Virgin first class food service

[voyagerdude220]

9/10 I request my Full English to have Scrambled egg instead of fried, which the CSA's happily oblige with. One recent exception was on the 10:29 ex Crewe to Euston, when the order taker simply said "no, you have fried egg." and walked off. Only for my breakfast to appear and him say to me "I found your scrambled egg"

 

[tivoli]

Travelling 8.10 Euston to Bangor next week, is First class service any different from say to Manchester or Glasgow?

 

[calc7]

Travelling 8.10 Euston to Bangor next week, is First class service any different from say to Manchester or Glasgow?

Super Voyager trains (Between Chester/North Wales and London): Enjoy our 'British Breakfast' with outdoor-reared back bacon and sausage, diced potatoes and a free range egg omelette or our fresh smoked salmon and free range scrambled eggs or delicious vegetarian cooked breakfast(v).

 

[All Line Rover]

Travelling 8.10 Euston to Bangor next week, is First class service any different from say to Manchester or Glasgow?

Yes, completely different, as you will be travelling on a Super Voyager (diesel, with 1 First Class carriage). Rather than being served a cooked breakfast by a chef (smoked salmon and scrambled eggs or Full English) as you would on a Pendolino (electric, with 4 First Class carriages), you will be served a "miniature" microwaved breakfast. Edible, but not the best, and certainly far inferior to a Pendolino breakfast.

 

[voyagerdude220]

you will be served a "miniature" microwaved breakfast. Edible, but not the best,

The pedant in me would like to point out that the breakfast is cooked in a very small oven. I've always wondered how they fit everything in, as the look small.

 

[All Line Rover]

The pedant in me would like to point out that the breakfast is cooked in a very small oven. I've always wondered how they fit everything in, as the look small.

Yes, but...

• The breakfast is prepacked
• The breakfast is only "heated up" in the "oven"
• The "oven" is, as you say, very small

Sounds like a microwaved breakfast to me. The fact that microwaves aren't actually used to heat the food doesn't really alter the flavour!

 

[WCMLaddict]

I tried the Voyager breakfast once and it was good enough. It is small ...


99% of my journeys are done Mon-Fri but I stayed in London yesterday and came back up north only today. The difference between the weekday and weekend First Class service is like day and night.
On today Pendolino to Manchester there was just one steward for the whole class and during the week it's four (five?). Hot drinks served in disposable cups, one serving through they whole journey. I was aware of the difference with catering choice.
The nice lady looking after us was packed up and ready to get off the train before we even reached Stockport.

 

[34D]

Any comments on the vegetarian breakfasts please?

 

[All Line Rover]

I tried the Voyager breakfast once and it was good enough. It is small ...


99% of my journeys are done Mon-Fri but I stayed in London yesterday and came back up north only today. The difference between the weekday and weekend First Class service is like day and night.
On today Pendolino to Manchester there was just one steward for the whole class and during the week it's four (five?). Hot drinks served in disposable cups, one serving through they whole journey. I was aware of the difference with catering choice.
The nice lady looking after us was packed up and ready to get off the train before we even reached Stockport.

IMHO they are overstaffed midweek. They could get rid of two staff straight away by just placing tea and coffee dispensers on the trolley! (Like at weekends). It would be safer (instead of running around with tea and coffee jugs on a 125mph tilting train) and would also save them a fortune.

 

[All Line Rover]

Any comments on the vegetarian breakfasts please?

Vegetarian breakfast consists of: 1 rosti, 1 fried egg, half a tomato, 2 vegetarian sausage and a spinach and onion mix. Picture attached.

 

[34D]

Vegetarian breakfast consists of: 1 rosti, 1 fried egg, half a tomato, 2 vegetarian sausage and a spinach and onion mix. Picture attached.

Thanks for that. Is this pendolino only?

 

[Asian Demon]

IMHO they are overstaffed midweek. They could get rid of two staff straight away by just placing tea and coffee dispensers on the trolley! (Like at weekends). It would be safer (instead of running around with tea and coffee jugs on a 125mph tilting train) and would also save them a fortune.

It's funny you say that because they're running the trains understaffed at the moment during the weekdays and even more so on weekends. God knows what's going to happen come the olympics.

 

[calc7]

First Class passengers on busier services will also notice the drop in staff availability IMO. Especially those in coach H/G who will be waiting significantly longer for all types of service. I think the current system works well on breakfast and evening meal services.

 

[Ascot]

It looks like all staff are needed on services like the 07:41 BHI-EUS. It's been great around the Easter holidays though as a good 1/3 aren't travelling.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[island]

There were seven catering staff (I think) last time I used a breakfast service. Does that sound about right?

 

[All Line Rover]

Thanks for that. Is this pendolino only?

Yes, it is.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

There were seven catering staff (I think) last time I used a breakfast service. Does that sound about right?

It's usually 4 (tea person, coffee person, chef and team leader). And it's still 4 even when there is only 1 passenger per carraige!

 

[Asian Demon]

Yes, it is.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


It's usually 4 (tea person, coffee person, chef and team leader). And it's still 4 even when there is only 1 passenger per carraige!

Should usually be 5 (1 in shop). Any extra's could actually be pass on their diagrams to meet other trains. It happens quite a lot to cover additional workings or workings where they are short staffed.

 

[krisk]

Breakfast - 6
Light Breakfast - 4
Light Bites - 3
Dinner - 5

That said there may be occasional times where people assist to meet later turns.

The suggestion to remove two people would not work as in the daytime that would leave one person, at dinner it would leave two in first, if one person prepares the food and another takes orders who is serving drinks as an example.

There will be quiet and busy times as it is the industry but that is the agreed numbers and that is for a reason.

 

[YorkshireRider]

Breakfast - 6
Light Breakfast - 4
Light Bites - 3
Dinner - 5

That said there may be occasional times where people assist to meet later turns.

The suggestion to remove two people would not work as in the daytime that would leave one person, at dinner it would leave two in first, if one person prepares the food and another takes orders who is serving drinks as an example.

There will be quiet and busy times as it is the industry but that is the agreed numbers and that is for a reason.

Going off that do you only have chefs at breakfast? Do they just come back pass?