Hull Trains / Grand Central First Class food service

[All Line Rover]

Another quick question.

Has anyone ever tried First Class on these operators? Do they serve a meal, or just "light snacks"?

Thanks again. I don't want to spend money on First Class tickets if I'll still be left hungry!

 

[yorkie]

You certainly won't get a meal on GC.

HT used to offer a very basic meal, not sure if they still do, I assume so, have you looked at their website?

Edit: can't find much on HT's website.

The latest info I have is 19 months out of date (click here for details)

"The courses are small and airline sized but always have been with Hull and therefore are not to be unexpected."

You might be better off going Standard Class and getting food from a station with a Bite Card

 

[sonic2009]

First_Class I've done both Operator's on my ALR.

Grand Central : Tea,Coffee,Water,Fruit Juices,Biscuits are complimentary with Food to Purchase from the Buffet

Hull Trains : Tea, Coffee, Orange Juice,Water,Shortbread, also Hull Trains do a Menu of Complimentary Food, which is spilt into three choices :

Breakfast
Late Morning/Afternoon/Late Evening
Dinner

I cant remeber the exact choices but when travelling last week, i had a pasta dish on the afternoon, and then a cottage pie on the evening menu, also i think they are due a menu change soon as well.

Week commencing 15th May is the Menu Change..

Hope this helps

 

[All Line Rover]

You certainly won't get a meal on GC.

HT used to offer a very basic meal, not sure if they still do, I assume so, have you looked at their website?

Edit: can't find much on HT's website.

Same here for Hull Trains. I remember them saying that they'd introduced a new First Class "menu", but nothing was ever published on their website.

I certainly won't travel with Grand Central if no meal is served. £105 Off-Peak return from York is quite pricey compared to East Coast, particularly when you consider that EC are introducing a new complimentary service next month. I may travel with them on my ALR though.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

First_Class I've done both Operator's on my ALR.

Grand Central : Tea,Coffee,Water,Fruit Juices,Biscuits are complimentary with Food to Purchase from the Buffet

Hull Trains : Tea, Coffee, Orange Juice,Water,Shortbread, also Hull Trains do a Menu of Complimentary Food, which is spilt into three choices :

Breakfast
Late Morning/Afternoon/Late Evening
Dinner

I cant remeber the exact choices but when travelling last week, i had a pasta dish on the afternoon, and then a cottage pie on the evening menu, also i think they are due a menu change soon as well.

Week commencing 15th May is the Menu Change..

Hope this helps

GC look pathetic to me.

HT sounds nice. They are quite reasonable on First Advances - £34 from London. £17 for me! (The £29 fare is only available on the last, very late, train, leaving no time to return to Manchester.)

 

[MidnightFlyer]

Can't quote it, but apprently Hull Trains have just re-introduced hot meals in First Class as a tie-in with their refurbished 180s.

See:

http://www.hulltrains.co.uk/lookingforward/issue1/ third page

 

[AlexS]

Thank god - I did London to Hull last August on an unrefurbed 180, which quite apart from smelling like excrement, served nothing but a woeful little ham sandwich and 1 round of coffee, junk.

 

[All Line Rover]

Can't quote it, but apprently Hull Trains have just re-introduced hot meals in First Class as a tie-in with their refurbished 180s.

See:

http://www.hulltrains.co.uk/lookingforward/issue1/ third page

That's a good link. Thanks.

 

[Max]

The refurbished 180s are pretty nice. Leather seats in first class, free wifi (that actually works unlike on East Coast!) and hot food has been reintroduced.

 

[wensley]

Unfortunately GC's First Class food is a bit of a let-down at the moment.
I understood that there were possibilities being explored to introduce a complimentary range but don't know what stage this is at or even if its going ahead!!

 

[ApAp]

When Grand Central started they offered a restaurant service (this was when they had an all HST fleet). They were competing against GNER then and had to try harder.

It's a shame the quality has dropped since then.

