Bletchleyite
Veteran Member
The truth is this; There is a firm place for on-board catering, but I believe it has moved on since HSTs were introduced. I also believe that the requirements do vary by route - the proportion of 'long haul' passengers being far higher on the East Coast route than the Great Western which, other than the WoE route beyond Taunton, is equivalent to many commuter journeys in the South East.
And the primary issue is that the approach taken by the TOCs is always, other than ScotRail, that the buffet should be a quality operation staffed by TOC employees with a quality selection and good stock levels, and that any old cheap outsourced rubbish is OK for the trolley.
This really has to stop. Make the trolley good (and have enough of them that I'll see it frequently enough in very long trains), and it'll definitely be my preference. Oh, and if it will be missing, put it on the PIS reliably so I can make other arrangements.