EMT to reopen buffets?

[Bridge189]

This rumour has seemed to be gaining momentum recently. I must admit I always thought it was strange sets conveying around permanently closed buffets apart from the used kitchen area. People standing waiting for the counter to open apparently happens all the time.

 

[asylumxl]

I swear yesterday on the EMT service i was on, the buffet was open on our 222...

 

[ainsworth74]

I swear yesterday on the EMT service i was on, the buffet was open on our 222...

If it's busy they deploy the trolley in the buffet and operate from there rather than trying to move through the train.

 

[Bellwater]

Supposedly going to happen months ago according to Today's Railways. As usual they got it wrong, and EMT put out a statement saying they were happy with the Rail Gourmet Contract.

 

[Skymonster]

I wish they would... IMHO Rail Gourmless have been a disaster and I know for sure I spend far less now onboars than when the buffets were open... Talking to on-train EMT staff, many of them seem to thing the trolley was a retrograde step too...
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I swear yesterday on the EMT service i was on, the buffet was open on our 222...

Yes, they did that the other week too, because the Rail Gourmless staff member was apparently too tired to trudge through the train again at the end of a very long shift...! Marvellous it was too... I could actually buy a COLD beer because they put them in the fridge!

Andy

 

[Yew]

Im unsure on buffets/trolley. a buffet can offer more things, however a trolley service gives people the oppotunity to buy things they might not have otherwise. However personally I prefer an excuse to go for a walk down a train, some people might not. (risk of losing their seat on a busy service)

 

[yorksrob]

If they were to re-open the buffet car, I could see myself buying their sausage baguette again in future.

 

[Lampshade]

I never understood why Rail Gourmet didn't just take over running the buffet rather than using trollies :?

 

[Yew]

I never understood why Rail Gourmet didn't just take over running the buffet rather than using trollies :?

staff selling stuff off a trolley dont need to be trained how to cook, hence they are cheaper

 

[ainsworth74]

staff selling stuff off a trolley dont need to be trained how to cook, hence they are cheaper

EMT still have staff that cook so the saving can't have been that much (if any at all). Indeed on a 222 buffet there is no cooking facilities other than a microwave and there is little or no training involved in the use of one of those.

 

[Bridge189]

Ouch so they have contract agency min wage staff and proper EMT staff working on the same train? Bet there's a healthy work environment there.

These rumours can't have came from nowhere theres probably something in the works. Can the legacy staff run the trolley if RG are short or does it have to be RG staff?

 

[calc7]

Can the legacy staff run the trolley if RG are short or does it have to be RG staff?

Not sure - but EMT could probably receive compensation for non-attendance. I wonder if the train managers blame the lack of trolley service on 'the contracted company'.

 

[ainsworth74]

Ouch so they have contract agency min wage staff and proper EMT staff working on the same train? Bet there's a healthy work environment there.

Indeed. My understanding is that the the trolley staff are RG staff whilst the first class CSAs remain EMT employed staff.

 

[Mike395]

Indeed. My understanding is that the the trolley staff are RG staff whilst the first class CSAs remain EMT employed staff.

Correct, except on non-breakfast weekend services where FC is also Rail Gourmet

 

[calc7]

Correct, except on non-breakfast weekend services where FC is also Rail Gourmet

What do the FC hosts do for the return workings of the weekend brekky trains?

 

[185]

Interesting that the person who screwed up Transpennine Express's catering moved to EMT, screwed up their catering, then returned back to Transpennine Express, only for EMT to then see sense and now consider reinstating the original catering package.

How much did the poisonous-vertically-challenged one cost EMT this time?

 

[YorkshireRider]

Interesting that the person who screwed up Transpennine Express's catering moved to EMT, screwed up their catering, then returned back to Transpennine Express, only for EMT to then see sense and now consider reinstating the original catering package.

How much did the poisonous-vertically-challenged one cost EMT this time?

Would this person be ex GNER per chance?

 

[Skymonster]

I am prepared to pay £2.80 for a cold can of Stella that's come out of the buffet fridge, but I'm not paying RG for a warm can that's been bounced around on the trolley for hours. And I'd like that beer when I want it, not when (IF) RG's trolley happens by.

I've never seen EMT staff run the trolley, although I have been on trains where they've said there's no trolley due to a shortage of RG staff.

