The Olympics Food and Drink Situation Is a Complete and Utter Mess

Would anybody even bother to travel to a sporting event if there wasn't the looming prospect of getting your hands on some delightfully overpriced pretzels or a vuvuzela filled to the brim with Long Island Iced Tea?

It's a question we're certain many an Olympic-goer has started to ask themselves after witnessing firsthand just what an unabashed disaster it is to buy even a single beer at the 2016 Olympic Games.

Whether we're talking about an Olympic kayaker possibly capsizing after hitting a submerged sofa or a portion of the wholly incomplete Olympic Village catching fire, much has been made about the entirely unsatisfactory state of affairs at this year's Olympic Games.

Sadly, it seems as though the same level of confusion and mismanagement is also affecting the food and drink situation at Olympic venues, with numerous reports of food vendors being plagued with unending lines, an outright convoluted payment system, and not enough food to even feed those who successfully braved the unorganized mess.

Following complaints that Olympic spectators were regularly being forced to wait upwards of 50 minutes on food lines this Saturday, it has come forward that some of the food vendors at several tennis and rugby venues ran out of food prematurely. The Sydney Morning Herald was told that a food item advertised as available at the Australia v. Brazil women's basketball event on Saturday wouldn't be available until Tuesday. Vendors at the Future Arena were also forced to close early on Saturday night thanks to insufficient stock.

All that came after Maracaña Stadium ran out of food an hour before Friday's opening ceremony even started.

As reported by The Sydney Morning Herald, an organizing committee spokesman for Rio 2016 stated on Saturday that they were "checking with the suppliers why the food is not enough." The spokesman went on to say the following: "I haven't been supplied with a final response, I also told them problems like these should be resolved today, because it makes conditions really difficult."

Aside from numerous instances of insufficient stocking, most of the ire has been attributed to massive lines and an organizational system that requires Olympic-goers to pay for their food or beverage with a caixa (cashier) and then enter a completely separate line to acquire the food they paid for. In the case of spectators watching the USA v. China Basketball on Saturday, they were actually required to stand in three separate lines, thanks to broken ticket printers. The system doesn't take into account changes in an order or the vendors running out of your ordered item before you actually reach them.

The game's organizers have already issued an apology to spectators, who may have missed part of the action thanks to long lines on the first day. "We are fully aware of the problem and frustration. We requested that the relevant authorities increase the speed and effectiveness with which people could enter the park by ensuring that more employees work on the X-ray machines. Following improvements, the lines are now back to normal. We appreciate the patience and understanding shown by fans."

That statement was echoed by Communications Director Mario Andrada, who told press during a conference Sunday morning that they were adding 100 extra staff to aid the logistics team.

That might not have worked out so well, considering the first transportation app ever created for the Olympic Games crashed that same day and countless workers and volunteers were left to navigate and figure out the schedule for themselves.

The Olympic Games have only just begun, but it looks like spectators are going to continue having trouble getting a bite to eat.