East Coast catering changes

[Yew]

They were announcing the Aero hot chocolate the other day (I didn't sample it) like it was a luxury brand! Is Aero hot chocolate that you get in a shop even nice!?

Maybe they did a similar think for cadburys bubbly chocolate, but we couldnt hear as they where wispa-ing

 

[Solent&Wessex]

Don't drink coffee, but at least they still do Yorkshire Tea.

 

[Welshman]

Berwick was historically part of Scotland, as it is north of Hadrian's Wall.

Recently, there was evidence that suggested that Doncaster may be officially part of Scotland.

See http://www.thisisnorthumberland.com/features/scottish-borders-as-far-south-as-doncaster/

In peace

Adam

Gosh!
April 1st already.
How time flies!

 

[David Goddard]

Don't drink coffee, but at least they still do Yorkshire Tea.

Hooray for that! Cant beat a cup of Yorkshire Tea.

 

[fraser158]

Had anyone ever had the breakfast burrito? Was it any good?

The breakfast burrito was very good and I shall mourn its loss.

It had been replaced by an inferior (though still tasty) and more expensive egg and tomato panini.

 

[TEW]

They were announcing the Aero hot chocolate the other day (I didn't sample it) like it was a luxury brand! Is Aero hot chocolate that you get in a shop even nice!?

The Aero Hot Chocolate you get on trains is horrible in my opinion. FGW have it too. They did move away to another brand for a while which was much nicer but now it's the Aero stuff again.

 

[455driver]

Maybe they did a similar think for cadburys bubbly chocolate, but we couldnt hear as they where wispa-ing

We need a like button and a groan button on here!
No I am not saying which one this would get.

 

[Yew]

We need a like button and a groan button on here!
No I am not saying which one this would get.

Haha, I'll draw an adverse inference from that!
It is a shame, however, that it seems beond the ability of the railways to create a well priced and tasty on board offering..

 

[ffm]

Berwick was historically part of Scotland, as it is north of Hadrian's Wall.

Recently, there was evidence that suggested that Doncaster may be officially part of Scotland.

See http://www.thisisnorthumberland.com/features/scottish-borders-as-far-south-as-doncaster/

In peace

Adam

Hadrian's Wall was a trade boundary at the northern edge of the Roman Empire, at a period in history long before there was an England, or a Scotland.

I am thoroughly delighted EastCoast have dropped Starbucks. As a publicly owned company it was disgraceful they ever did. The very idea of putting money into the pockets of a tax avoiding US company sickens me. I will not visit their stores and so am pleased they have lost this business too. Yes they have made a generous offer to pay some tax, but not based on income, simply because of the backlash when their avoidance was made public. they deserve no one's custom.
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Maybe they did a similar think for cadburys bubbly chocolate, but we couldnt hear as they where wispa-ing

Should we have expected to hear them thinking?

 

[DarloRich]

As an Englishman I don’t care about the coffee but for gods sake tell me they still serve Yorkshire Tea!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

At least this isn't another first class food thread

 

[westv]

Whatever happened to the biscuits on the "all day" complimentary 1st class menu?

 

[philjo]

Not sure about the new bacon paninis - when I had one before Christmas they seemed to be individually prepacked and seemed soggy after it was heated. I much preferred the bacon & tomato toastie that EC used to serve - 2 pieces of bread (choice of white or brown) with bacon & tomato added then put under the grill.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Hmm they've done away with the breakfast panini, shame I quite liked that.

So did I, sad too see its gone. A similar fate has come to Iron-Bru I do however approve of the coffee and the Yorkshire tea, and the introduction of something other than Stella, however best of all for me is the reintroduction of a hot Pasta which along with other meal type options went in 2011. I'm quite glad too that the ever present Cheese and Ham hot sandwich is again a Toasty rather than a Panini.

 

[DaveNewcastle]

Whatever happened to the biscuits on the "all day" complimentary 1st class menu?

You noticed too? But, please, lets keep that conversation on the East Coast First Class service thread! (currently the forum's largest single thread, which has already broken away from an equally largte predecessor).


I strongly agree with this approval:

. . . . however best of all for me is the reintroduction of a hot Pasta which along with other meal type options went in 2011. . . . . .

The removal of the option to buy a hot dish in standard had always seemed to be an attempt to encourage passengers to travel in first. Sadly for those who made that decision, the options for a passenger to choose what to eat isn't normally taken at the same time as choosing what ticket to buy. I'm very glad this option has been restored. Now, we again have the possibility of travelling through the Highlands in standard class and while watching the evening sun on the mountains thinking: this is magnificent - all I need now is a classic pasta, a wine, and more of these deep ravines, high mountans, snow, deer and little cottages miles from anywhere. And once again, East Coast will play their part.

Is the hot pasta going to abstract passengers from First Class? Maybe, but surely not to the extent that it reduces net revenue.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Carlsberg fans (me included) will be heading RA to the Buffet from whatever area of the train there in. Never understood the stella on the FC Menue. in answer to your pasta querie, It might on the Chieften where Afternoon tea is somewhat odly served from Newcastle onwards on a train which used to convay a (very busy) restaurant through the highlands!↲

 

[DarloRich]

Don't drink coffee, but at least they still do Yorkshire Tea.

thank goodness! There is no finer tea

 

[YorkshireRider]

The changes to the buffet (sorry food bar:roll are in the main poor, no fruit still, downgrade in coffee and even tea has gone to normal Yorkshire instead of gold, no deals. All with an increase in price. Also the crappy bacon paninni instead of the freshly cooked toastie:roll:, dear o dear.

 

[Blindtraveler]

The changes to the buffet (sorry food bar:roll are in the main poor, no fruit still, downgrade in coffee and even tea has gone to normal Yorkshire instead of gold, no deals. All with an increase in price. Also the crappy bacon paninni instead of the freshly cooked toastie:roll:, dear o dear.

