On train catering, Should Steam railways be doing it more ?

The Severn Valley is dire. The quality of food is exceedingly poor on their service trains and the range is very limited indeed. Given their financial situation, you would have thought that they would exploit these outlets by bringing them up to a higher standard, commanding better custom and margins.

 

That requires three things. First is someone to recognise the issue, second is to have people who can and will follow through, and third is the budget to invest in making those changes against that business plan.

From what's been said on other threads, I suspect (1) is the major issue, (2) is a problem that follows on from that, and (3) may not be a big deal.

 

Have to admit, I don't know whether F&C services are sometimes better classified as 'a toe in the water' or full-on OTC.. Do all lines offering the option even serve up food on board? The Talyllyn and VoR have certainly both offered this option, but I'm uncertain whether food is munched on train, or sat comfortably indoors at an outer terminus. We see pie & mash and curry night offerings, sometimes on lines I know don't have kitchen cars, but also on ones which do.

 

On train buffets are not the same as On train dining.
We cannot fit fridges into our buffet vehicles which means any food left out must be thrown after 3 hours. On that basis, every round trip you have to throw stock away and restock. There is limited space in the buffet cars as well. We have removed the trolleys from service due to the damage they have caused to our running fleet.

Please do share any insight you might have as to how you think it could be better. For you.

 

The TR carriages aren't well suited to knife/fork/plate options and the add-on catering has, I think, been mostly sited at Tywyn or Abergynolwyn.
They have offered picnic baskets (at least during the Covid constraints).

 

I don't know the Severn Valley situation in any detail, but my understanding is that sector-wide, there is a tremendous shortage of people to work in catering / hospitality. There have also been a lot of supply-chain issues in getting ingredients. I know that has had an impact on the Bluebell for fixed catering (reduced selection, reduced opening hours etc) and I'd be amazed if it wasn't repeated across many other railways.

In other words "you would have thought that they would exploit these outlets by bringing them up to a higher standard" - quite possibly they would love to do so, but are simply constrained by external factors over which they have no control.

Tom

 

The experience we had of dining on the Severn Valley was very good, not *Quite* as good as the NYMR- which was exceptional, the GCR was also very good.

The most disappointing we have experienced was the Strathspey cream tea service sadly- the service was poor and the food was awful- very overpriced for what it was too.
Strangely a few years previously we had sampled a Yule/New years service where they did bacon sandwiches and mince pies and a hearty cup of tea which was good value and good quality.

I have no issue with paying a premium price for a treat occasionally, but I expect that if the price is high the service and standard of food match, especially at the moment it may end up being a once a year-saved up for day out for yule and birthdays combined.

In terms of on train refreshments, a decent tea or coffee goes a long way.

 

The smaller lines, in my opinion, are better when the catering is subcontracted. The East Somerset offer is hugely improved now it's (presumably) a franchise: https://www.facebook.com/TheStationCafeCranmore. The Caledonian Railway at Brechin has let part of its building to an independent coffee shop (https://www.facebook.com/WhistleStopBrechin) and very nice it is too. Both outlets are able to provide on-train catering which can be just plated on the train. The railways themselves aren't of course able to take all the profit but do get a much higher quality catering offer than they'd be able to provide with volunteers.

 

From memory the WSR Cream Tea & Fish & Chip trains was food on a standard service soo there was no extra operating costs

 

Chewing the fat amongst ourselves at Ropley on Sunday we discussed the RAT. Apparently it ran out of beer the previous evening (confirmation needed). So, was that good stock control, or was it a lost opportunity?
Pat

 

You could market an 'authentic BR sandwich experience', on a no liability basis.

There'd be a big difference to 'more or less running out' withing the last half- hour and the whole lot being gone 3 hrs before the end. Also, a few teething issues with a first toe in the water is more readily forgivable than the fifth year of spring and autumn beer fests.

 

Possibly both. But better to run out 5 minutes before the end than have a whole cask paid for and earning nowt


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Having experienced both the Bluebell's F&C Specials and their Pullman Lunch, I'm not surprised they ares regularly sold out. The prices are reasonable and the food excellent. The table service is superb, with the staff smart (in the old meaning of well-attired as well as the imported American meaning of mental ability). I prefer the Bluebell's Pullman lunch train to the Surrey Lunch Pullman on the big railway.

 

Depends on when they ran out.

 

The "Cream Tea" trains that various railways operate have always struck me as probably being very lucrative. All the railway has to do is buy in fresh scones, cakes and jam from a local baker, get some boxes of small bottles of prosecco from a supermarket, and then sell an "afternoon tea" experience for around £35pp. Given how popular they seem to be, this must surely be a cash cow for the railways that do them.

 

From experience of running events for a church, they can be lucrative but balancing supply and demand is always a challenge - as is attracting volunteers.

 

This is where the improved statistical trends inherent in the larger visitor numbers to a railway than a local place of worship come into play. Likely a very different story were you speaking of Leicester Cathedral, more especially now there's a king's tomb there to draw 'em in!

 

We'll see - I'm thinking of the beer festival we're running Thursday - Friday

 

Surely a pre booked service with the food provided by an external contractor - Fish & Chips, Cream teas etc is simple and with limited risk?

 

Presumably followed by prayers for the sick on Friday & Saturday?