Grand Central's lack of responsiveness for online refreshments ordering

[TUC]

Grand Central invites passengers to use the QR code at their seats to order food and drink, stating that the order page will refresh to advise when it is ready for collection. On three different occasions now I have waited and waited to be advised that the order is ready, eventually giving up and going down to the bar and finding sitting there waiting for me.

Has anyone else found this? Are staff not following the very system they ask passengers to use?

 

[Kite159]

Grand Central invites passengers to use the QR code at their seats to order food and drink, stating that the order page will refresh to advise when it is ready for collection. On three different occasions now I have waited and waited to be advised that the order is ready, eventually giving up and going down to the bar and finding sitting there waiting for me.

Has anyone else found this? Are staff not following the very system they ask passengers to use?

Are you confusing the pre collection service with a delivery service

 

[Retorus]

Are you confusing the pre collection service with a delivery service

They are. How embarrassing.

 

[800001]

They are. How embarrassing.

Although it's a very misleading set up see quote below

When we asked our passengers what they wanted from an on-board catering offering, one of the biggest things was the ability to order and pay for their food without leaving their seats

Then immediately after is this

All you have to do is scan the QR code in front of your seat with your phone, choose what you want from our varied menu and pay using our secure online platform. You will be notified when your order is ready to collect from our buffet car

So if people do not want to leave their seat to pay for food, why would they be ok leaving their seat to go and collect the order?

So, yes I can see why the OP would expect the food to be delivered to their seat!

Food & drink | Grand Central Rail

Order your food at your seat When we asked our passengers what they wanted from an on-board catering offering, one of the biggest things was the ability to order and pay for their food without leaving their seats. Thanks to our digital Journey Central platform, we're really excited that we've...

www.grandcentralrail.com

 

[Flying Snail]

It didn't read to me that the OP was expecting delivery to his seat, just notification on his device that he was to go collect.

It sounds like a pointless use of tech for the sake of using tech.

Unless GC are actually preparing and cooking food onboard (fairly certain they aren't) what is the point of adding this extra nonsense to someone going to the counter anyway? how long does it take to retrieve a sandwich and bottle of sugar substitute chemicals from a luke warm cabinet?


Also did their survey really reveal that people wanted to be able to order and pay from their seats or be able to order and pay from their seats and have said order delivered? I'd bet on the latter.

 

[TUC]

To be clear, I know it's not delivery to seat. It advises that the webpage will refresh and advise when the items are ready for collection. It is that which is not happening.

 

[dk1]

Why doesn’t GC just deliver to seat like LNER or am I missing something?

 

[TUC]

Why doesn’t GC just deliver to seat like LNER or am I missing something?

They probably have fewer staff. I'm not arguing for that. I am asking what seems to be so difficult about pressing a button to send a 'your order is ready' message?

 

[dk1]

They probably have fewer staff. I'm not arguing for that. I am asking what seems to be so difficult abput pressing a button to send a 'your order is ready' message?

I don’t really see the point in pre-ordering if you’ve got to go to the bar anyway. It’s just complicating things. Not like pandemic days when they didn’t want a scrum around the counter.

 

[TUC]

I don’t really see the point in pre-ordering if you’ve got to go to the bar anyway. It’s just complicating things. Not like pandemic days when they didn’t want a scrum around the counter.

In theory it should save having to wait in a queue, or wait whilst hot food is heated ('cooked' is too generous a term.) In practice, the wait for a message takes longer than just queueing.

 

[dk1]

In theory it should save having to wait in a queue, or wait whilst hot food is heated ('cooked' is too generous a term.) In practice, the wait for a message takes longer than just queueing.

What a palavar that all sounds. I’d just go down to the bar in the first place. Even during the pandemic the process was very strange. Order at seat and get it delivered but if you went to the bar you had to pay cash.

 

[driverd]

They are. How embarrassing.

When someone doesnt read someone else's post.

Grand Central invites passengers to use the QR code at their seats to order food and drink, stating that the order page will refresh to advise when it is ready for collection.

How embarrassing.

On topic though, I think the system described is probably in place to avoid queues when people attempt to pay by card and the system loses signal. I do agree that it seems a touch confusing.

 

[py_megapixel]

Another page on the GC website says they do in fact deliver to seats!

Journey Central | Grand Central Rail

Journey Central is Grand Central's on-board information platform:

www.grandcentralrail.com

Just scan the QR code on the back of the seat in front of you (or on the table) using your phone's camera to be taken straight to our digital menu. All you need to do is enter your seat number, choose from our menu and pay using our secure checkout, and we'll do the rest, hand-delivering your order to you without you even needing to leave your seat.

 

[styles]

Think after the second time it failed I'd revert to going 'old school' and just ordering at the counter.

 

[dk1]

Think after the second time it failed I'd revert to going 'old school' and just ordering at the counter.

Me too!!

 

[AY1975]

Why doesn’t GC just deliver to seat like LNER or am I missing something?

They do in First Class, at least for complimentary items such as tea and coffee. Not sure if they do for First Class passengers ordering paid-for items such as alcohol, though.

I presume the OP was travelling Standard Class.

 

[TUC]

To those who say 'just go to the counter', I tried that today as I just wanted a Kit-Kat. I was advised that I'd need to wait a moment as they were in the process of doing the orders and 'it's normally done via the app'.


You can't win...

 

[Travelmonkey]

GC staff are wofulley under recourced. I prefer to upgrade to First when I use their trains and the guard seems to spend alot of time doing catering tasks, delivering food orders, trying to get the QR to work too, I can't think of any other TOC where you get this. although the QR codes on the 180s are iffy at best and we all know how much of a farady cage the voyager family is.

 

[MichaelTrains]

I ordered via the QR code and had my tea and sandwich delivered to my seat last week.

It was a Bradford to London service.

 

[ainsworth74]

although the QR codes on the 180s are iffy at best and we all know how much of a farady cage the voyager family is

Good job a 180 is not a member of the Voyager family then

 

[Travelmonkey]

Good job a 180 is not a member of the Voyager family then

yes but the 221s they run up to Bradford are,