Crown Lounge Catering
 

After some intro- and retrospection I concluded that one of the topics on FT I feel the most passionate about is food. This thread should be about food and drinks in KLM lounges - a thread, I am sure, was sorely missed :p

After three months of suffering through the Flavors of America, I saw on my way out of the lounge a banner announcing the Flavors of France. We shall be blessed with macaroons, ratatouille (?), or french cheese. ^ Although it was supposed to star today, none of these items were offered :td: .... until the end of September.

http://img42.imageshack.us/img42/5806/photobgi.jpg

the standard offering

http://img705.imageshack.us/img705/5492/photo1czb.jpg

The only change I have seen recently is that they have added pastrami besides the chicken mystery-meat option.

I might pass in a few days in the evening, however generally around that time it is so over-crowded that I leave pretty much directly after drinking a quick soda, to get something else to eat on my way to the train platforms.

True, I have seen pastrami as well. As it's something I do not usually put on my plate, I do not have a picture of it. The last few times this year that I arrived to AMS with no luggage or was flying out in the evening, the place was so packed and slow on restocking food...

If they really want to reward PEs, they should give us back our own lounge. Both of them, preferably.

Johan

KLM, Food, Catering, thats not possible. For their home base the lounges are truly sub standard compared to other airlines, its not even snack food.

Indeed, the food at the KLM Lounges in Amsterdam is really poor. The best offerings are the fruit and still water (and perhaps a boiled egg and some bread), all the other offerings must be full of salt and all the E-numbers that are on the list. Although demand for food in lounges must be unlimited, it really is a pity that the worst food of all of Schiphol is offered at the KLM lounge (AFAIR, the Servisair Lounge has a very limited selection, but of better quality).

The choice in drinks seems OK, but 'unfortunately' I have stopped drinking alcohol :)

So that is what I did. Last night, 19:30. Line of 6 people waiting to enter the lounge. Once inside: Chaos, no free tables or seats anywhere close to the main area.

And food? Well, judge by yourself:

http://upload.xandrios.net/loungeaug.JPG

Who doesnt like gherkins for dinner?

Obviously I left and got one of these downstairs:

http://upload.xandrios.net/548607_082c55401b.jpg

Much better!

Schengen lounge, lunchtime today :

- three hardboiled eggs

- one knife

- cold cuts: one cheese, one meat

- salad, allegedly chicken and beans. I could see the beans, everything else was concealed by the greasy dressing.

- a plate of hot "petit crolines champignon (vegetarisch)" (is that supposed to be French or Dutch?) was brought in.

- no soup to be seen anywhere.

- decent selection of bread rolls.

- lounge staff walked around offering a "little sandwich with cheese"

Johan

This is probably one of the main issues I found with the AMS lounge. Never have I seen so many people work in slow motion as in the lounge(s) getting the food out.

Mostly the staff is busy talking among themselves and feel that passengers (who are in fact paying these people their salaries) are more of an obstacle than anything else... Unbelievable indeed :td:

Indeed, the lounge staff can at peak times be terribly slow. A related issue is, and I am not sure whether it's more of my issue :), that whenever I come to the lounge, I see the staff sipping (mostly) coffee which they got from the same coffee/hot water machine as the lounge visitors do. On the one hand, it's reassuring that these beverages are not poisonous, but when I come to a restaurant I never see and do not expect to see the service staff drink or use the same facilities. I guess it's some sort of Dutch culture aspect that I do neither fully understand nor appreciate.

They should only employ SE Asian staff like LX do. Hard working and friendly, a little loud at times, but otherwise very good.

They sit in our seats and take our upgrades [allegedly] - so why should they not also sup from our cup, and eat from our trough, too? :D

oh yes, that makes total sense! :D As I have not observed the lounge dragons eat the lounge cold cuts, we should take the hint and only eat it on our own risk ...

The buffet layout in the Schengen lounge must have been designed as an obstacle course. Pax mill around it both clockwise and anticlockwise, on both the inside and the outside. Staff with full trays then pop out from the pantry and try to advance against the stream of traffic ro replenish the empty dishes. Not very practical.

Johan