Bit sad when the staff feel this way too? I agree with you on the bacon toastie thing! Not personally sorry about the coffee but can see why many would be. Would it be to dificult to offer fruit, seeing as its onboard anyway (in theory for First Class)?

 

[Tetchytyke]

Would it be to dificult to offer fruit, seeing as its onboard anyway

Yes, it would be, because of wastage. All those pre-packaged fruit cakes and crisps have lovely long shelf lives, but fruit doesn't.

I don't understand the griping about the coffee, unless the cups are smaller. Starbucks VIA is a mediocre coffee. Nestle Azera is a mediocre coffee. If we were going back to the crappy sachets of Kenco then I'd understand it. The biggest criticism I ever had is when they switched from DairyStix to "Tastes Like Real Milk*" (*made with non-milk fats).

I suspect that EastCoast have been told to run down the catering service, in readiness for a new operator, so that people don't notice when we get Arriva deciding that a trolley for an eight-hour intercity journey is perfectly acceptable. One of the buffet staff was nattering on my last journey and he was adamant in his view that the new operator will get rid of the buffet car entirely.

 

[bb21]

One of the buffet staff was nattering on my last journey and he was adamant in his view that the new operator will get rid of the buffet car entirely.

Well that's one way to increase capacity.

Maybe they'll get rid of the kitchen for First Class too and downgrade it to the level of the current XC offerings. :roll:

At least that way the DfT can claim, "we have increased xx number of seats".

 

[cf111]

On the whole, I can really only see it going one way and that's further downhill.

Enjoying a full cooked breakfast in the restaurant car as the Highland Chieftain made its way from Inverness used to be a pleasure, and something I and many others were happy to pay the premium for. Even better, this was available to everyone on the train unless it was extremely busy. This has been pontificated on here enough, I feel though .

It probably will go the way of XC, and while their ham and cheese pannini was perfectly acceptable (and quite nice) for a short jaunt from Glasgow to Newcastle, at least I felt, I think I'd rather have had what we once had on offer.

 

[Deerfold]

You noticed too? But, please, lets keep that conversation on the East Coast First Class service thread! (currently the forum's largest single thread, which has already broken away from an equally largte predecessor).

Nope - for me the East Coast First Class thread spreads over 306 pages.

I can see a thread (last updated 28/02/2014) that spreads over 1215 pages.

 

[Blindtraveler]

That'll be the Stagecoach Northwest one per chance?
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Arctic Troll
and
BB21
Both have good points. I can well see Ariva converting buffets and kitchens to seats in favour of a trolley, quite simply because they proved that its already doable! i would think though that any opperater worth its weight would see the chance to make money on catering and do it. DOR clearly dont!↲

 

[transmanche]

I can well see Ariva converting buffets and kitchens to seats in favour of a trolley, quite simply because they proved that its already doable!

Of course, the best thing is to have a buffet and a trolley (as East Coast currently do) as not everyone wants to walk down to the buffet car. But as for CrossCountry removing the 'shop' on their Voyagers, imagine how overcrowded the trains would be now if it had remained! (I can't recall if it was something XC wanted to do, or something it had to do.)

Of course removing the buffet means that you lose the opportunity to sell hot food and drastically reduce the amount of cold drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) you sell, as people don't generally want to drink lukewarm beer/Coke/etc.

i would think though that any opperater worth its weight would see the chance to make money on catering and do it. DOR clearly dont!↲

According to the ICEC prospectus, East Coast catering brings in about £10million pa of revenue. Their costs are about £18million pa (it's hard to be accurate because it's presented as a graph), but the costs incorporate all the complimentary food/drink included in the first class offer. So catering is a good revenue stream for the TOC.

 

[Blindtraveler]

And would be more if extra hot food and restaurants remained as there is people, myself and Dave Newcastle being just 2 on here willing to pay for them! I never believed the restaurants make losses thing.

 

[Tetchytyke]

imagine how overcrowded the trains would be now if it had remained! (I can't recall if it was something XC wanted to do, or something it had to do.)

The trains would be exactly as overcrowded as they are now. The shop has been replaced with two bike hooks and a shelf for luggage. Barely anybody uses the shelf for understandable security reasons. There are no seats in the reclaimed area because Arriva got a quote for putting windows in from Bombardier and thought better of it.

Like disabling the tilt mechanism on the 221s, it was something Arriva wanted to do with the aim of saving money.

I never believed the restaurants make losses thing.

I don't think they did make a loss. The TOC wanted to encourage people to upgrade their tickets to first class rather than use the restaurant car for an upgrade on the sly. They did this by removing the restaurant and replacing it with complimentary food for first class passengers.

Certainly I'll now buy first class tickets rather than standard, purely because of the benefits. I never did when all you got on NX/GNER was a cup of lukewarm coffee and a soggy biscuit.

The food isn't as good, but then it also isn't £40 a head.

 

[Blindtraveler]

Id rather pay £40 extra for a decent meal!↲

 

[richa2002]

Id rather pay £40 extra for a decent meal!↲

Amen to that. Seems people know the cost of everything and the value of nothing!

 

[Tetchytyke]

Id rather pay £40 extra for a decent meal!↲

I'm sure you would, I'm sure lots of people would.

But then lots of other people would be happy to pay more for a first class ticket compared to a standard ticket, so long as there were enough freebies to justify it.

For work, I can justify first class if they'll feed me (I'll use my subsistence to pay the difference) and I can't if they won't. For leisure, I'll pay a bit more for a bit of food and enough wine to make the journey go faster.

Obviously EC decided more people fit into the second category than the first one.

 

[Blindtraveler]

maybe, however thervice has been inconsistant since day 1 and that rather overides the point of it!↲