RG's operation seems to be quite a challenge for their staff... I gather they have targets and can struggle to meet them - in part due to targets being set based on past buffet sales in a period when St.Pancras' retail operations were not all opened! And of course, if I'm going to have to drink warm beer, I might as well buy it cheaper in M&S before the train leaves - and at least be able to drink it when I want to!

Andy

 

[DaveNewcastle]

Would this person be ex GNER per chance?

I think we know the answer to that!

In what other sector of UK transport industry do staff refer to their departmental senior in terms of height?

 

[calc7]

Judging by the pace of responses in this thread, it could soon rival the East Coast FC catering thread.

 

[leedstraindude]

I think we know the answer to that!

In what other sector of UK transport industry do staff refer to their departmental senior in terms of height?

Sounds like XC's Poison Dwarf!

 

[Max]

I remember travelling on an EMT Leeds service not too long ago where there was no catering throughout! The train had a few minutes wait at Derby and luckily my carriage lined up perfectly with the vending machine on the platform, so I made a quick dash for it!

 

[Bridge189]

I can't see how EMT having a mix of contract and in house staff is cost effective. Sounds to me as if one day all catering on EMT could be RG which is what they did to SWT catering. Unless these rumours are true and it's all going back in house.

 

[mralexn]

staff selling stuff off a trolley dont need to be trained how to cook, hence they are cheaper

Cook? all they do is put stuff in the microwave
Although i'm sure its a 6 month course on learning how to do that :P

 

[ainsworth74]

Cook? all they do is put stuff in the microwave

Well the breakfasts are freshly cooked though admittedly everything else will be done in a microwave.

 

[185]

Would this person be ex GNER per chance?

LOL

Yes.

When she left FTPE, there was a poster appeared on the board at Man Picc messroom - pair of red shoes sticking out from a fallen house, and the caption.... "Ding Dong! The witch is dead."

 

[Martin222002]

Well the breakfasts are freshly cooked though admittedly everything else will be done in a microwave.

The first class catering during the day isn't microwaved, as Midland Mainline were very good in specifying the 222s kitchens to a high standard. This includes 3 steam ovens which are used to cook the meals in first class.

 

[ainsworth74]

The first class catering during the day isn't microwaved, as Midland Mainline were very good in specifying the 222s kitchens to a high standard. This includes 3 steam ovens which are used to cook the meals in first class.

My apologies I had always assumed that they were microwaved, I did know that the kitchens were of a high standard (and HT have never been able to recover from losing them!) but thought they only saw limited usage. So I guess EMT are using a similar system to EC (though I suppose it's the other way round as MML did it first) in that they have meals that CSAs can prepare using the ovens and therefore avoiding the need for a proper chef?

 

[Martin222002]

So I guess EMT are using a similar system to EC (though I suppose it's the other way round as MML did it first) in that they have meals that CSAs can prepare using the ovens and therefore avoiding the need for a proper chef?

I believe so, as there are only chefs on the breakfast trains.

I don't know how FC catering was done under MML, but the current FC catering with EMT was of cause the reason why the Rail Gourmet trolleys where introduced, as the member of EMT staff that had been manning the buffet were transferred to FC so that there would be at least 2 FC hosts per train (however that isn't always the case on double sets).

EMT did this to get there FC on-train service up to scratch, and to use the new FC menu to tempt people into FC, as EMT had seem a large drop in there FC patronage at the beginning of the recession. At the moment it seems EMTs focus of its London services catering is in FC, and I don't think we will see a change back to the buffets for standard till EMT is in a better financial situation, with EMT made large loss last year.

I do know about how shockingly bad the Rail Gourmet trolley staff can be, one very bad example being when a RG trolley dolly refused to give some FC passengers there free tea/coffee on an Saturday evening service out of St Pancras. The passengers complained to the train manager, who said there was nothing she could do as she had no authority of the RG staff.

Back to the FC kitchens. Below are some links to some photos (not mine) of inside of the FC kitchen.

http://www.flickr.com/photos/oldspeckled73/6414206079/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/oldspeckled73/6414206105/in/photostream/

http://www.flickr.com/photos/oldspeckled73/6414206117/in/photostream/

 

[DelayRepay]

I've was on an EMT service on Sunday and there was no trolley, the guard apologised, blaming the contracted company. I've also been on a Sunday service a few weeks ago where, due to the lack of a RG trolley the Guard was serving tea in First Class while checking tickets.

Could a trolley be beneficial where hey use two joined up units without a walkway? One trolly can move between units at stations, but they would need 2 staff to man both buffet counters.