Grand Central requiring at-seat ordering of refreshments

[skyhigh]

More of an issue than the payment methods is surely the requirement to physically go to the buffet and collect your order, many people will find that stops them from ordering in the first place as they are either unable to safely move through a moving train, or if say on their own with a very young child cannot manage that child and the getting through said moving train...

But you're no worse off than if you had to go to the buffet car to order in person anyway.

 

[Bletchleyite]

I would imagine that people without smartphones are amongst those most likely to carry cash.

That was my thought.

Unless they've just accidentally run out of cash or just dropped their phone and broken it, the number of people fulfilling these criteria:

Does not carry cash
AND does not carry a smartphone
AND does carry cards
AND is on a long distance journey

...is somewhere around the 0 mark. If they weren't accepting cash, then that might affect more people.

If you add...

AND wants to buy stuff from an on-train buffet

...to that list then the number will be even smaller, as proportionally very few people on a given train actually do, which is why the economics of on-train sales are poor.

 

[Fyldeboy]

More of an issue than the payment methods is surely the requirement to physically go to the buffet and collect your order, many people will find that stops them from ordering in the first place as they are either unable to safely move through a moving train, or if say on their own with a very young child cannot manage that child and the getting through said moving train...

As ex-catering crew, the buffet was the hub of the HSTs, available almost constantly, you want a cup of tea at 10:23, you can have it at 10:23. Harz99's comments are perfectly valid because the railway has changed from my day.
My local intercity TOC is GWR and on there, if you want a cup of tea at 10:23 you can have it at 11:15, or whenever (if) the trolley makes it through, so that's not ideal. I haven't experienced at seat ordering via app, but that does seem the best option. I accept there will be some customers without a phone, but that is usually their choice.

 

[TUC]

More of an issue than the payment methods is surely the requirement to physically go to the buffet and collect your order, many people will find that stops them from ordering in the first place as they are either unable to safely move through a moving train, or if say on their own with a very young child cannot manage that child and the getting through said moving train...

Ordering at seat but still having collect it from the buffet does seem like Grand Central wanting to have their cake and eat it.