 

[John @ home]

When Grand Central started they offered a restaurant service

When Grand Central started they said a restaurant service would start soon. I'm still waiting!

 

[OMGitsDAVE]

From GC (http://grandcentralrail.co.uk/on-board-catering.html)


An at seat service is provided for our first class customers. One of our stewards will be happy to take your order.

For our standard class customers, our buffet service provides a large selection of hot and cold drinks, fresh sandwiches, pasties and cakes. In addition we offer a wide range of alcoholic beverages, crisps, snacks and chocolate. The buffet car is located near the centre of the train.

We aim to sell locally produced food and drink where we can.

 

[All Line Rover]

From GC (http://grandcentralrail.co.uk/on-board-catering.html)


An at seat service is provided for our first class customers. One of our stewards will be happy to take your order.

For our standard class customers, our buffet service provides a large selection of hot and cold drinks, fresh sandwiches, pasties and cakes. In addition we offer a wide range of alcoholic beverages, crisps, snacks and chocolate. The buffet car is located near the centre of the train.

We aim to sell locally produced food and drink where we can.

That's the problem. An at seat service comprising of what?

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

I travelled a while ago on Hull Trains and had quite a good meal, I think you have to pay for beer or wine though.

The best for included food was of course the sadly missed WSR.

I will be interested to see how the New 1st class service on East Coast, compares with Virgin 1st Class, as well as food, which does vary depending on the time of day you travel to or from Euston, you do get wine included on VT. On the present East coast it's on only free tea, coffee, buscuits but having said the meals you can buy on board have been quite good and not too dear. I was disapointed with GC from KX to Yorkshire last summer though.

It is a shame too that East coast will be almost stopping their through trains to GLA from KX as I prefer their 125 & 225 trains to those of VT which I find very cramped in std and not much better in first, as many of you know you don't always get a window, and who wants to spend 4 or 5 hours looking at a panel.! (I'd prefer trains to be MK 1 & MK 2 Stock, loco Hauled, even better if with a steam loco.!)

I did do first class once from Preston to Man Picc with Transpennine and was pleased to find on board not only free tea & coffee, but even a couple of breakfast rolls, they even offered second helpings and that is not a long journey at all.

NEXP used to be good from London ST. P to Notts, Derby & Sheffield as they used to give free tea & Coffee in STD Class as well as first, I don't know if this still happens on EMT?

Catering seems to be rather hit and miss on trains it's even changed on Eurostar in the first class coaches, I have not been on that for a while so don't know what the revised meal/drink service is like.

I expect though on all these revised services that the fares have gone up even if the meals have not.

Sorry I seem to have waffled on a bit here!

Rgds.

 

[All Line Rover]

I travelled a while ago on Hull Trains and had quite a good meal, I think you have to pay for beer or wine though.

The best for included food was of course the sadly missed WSR.

I will be interested to see how the New 1st class service on East Coast, compares with Virgin 1st Class, as well as food, which does vary depending on the time of day you travel to or from Euston, you do get wine included on VT. On the present East coast it's on only free tea, coffee, buscuits but having said the meals you can buy on board have been quite good and not too dear. I was disapointed with GC from KX to Yorkshire last summer though.

It is a shame too that East coast will be almost stopping their through trains to GLA from KX as I prefer their 125 & 225 trains to those of VT which I find very cramped in std and not much better in first, as many of you know you don't always get a window, and who wants to spend 4 or 5 hours looking at a panel.! (I'd prefer trains to be MK 1 & MK 2 Stock, loco Hauled, even better if with a steam loco.!)

I did do first class once from Preston to Man Picc with Transpennine and was pleased to find on board not only free tea & coffee, but even a couple of breafkast rolls, they even offered second helpings and that is not a long journey at all.

NEXP used to be good from London ST. P to Notts, Derby & Sheffield as they used to give free tea & Coffee in STD Class as well as first, I don't know if this still happens on EMT?

