound of a trip to southern France I had a crew who barely managed to get meals to row 4 by the top of the descent. Meanwhile on the inbound return, the crew took drinks and meal orders on the ground prior to pushback from the gate, just writing down on a piece of paper what everyone wanted, then started serving a few minutes after take off.