Catering options at stations such as Lancaster & others nearby

[Acathater]

Apparently the cafe/shop at Lancaster P3 is getting a rebrand

Rebrand plans revealed for Lancaster Railway Station cafe

A cafe at Lancaster Railway Station will undergo a change of name and branding if plans get the go-ahead.

www.beyond.radio

A cafe at Lancaster Railway Station will undergo a change of name and branding if plans get the go-ahead.

Caterleisuregroup has applied for permission for work to rebrand Cafe Express on Platform 3 at the station to Refresh.

Refresh is a brand of station cafe which replaces the older Cafe Express locations with modernised layouts, digital menus and expanded hot and cold food options, and is already in place at other UK railway stations.

The application to Lancaster City Council is for a "certificate of lawfulness for proposed works to a Listed Building for refurbishment and rebranding of the existing Café Express food and beverage unit on Platform 3 to the new Refresh brand".

Sounds like just another marketing fad

 

[danshrimp]

I've always been a fan of the P3 shop - the bacon/sausage rolls are decent and you can get a Costa coffee from there in half the time it'll take in Costa itself - but it is a bit tired and sterile. To any passing passenger it looks more like an off license than a cafe. A rebrand isn't the worst idea.

 

[yorksrob]

I've found the baguettes there a good option on occasion, albeit pricey.

It will be interesting to see what the food options are !

 

[pr1]

Apparently the cafe/shop on P3 is getting a rebrand

Rebrand plans revealed for Lancaster Railway Station cafe

A cafe at Lancaster Railway Station will undergo a change of name and branding if plans get the go-ahead.

www.beyond.radio

Sounds like just another marketing fad

Forgive me, I think the same has happened at Preston station.

 

[ScottGallagher]

Forgive me, I think the same has happened at Preston station.

Would imagine the one at Barrow will also get done eventually.

 

[childwallblues]

Forgive me, I think the same has happened at Preston station.

The buffet on P1/2 has recently become a Cafe Local and has been spruced up with an extended range of food/drink.

 

[Bletchleyite]

They came up with that branding quickly, didn't they?

"The old cafexpresshop branding looks a bit rubbish, doesn't it? Needs a bit of a refresh?"
"How about Refresh then?"
"Sounds good. Pub?"

 

[6PAN]

For those seeking something stronger than a coffee, the Tite & Locke bar on platform 3 has an excellent selection of local beers!

 

[Kite159]

Lancaster has a Tesco Express/Sainsbury's Local around 10 minutes walk away in the city centre, much better value for money compared with whatever brand the overpriced station catering is offering.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Lancaster has a Tesco Express/Sainsbury's Local around 10 minutes walk away in the city centre, much better value for money compared with whatever brand the overpriced station catering is offering.

And a couple of Subways within reasonable walking distance.

 

[Djgr]

Don't think the flogging off of Travellers Fayre improved fayre for travellers!

 

[Bletchleyite]

Don't think the flogging off of Travellers Fayre improved fayre for travellers!

On the basis of how rubbish the "Mtogo" concept on Merseyrail was, I don't think TOCs are the people you want running station catering. Outsourcing it saves money and results in a better service and product range.

 

[Djgr]

On the basis of how rubbish the "Mtogo" concept on Merseyrail was, I don't think TOCs are the people you want running station catering. Outsourcing it saves money and results in a better service and product range.

However, on the basis that the private company(ies) that took over Travellers Fayre currently offers a variety of jaded, dated and expensive options, I'm not so sure.

Mtogo was indeed a ludicrous concept.

Take Liverpool Central where Sainsbury's is one minute away and offers the same range at "half the price". Go figure.

 

[Bletchleyite]

However, on the basis that the private company(ies) that took over Travellers Fayre currently offers a variety of jaded, dated and expensive options, I'm not so sure.

While the "cafexpresshop" brand was a bit rubbish (see WHS/TG Jones) other brands aren't bad. They're expensive but that's because the railway demands a cut.

Mtogo was indeed a ludicrous concept.

Take Liverpool Central where Sainsbury's is one minute away and offers the same range at "half the price". Go figure.

Mtogo was a concept from Nederlandse Spoorwegen that was 20 years out of date by the time the first one opened and was deeply linked to the majority of passengers paying cash for paper tickets. Its purpose was basically to double up rural and suburban ticket offices as convenience stores and make them more viable than each would be alone. The problem is that how people pay for travel has shifted significantly and continues to do so, and in city centres (where NS didn't use the concept) it doesn't work as, as you say, there are always better options nearby.

 

[Djgr]

While the "cafexpresshop" brand was a bit rubbish (see WHS/TG Jones) other brands aren't bad. They're expensive but that's because the railway demands a cut.

Even Upper Crust and that pasty place?

 

[yorksrob]

Even Upper Crust and that pasty place?

The food's decent enough, but £5 for a pasty is too rich for my blood !

 

[6PAN]

The food's decent enough, but £5 for a pasty is too rich for my blood !

A pasty at Manchester Piccadilly was £7 last time I was there, £5 seems a relative bargain!

 

[yorksrob]

A pasty at Manchester Piccadilly was £7 last time I was there, £5 seems a relative bargain!

That's all the more surprising, given that at Pic, Greggs is about ten seconds walk from the station entrance !

(Wish I'd had the chance to travel on a 6PAN BTW !)