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On-train catering

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NoOnesFool

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CrossCountry First Class catering seems to have deteriorated in recent weeks. I boarded at the train's origin station, a major station on the network. I was offered a drink around 20 minutes after departure. Orange juice seems to have disappeared permentanly. No food was offered at all and the menus are still no longer present on the tables. No other customers were offered food either. There was one run with the trolley for a journey of around an hour, which seems poor to me, especially on a weekday when First has a dedicated Host. To give CrossCountry some credit though, the hot drinks are piping hot, as the woman across from me dithered over her tea for the entire hour and it remained steaming.

Avanti West Coast First Class seems to be getting back to good form. I made a rather short journey and was offered drinks, and also offered something to eat. Snacks include Ilchester cheese and crackers and Meredith & Drew's biscuits. The ticket was very good value at just over £14 for a 35 minute journey.
 
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Jimini

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CrossCountry First Class catering seems to have deteriorated in recent weeks. I boarded at the train's origin station, a major station on the network. I was offered a drink around 20 minutes after departure. Orange juice seems to have disappeared permentanly. No food was offered at all and the menus are still no longer present on the tables. No other customers were offered food either. There was one run with the trolley for a journey of around an hour, which seems poor to me, especially on a weekday when First has a dedicated Host. To give CrossCountry some credit though, the hot drinks are piping hot, as the woman across from me dithered over her tea for the entire hour and it remained steaming.

Avanti West Coast First Class seems to be getting back to good form. I made a rather short journey and was offered drinks, and also offered something to eat. Snacks include Ilchester cheese and crackers and Meredith & Drew's biscuits. The ticket was very good value at just over £14 for a 35 minute journey.

Agreed. I’ve been using XC FC for a couple of journeys per week this past month ago or so, and the best you can hope for is a brew if you’re lucky. I’m on the 2113 from Reading to Brum right now and not so much as a ticket check, let alone any form of catering as we arrive at Oxford.
 

dk1

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Agreed. I’ve been using XC FC for a couple of journeys per week this past month ago or so, and the best you can hope for is a brew if you’re lucky. I’m on the 2113 from Reading to Brum right now and not so much as a ticket check, let alone any form of catering as we arrive at Oxford.
XC have never had catering on most services after 20:00. Was the same before 2007 when Virgin ran the show.
 

Jimini

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XC have never had catering on most services after 20:00. Was the same before 2007 when Virgin ran the show.

Point taken, but it was the same service level or lack of on the 07xx (something) from New Street this morning, and has been my experience each time I’ve travelled in either direction. Not exactly what the website / app promotes..
 

westv

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1st class on Hull Trains this morning. Offered a bacon roll or a sausage roll. Went for the later.
the "sausages" in the roll were rubbish.
 

NoOnesFool

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Do people think that some of the TOCs are using the so called 'coronavirus' excuse to streamline their catering offering and potentially cut costs? I can eat a three course meal in a restaurant but I'm not even offered a biscuit on the train? Does anyone else feel as though the excuse is starting to wear thin?
 

williamn

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Was on LNER Aberdeen to London the other day. V poor food service in first, just two food runs and four drinks in the course of seven hours. Food runs were five hours apart!
 

NoOnesFool

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Was on LNER Aberdeen to London the other day. V poor food service in first, just two food runs and four drinks in the course of seven hours. Food runs were five hours apart!
Were no snacks offered in between the food runs?
 

TPO

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Do people think that some of the TOCs are using the so called 'coronavirus' excuse to streamline their catering offering and potentially cut costs? I can eat a three course meal in a restaurant but I'm not even offered a biscuit on the train? Does anyone else feel as though the excuse is starting to wear thin?

Quite possibly.

Not just TOCs. I am a regular user of Premier Inns (for work): pre-COVID, during lockdown and now. With breakfast once again being available, when I was away recently I have had full breakfast in 3 different Premier Inns and it ranged from "average" to "pretty poor" which is a change from previously being "usually excellent, otherwise good."

TPO
 

zero

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Was on LNER Aberdeen to London the other day. V poor food service in first, just two food runs and four drinks in the course of seven hours. Food runs were five hours apart!

This vindicates my decision not to book first in the recent sale even though it was not much more.
 

VauxhallandI

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My brother came down to London from Haymarket at the weekend in First and reported the effort to be minimal and rotten.

I’ve just booked up to Dundee in October , apparently I couldn’t choose my seat as it was the last one and it doesn’t have a power socket! So much for great new trains.
 

