Virgin Trains cuts Bryn Williams evening meal from more than half of services

[All Line Rover]

In September 2015 Virgin Trains introduced an 'enhanced' evening meal on its London to Holyhead route and new London to Shrewsbury route, designed in collaboration with Welsh chef Bryn Williams. Although I have travelled on the London to Holyhead route for years and noticed no discernible difference in the nature or quality of the food that was served, I could at least express my agreement with the desire to serve locally sourced produce.

Branson was clearly of a different mind, as he considered this improvement to be so important that it was worth writing about it in his blog: http://www.virgin.com/richard-branson/listen-to-your-employees-ideas. It was also featured on Virgin's recruitment website: http://www.virgin.com/careers/how-an-employee-idea-led-to-a-celebrity-chef-for-virgin-trains.

Bryn Williams' evening meal was initially served on the 17:10, 18:10 and 19:10 London to Holyhead services, the 18:23 London to Shrewsbury service and the 17:35 Chester to London service (source: press release).

From today (18 Jan 2016), Bryn Williams' evening meal has been cut back to the 17:10 and 18:10 departures only. On the 19:10, the main course is now a pastrami sandwich. And the dessert is... nothing. Thrilling! On the 18:23 and 17:35 departures, there continues to be an evening meal of sorts, but of a less appetising variety. For example, the vegetarian option, instead of being Bryn Williams' "baked field mushrooms with shallot & parsley salad", is macaroni cheese.

First class advance fares on the 17:10 and 19:10 departures tend to be the same price (a minimum of £95), which makes the change to the 19:10 departure appear particularly strange.

The only positive change I have noticed is that a "hot smoked salmon and potato salad" is now served on all afternoon [...] Pendolino trains.

 

[Carlisle]

I presume this only applies to First Class passengers, if so that'll probably only really be a small percentage on board the trains concerned , so I can't really see a potential massive uproar as the Virgin first class catering offer has always been modified from time to time for as long as I can remember

 

[All Line Rover]

Although I would tend to agree and mention this purely because Virgin spewed out a heavy amount of PR at the time, the 17:10 and 18:10 regularly have more passengers in first class (Coach E) than in coaches A, B and C combined, in the unit that terminates at Chester or Wrexham respectively, even on Thursdays and Fridays.

Serving reasonable quality food is not difficult, which makes you wonder why Virgin feels compelled to heavily restrict the range of services on which it is offered.

 

[Domh245]

Perhaps, what with it being winter and all that, local produce is somewhat thin on the ground, and the other services will regain their proper catering as soon as stocks start to grow again?

 

[berneyarms]

The change in the dinner on the 19:10 is clear from the Virgin timetable.

 

[driver_m]

So basically you're finding a way of criticising VT for serving Holyhead passengers the same sarnies as those on pendos. (The pastrami sandwich being available on those)

This is beginning to look like an agenda.....

 

[Jonfun]

Perhaps it wasn't as popular as they'd been expecting. I have to say, if I was given "baked field mushrooms with shallot & parsley salad" I think the most I would be able to eat of it would be the parsley. Anything where mushrooms are the main bit is never going to be thrilling.

 

[Geezertronic]

This is beginning to look like an agenda.....

You noticed too

 

[ag51ruk]

The evening meal offer on VT has always been on trains starting their journey between 17.00 and 19.00 - so this is only bringing those services in line with trains on other routes

 

[urbophile]

In the good old days restaurant cars used to be open to all passengers, not just first class. And they charged appropriately for what you had (full meal, afternoon tea, etc). It now seems a bit of a gamble if you pay the exhorbitant first class fare as to whether you will get any perks at all.
Would it not be good business sense to make meals available to all and charge accordingly? I know that with faster train times and different eating habits the old fine dining of the steam days is not what people want. But they want to know whether, and what sort of, food will be available.

 

[xtradj]

Cheaper to buy your own food that eat microwave rubbish on a train.

Trains are going the way of airlines. Losing onboard entertainment and food is a way of saving them money.

 

[route:oxford]

But they want to know whether, and what sort of, food will be available.

They do though. Just check the menu online before you travel.

In the olden days of steam there wasn't an M&S with a fabulous range of delicious food and drink at every major station.

 

[southern442]

I can see why people are angry but to be honest, a pastrami sandwich is all I would want

I am quite annoyed that catering is being slowly cut back on services, a sort of strung-out 'Closure by Stealth'

 

[All Line Rover]

So basically you're finding a way of criticising VT for serving Holyhead passengers the same sarnies as those on pendos. (The pastrami sandwich being available on those)

The evening meal offer on VT has always been on trains starting their journey between 17.00 and 19.00 - so this is only bringing those services in line with trains on other routes

The journey to Holyhead is almost four hours - roughly 30 minutes shorter than the equivalent journey to Glasgow, on which evening meals are served outside the hours of 17.00 and 19.00 in both directions. The Holyhead and Scotland routes are not comparable with Virgin's other routes.

Don't over promise and under deliver. That's not a difficult concept to grasp.

 

[berneyarms]

In the good old days restaurant cars used to be open to all passengers, not just first class. And they charged appropriately for what you had (full meal, afternoon tea, etc). It now seems a bit of a gamble if you pay the exhorbitant first class fare as to whether you will get any perks at all.
Would it not be good business sense to make meals available to all and charge accordingly? I know that with faster train times and different eating habits the old fine dining of the steam days is not what people want. But they want to know whether, and what sort of, food will be available.

The timetable pdf clearly indicates which trains offer a dinner service, and the 19:10 to Holyhead is correctly shown as no longer having this service.

