Refreshment trolleys serving warm drinks

[ApAp]

Nice to hear that Sainsburys is at Newcastle Central, spend an extra £3 there to make up for the inadequacies of EC catering.

It's a vicious circle, one train company offers poor catering, increasing the demand for shops to open on the concourse, people then start using these shops to buy before they board even when travelling operators that offer good catering because they're used to the poor service from the other operators. Seeing demand fall, the good operator then decides to make cutbacks on catering.

 

[radamfi]

Dutch trains used to have trolleys which kept cold cans cold. Although I think catering has been removed from most if not all domestic Dutch trains.

Having shopping facilities at rail stations is a highly desirable way of encouraging less car use.

 

[exile]

Vending machines.

 

[Pumbaa]

Is this going to end up with you taking a thermometer and measuring the temperature of drinks on different trains?

No, don't be silly, the window pillars are too thick and keep the heat trapped inside rather than magically escaping through glass

 

[Essexman]

I was in first class on a TPE train to Glasgow yesterday (free drinks, nibbles & sandwiches) and observed (an American) lady buy a coke then when the host had gone off for a few minutes, put her part drunk bottle in the bag of ice by the trolley. Anything on the outside of her bottle would then have contaminated the ice. The host looked a little surprised when she found it but didn't seem to tell her off - nor was anything said about her putting feet on opposite seat for the whole journey.

Anyway, to point of the thread, there was plenty of ice on the TPE, although I'm not sure if it made it to standard too.

 

[telstarbox]

Of course if EMT had kept the buffets, they could have installed some sort of temperature-controlled compartment and kept all such drinks in there until they were required! I saw one working really well on a VT service - full of ice-cold lagers and Cokes, think I heard the crew refer to it as a "fridge" but this might be staff jargon. Progress...

 

[MidnightFlyer]

EMT are reintroducing the Buffet to Standard Class and scrapping the trolley, according to the latest TRUK.

 

[notoemt]

EMT are reintroducing the Buffet to Standard Class and scrapping the trolley, according to the latest TRUK.

Really? When will that happen then? Soon I hope. Some of the rail gourmet staff seem incapable of doing their job. The amount of times I've got on trains in London only to be confronted by rubbish that hasn't been collected (or they've been round collecting rubbish too soon). Or they rush through the carriage with the trolley too quickly for you to buy anything.

There was one on my train the other morning - she would push the trolley through and then when she was almost through the carriage she would ask in a very quiet voice if anyone wanted any refreshment. I next saw her collecting rubbish at Wellingborough. Again this was done in a very quiet voice. Next there was an announcement that the trolley would be stationary in the buffet car due to overcrowding in standard. Considering there were a lot of empty seats in my carriage and the one in front I took it to be that she was just bone idle. If there were actually people standing around the middle of the train she could have opened her mouth to say there were seats at the back. Only saw 1 train guard and he was arguing with someone who'd been hiding in the toilet since Leicester.

 

[Turbocharger]

Didn't they have any ice? Surely a "must have" item for any FC service.

 

[BestWestern]

Really? When will that happen then? Soon I hope. Some of the rail gourmet staff seem incapable of doing their job. The amount of times I've got on trains in London only to be confronted by rubbish that hasn't been collected (or they've been round collecting rubbish too soon). Or they rush through the carriage with the trolley too quickly for you to buy anything.

There was one on my train the other morning - she would push the trolley through and then when she was almost through the carriage she would ask in a very quiet voice if anyone wanted any refreshment. I next saw her collecting rubbish at Wellingborough. Again this was done in a very quiet voice. Next there was an announcement that the trolley would be stationary in the buffet car due to overcrowding in standard. Considering there were a lot of empty seats in my carriage and the one in front I took it to be that she was just bone idle. If there were actually people standing around the middle of the train she could have opened her mouth to say there were seats at the back. Only saw 1 train guard and he was arguing with someone who'd been hiding in the toilet since Leicester.

That's a very foolish mentality for a steward to have as she will almost certainly be on a crap basic pay (minimum wage or just above) with a sales bonus payable on sales based on a daily target. Hardly likely to be achieving that by hiding from the punters. Also quite likely to end up sacked, frankly. Down my way we get the odd lazy steward, but generally they either end up leaving pretty quick or they're rather mature in life and just doing the job to pass their time, and couldn't really care less about their trivial bonus! We do also get some very good ones, I would add.

 

[lookingforit35]

Sadly many shops at mainline stations struggle with the concept of a "cold" drink. The WH Smiths, Boots plus various catering outlets at Charing Cross have what seem like barely functioning fridges which have little or no effect on the temperature of their stock.

So I either splash out on an overpriced coke from Burger King, or pop down the escalator to the slightly surly vendor (no words are ever exchanged, he just holds his hand out for the cash!!) in a kiosk by Villiers Street. But at least his cans of drink are fantastically cold.

 

[causton]

Sadly many shops at mainline stations struggle with the concept of a "cold" drink. The WH Smiths, Boots plus various catering outlets at Charing Cross have what seem like barely functioning fridges which have little or no effect on the temperature of their stock.

So I either splash out on an overpriced coke from Burger King, or pop down the escalator to the slightly surly vendor (no words are ever exchanged, he just holds his hand out for the cash!!) in a kiosk by Villiers Street. But at least his cans of drink are fantastically cold.

Oh indeed, the chillers with the Meal Deal drinks at my local (to work) Sainsbury's have issues meaning that 1/3 of the time both are working, 1/3 of the time the one with the good drinks (Coke etc) works, and 1/3 of the time only the one with bad drinks (Pepsi, Orange juice and many non-meal deal drinks)... best bet in central London is a McDonalds or Subway with a dispensed drink (with the latter you get to choose how much ice you have!) - hopefully you're lucky and don't get a flat drink though!