Maccy D's on DB

[Shimbleshanks]

Anyone remember the McDonalds Dining cars on DB in the 1990s? Doubt they were much missed...

The McTrain: The Rise and Fall of McDonald's Ambitious Plan to Conquer the Railroads

It sounded like a great idea—until it wasn't.

www.thedrive.com

 

[jamesontheroad]

I saw one of the prototypes (from the outside) in Switzerland in the very early 1990s. Was travelling as a child with my parents, and I doubt that they would have encouraged me to try it out!

 

[hexagon789]

Previous thread about the Swiss ones can be found here if it's of interest -

SBB McDonalds

Hi. Any information welcome. Pictures of the inside I would especially like to see! Why did it fail? Thanks :)

www.railforums.co.uk

 

[Shimbleshanks]

I suppose the problem with the idea was that, if you don't like Maccy's (and I suspect many German and Swiss business travellers have greater expectations) there is no other cooked food option on the train.
Not sure I would have wanted to have been in charge of a deep-fat fryer while slamming through points at 160kmph...

 

[hexagon789]

I suppose the problem with the idea was that, if you don't like Maccy's (and I suspect many German and Swiss business travellers have greater expectations) there is no other cooked food option on the train.
Not sure I would have wanted to have been in charge of a deep-fat fryer while slamming through points at 160kmph...

That's a good point, the standard catering options of DB and SBB are of far better quality

 

[LSWR Cavalier]

No problem, fast-food outlets are ubiquitous on DB stations, doubtless they are more efficient than Bordgastronomie
BTW, 'fast' in German means 'nearly' %)

 

[popeter45]

with many services now ditching dining cars i wonder how well this could work on somthing like a GWR class 802 with its kitchen area very underused aspart from a few pullman services
i think SBB have already done this to an extent with starbucks on a few IC2000's

 

[61653 HTAFC]

with many services now ditching dining cars i wonder how well this could work on somthing like a GWR class 802 with its kitchen area very underused aspart from a few pullman services
i think SBB have already done this to an extent with starbucks on a few IC2000's

Not just the Europeans that tried it... Connex South Central (of all TOCs) had "Puccino's" branded coffee bars on board the Brighton Express 319s... unfortunately they'd all been closed by the time I got to ride them, and only the counter and "pod" seats remained.

 

[Bletchleyite]

Not just the Europeans that tried it... Connex South Central (of all TOCs) had "Puccino's" branded coffee bars on board the Brighton Express 319s... unfortunately they'd all been closed by the time I got to ride them, and only the counter and "pod" seats remained.

Pretty sure that they were just regular trolley services with the Puccino's brand used, the trolley docked behind the little counter thing where the conduit comes down from the pantograph.

As for Maccy's they (or BK) are on enough stations that there's barely any point, and much as they do get my custom from time to time (!) it's a bit antisocial eating it on board as it stinks.

 

[Jamesrob637]

Do ROCO do a model of the DB dining car in maccies livery? I know there's a model of the SBB one kicking around.

 

[JonathanP]

DB's on board restaurant operation loses about €80 million per year(pre corona), and is subsidised by ticket prices in order to meet customer expectations. So I think at least these days any kind of 'branded' catering operaration has to be viewed as a promotional venture and not a geniune business. The rolling Starbucks only lasted 3 years.

 

[STEVIEBOY1]

I seem to remember, very many years ago in Japan, some of their trains served a McDonalds for Breakfast, possibly a Big Mac, wonder if they still do?

 

[Gerald Fiennes]

Yes, I tried the SBB and DB versions of Maccy D's. Think of them more as mobile brand ambassadors than great on-train catering and you will get the picture. Certainly it's a popular brand, so the restaurant cars were well used!