The Virgin website also shows the current menus that are served on these specific trains - scroll down to the evening meal and look at the Voyager section.

After that, the Late evening menu kicks in.

https://www.virgintrains.co.uk/experience/first-class/menu

 

[All Line Rover]

In the olden days of steam there wasn't an M&S with a fabulous range of delicious food and drink at every major station.

Irrespective of whether 'complimentary' food is served, a visit to M&S is still in order as Virgin's portion sizes are designed for young children. Few first class passengers eat food from M&S or any other station retailer on-board, however, which might be because M&S is so fabulous that the queues become too long during the times when business people tend to travel.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

This is beginning to look like an agenda.....

When I come across a change that is an improvement I promise to let you know. You may be left waiting a while...

 

[Bishopstone]

When I come across a change that is an improvement I promise to let you know. You may be left waiting a while...

Here's one to get you started: the conversion of a First Class coach to Standard in many of the Pendolinos. I think most West Coast travellers would consider that to represent an improvement.

 

[driver_m]

Irrespective of whether 'complimentary' food is served, a visit to M&S is still in order as Virgin's portion sizes are designed for young children. Few first class passengers eat food from M&S or any other station retailer on-board, however, which might be because M&S is so fabulous that the queues become too long during the times when business people tend to travel.
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---


When I come across a change that is an improvement I promise to let you know. You may be left waiting a while...

When you start picking faults on a regular basis with other companies then I'll be more inclined to listen. As it is your posts are beginning to resemble a David Icke post on Facebook. 'They're gonna get you, they will, THEY WILL GODAMMIT!!!!!' So I'll carry on treating your posts as an amusement and nothing more.

Core market on that service is undoubtedly Crewe/Chester. At a roughly 2hr journey. Hmm not at all comparable to Liverpool and Manchester and Preston. That take 2hrs. Hmmmmm!

 

[All Line Rover]

Here's one to get you started: the conversion of a First Class coach to Standard in many of the Pendolinos. I think most West Coast travellers would consider that to represent an improvement.

Most WCML travellers would consider it an improvement for all Pendolinos to be 11 car, with 7 standard class carriages. I overhear plenty of complaints about the inconsistency between 9 and 11 car Pendolinos but am yet to encounter obsequious praise about the fact that the 9 car Pendolinos have 6 rather than 5 standard class carriages. If you consider this to be an improvement that is worth praising, why not create a new thread?
--- old post above --- --- new post below ---

When you start picking faults on a regular basis with other companies then I'll be more inclined to listen.

Any indication that there are more criticisms of one train company than another on this forum is purely a reflection of the demographics of users of this forum and is not an indication that any one train company is better or worse than any other. If I happened to commute from Swindon or Peterborough to London in first class I'm sure I would have criticisms of GWR or VT(EC) respectively.

 

[urbophile]

The timetable pdf clearly indicates which trains offer a dinner service, and the 19:10 to Holyhead is correctly shown as no longer having this service.

The Virgin website also shows the current menus that are served on these specific trains - scroll down to the evening meal and look at the Voyager section.

After that, the Late evening menu kicks in.

https://www.virgintrains.co.uk/experience/first-class/menu

My point is rather that meals are part of the package, or not, for first class passengers. If I were such (which I am not usually) I would prefer to pay a lower fare and have the choice of whether or not to buy a meal, and what sort. And if it weren't included in the deal, there would be no reason for stopping us ordinary folk who travel standard class from buying one if we wished.

 

[Greenback]

My point is rather that meals are part of the package, or not, for first class passengers. If I were such (which I am not usually) I would prefer to pay a lower fare and have the choice of whether or not to buy a meal, and what sort. And if it weren't included in the deal, there would be no reason for stopping us ordinary folk who travel standard class from buying one if we wished.

I agree with you! I would much rather have the choice of deciding for myself if I want something to eat and drink or not, rather have it included in the price.

 

[infobleep]

Of course that is a solution to this. Virgin simply advertise the fact is no longer being offered as widely as they advertised it being offered.

Then perhaps as many people known it's no longer offered as those that knew it had been offered.

 

[Starmill]

So basically you're finding a way of criticising VT for serving Holyhead passengers the same sarnies as those on pendos. (The pastrami sandwich being available on those)

This is beginning to look like an agenda.....

What? Pendolinos serve evening meals.

 

[berneyarms]

What? Pendolinos serve evening meals.

Not after 7pm - at that stage everyone gets the "late evening" service.

 

[backontrack]

What do veggies get instead of a pastrami sandwich? TIA.

 

[driver_m]

An egg n cheese roll I think.

 

[berneyarms]

What do veggies get instead of a pastrami sandwich? TIA.

The menus are in the link in post #15 above that I have posted already.

 

[backontrack]

An egg n cheese roll I think.

The menus are in the link in post #15 above that I have posted already.

Thanks!

It seems to be either the Deli Plate or the Cocktail Nibbles. It's a disappointment that there's no veggie sandwich (during the afternoons too there only seems to be pastrami) but not unexpected; vegetarians have been shafted for ages, quite frankly.

 

[driver_m]

Thanks!

It seems to be either the Deli Plate or the Cocktail Nibbles. It's a disappointment that there's no veggie sandwich (during the afternoons too there only seems to be pastrami) but not unexpected; vegetarians have been shafted for ages, quite frankly.

Ive never known them not to do a veggie option. There's always a veggie option or two on the breakfasts and when it's sarnies there's always a veggie one.

 

[Bungle965]

Not after 7pm - at that stage everyone gets the "late evening" service.

Which is not exactly what i call great!
Sam