Sleepy

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This vindicates my decision not to book first in the recent sale even though it was not much more.
Same - took 1 look at First class "menu" on LNER and decided not to bother with trip. So much for encouraging leisure travellers ?
 

haggishunter

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Was on LNER Aberdeen to London the other day. V poor food service in first, just two food runs and four drinks in the course of seven hours. Food runs were five hours apart!

Got more than that between Inverness and Stirling on the Highland Chieftain on a couple of trips out of Inverness in August - in fact I was turning down more coffee despite having 4+ cups in that time!
 

NoOnesFool

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Hot meals have returned on CrossCountry. Yesterday, I had a delicious Vegetable Biryani. It was very fragrant and flavoursome. It's almost as if Andy Cooper has read this thread and decided to up his game.
 

dk1

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Hot meals have returned on CrossCountry. Yesterday, I had a delicious Vegetable Biryani. It was very fragrant and flavoursome. It's almost as if Andy Cooper has read this thread and decided to up his game.
I thought Andy had retired.
 

daveo

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Same - took 1 look at First class "menu" on LNER and decided not to bother with trip. So much for encouraging leisure travellers ?
If your whole trip revolves around the 1st class menu then does the trip have any real value???
 

NoOnesFool

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Grand Central First Class Complimentary Refreshments
Customers can choose two items from the following:-
  1. Seabrook Crisps
  2. Croissant With Strawberry Jam
  3. Walker's Shortbread
  4. Whitworth's Dried Fruit Pack
  5. Strawberry Nutrigrain
The drinks on offer are tea, coffee & Harrogate spring water.

----------------------
I must say, I've never known a train operator to limit the number of snacks for First Class. It's normally a common sense approach (the Host will decline additional items if stock is low). It seems needlessly stingy to officially limit items, as most people only ask for one or two snacks anyway. I wonder if there will eventually be a limit on drinks. I note that fruit juice is no longer offered as part of the First Class Menu.
 

takno

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Grand Central First Class Complimentary Refreshments
Customers can choose two items from the following:-
  1. Seabrook Crisps
  2. Croissant With Strawberry Jam
  3. Walker's Shortbread
  4. Whitworth's Dried Fruit Pack
  5. Strawberry Nutrigrain
The drinks on offer are tea, coffee & Harrogate spring water.

----------------------
I must say, I've never known a train operator to limit the number of snacks for First Class. It's normally a common sense approach (the Host will decline additional items if stock is low). It seems needlessly stingy to officially limit items, as most people only ask for one or two snacks anyway. I wonder if there will eventually be a limit on drinks. I note that fruit juice is no longer offered as part of the First Class Menu.
It's crazy putting a limit on it, because you inherently putting a cash value on it as well. In this case a cash value of about £1.20, which isn't a great sell
 

Blinkbonny

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Not done it for a couple of years for obvious reasons, but didn't Scotrail use to offer you a tray of snacks from which you were expected to select just ONE?
 

Butts

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It's crazy putting a limit on it, because you inherently putting a cash value on it as well. In this case a cash value of about £1.20, which isn't a great sell

Is that list all you have to choose from ?

Are there no sandwiches or alcoholic drinks ?
 

Scotrail314209

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Not done it for a couple of years for obvious reasons, but didn't Scotrail use to offer you a tray of snacks from which you were expected to select just ONE?
I recall on the services to Aberdeen and Inverness they would come round more than once with refreshments and snacks.

On the Edinburgh to Glasgow the snack and drink sufficed fine for the 50 minute journey imo
 

morrisobrien

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Went on the new MK!V service on Monday from Cardiff to Holyhead.Smashing designed Buffet bar but limited stock, hot and cold drinks,confectionery,biscuits and crisps.A few sandwiches came on
at Shrewsbury.On board crew were brilliant though.
 

Jimini

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I’m on a XC service from Brum to Reading at the moment, and a catering trolley / customer host just appeared, making her way through coach B! Almost fell off my chair in surprise :lol:
 

Watershed

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I’m on a XC service from Brum to Reading at the moment, and a catering trolley / customer host just appeared, making her way through coach B! Almost fell off my chair in surprise :lol:
Yep, XC trolleys were reintroduced last Monday. Better late than never!
 

dk1

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Yep, XC trolleys were reintroduced last Monday. Better late than never!
What's taken so long?

I’m on a XC service from Brum to Reading at the moment, and a catering trolley / customer host just appeared, making her way through coach B! Almost fell off my chair in surprise :lol:
XC had catering back during August 2020. I thought trolleys had resumed for a long time now or was it a static service?
 
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