Catering seems to be rather hit and miss on trains it's even changed on Eurostar in the first class coaches, I have not been on that for a while so don't know what the revised meal/drink service is like.

I expect though on all these revised services that the fares have gone up even if the meals have not.

Sorry I seem to have waffled on a bit here!

Rgds.

WSMR was a very long journey, though - the meal had to be nice so that the journey didn't drag too much! The timings didn't fit in very well with an ALR either. In my opinion, the best for complimentary First Class food is ATW's "Premier" service. Admittedly it only runs once a day in each direction, and isn't cheap, but I'll be on a lot with my ALR!

 

[rail-britain]

That's the problem. And at seat service comprising of what?

Grand Central were mirroring exactly what NXEC was offering at the time in First Class
Complimentary items (tea, coffee, biscuits)
The at-seat service was from the menu, to save the customer leaving their seat to visit the buffet/restaurant to order / collect their order

However, Grand Central did not operate menus and the options were listed verbally without prices given (on request only)
As an example, I asked how much the Bacon Roll and Full English Breakfast was, but decided on just the Bacon Roll

On the plus-side at least such items were available, when I travelled on NXEC their breakfast service was not available (a fault in the kitchen)

 

[lm321412]

If you email First Hull Trains with a specific time+date they will be able to provide you with the food option for that time. Their customer relations department are very good.

Furthermore, I was speaking to them last week and the First Class Menus are to be much more flexible, including introducing Seasonal Ranges and I hear there were recent Wine Taste-Testing onboard, which could prove promising. I hope!

 

[All Line Rover]

If you email First Hull Trains with a specific time+date they will be able to provide you with the food option for that time. Their customer relations department are very good.

Furthermore, I was speaking to them last week and the First Class Menus are to be much more flexible, including introducing Seasonal Ranges and I hear there were recent Wine Taste-Testing onboard, which could prove promising. I hope!

That's exactly what I did this morning! I am awaiting their reply. I'm not old enough yet for wine, by the way! It tends to give me a headache anyway.

 

[bengolding]

Not wishing to start yet another new thread about First Class, I travelled on a Virgin Super Voyager to Birmingham this morning and they seem to have finally done away with those hideous breakfast rolls. I was offered croissants and the same breakfast choices as is offered on the Euston - North Wales route, which is an improvement but nowhere near as decent as the Pendolino offering.

 

[voyagerdude220]

That's interesting Bengolding. Is that the 'mini' Super Voyager cooked breakfast you're referring to, which they previously only offered to/from Euston?

 

[ApAp]

When Grand Central started they said a restaurant service would start soon. I'm still waiting!

They published menus for it on their website so I thought it had started already. Never did try Grand Central as I needed to go from London - Heworth and a regular fast GNER service to Newcastle beat an occasional slow (it's fast enough to York but seems to take the slow route beyond there) service to Sunderland. I had a GNERtime card at the time so 2 for 1 beers and a half bottle of wine with my meal so I couldn't bring myself to try the GC service.

By the time NXEC were making cutbacks to the offering I noticed there was no more mention of restaurants on the GC site so I stuck with what I knew.

 

[ApAp]

If it lets me attach them here's some Grand Central menus that I found on my machine in its download folder (have to love the quick search facility on the Mac). These were the ones published on the original GC website.

 

[bengolding]

That's interesting Bengolding. Is that the 'mini' Super Voyager cooked breakfast you're referring to, which they previously only offered to/from Euston?

That's the one. Choice of meat grill, vege grill, porridge or something with salmon plus croissants. Even the XC breakfast offering was better than those cardboard breakfast rolls, which have hopefully gone for good!

 

[Pumbaa]

The refurbished 180s are pretty nice. Leather seats in first class, free wifi (that actually works unlike on East Coast!) and hot food has been reintroduced.

Are there any photos of these? They seemed to have slipped in under the radar!

 

[ainsworth74]

Are there any photos of these? They seemed to have slipped in under the radar!

There are some in that magazine that Matt linked to up thread (post #5).