Great Western Coffee Shop

When / if / how do you see catering returning to some trains?

We’d love to bring our catering offer back to our customers, but with the social distancing rules, it would be quite difficult to achieve on our trains. We’re working on different plans to slowly reintroduce catering, when the time is right.   

Our Safety team continue to carry out risk assessments and work out how to safely reintroduce catering, but we don’t have a date in mind as yet. This depends on Government advice and how the pandemic progresses.

SB
 

Talking of distancing - how much of a difference would it make to capacity if the Government's advice changed to one metre rather than two?

It goes without saying the smaller the social distance the more people we can fit on our trains.  We're actively looking into the exact figures but we don't want to undermine the scientific and medical advice. 

Key workers and essential travellers tend to travel alone but leisure travelelers in Household groups. Do you know if that will make any difference once pleasure trips are allowed?  Will capacity be adjusted to group seating?

Will on train catering eventually be re-instated to the levels before the pandemic.
I appreciate that this may take a while, and my enquiry is NOT about the time taken, but will catering be restored to pre pandemic levels.

The pre pandemic trolley service was a significant backward step compared to the buffet previously offered. Various grand promises were made about the trolley service, none of which were achieved.
Will this emergency be an excuse to "tiptoe away" from previous promises and to further downgrade trolley provision.

Will the Pullman service be fully re-instated ?
Or will this pandemic be a good excuse to reduce provision.
All the Pullmans were "temporarily" withdrawn after the Hatfield accident. Most never reappeared.

Nothing like a crisis to temporarily downgrade facilities and then make it permanent.

Our capacity calculations are based on individual passengers and not on groups - it would be quite difficult to work that out, as group size might vary quite considerably.

We're committed to providing the same level of catering as before the pandemic. I can understand for those who were used to the buffet, the trolley might not feel like the same but the feedback we've had from a number of customers, who would have previously not used the buffet (not wanting to lose their seat, or leave their belongings behind, those with reduced mobility) the trolley has been quite welcome.
We are constantly listening to customer feedback about our products, and refreshing them to meet customer demand. We recently increased our vegan and gluten free range after customer feedback.
We're very proud of our Pullman service, and look forward to the day we can reintroduce it

Had the trolley service been implemented as originally promised, it would not have been too bad.

Hot food was promised , but never regularly achieved.
A trolley in each portion of a 5+5 train was promised, but seldom achieved.
Two trolleys on a 9 car unit was promised but seldom delivered.
All too often the trolley was static and did not provide an at seat service.
Often hiding.

A proper buffet offered real coffee and freshly cooked hot snacks, and a much better range than can be stocked on a trolley.

Will ALL the Pullmans be reinstated?
Being "very proud of the service" and "looking forward to the day when we can re-introduce it" is NOT the same as a promise that it will be fully re-instated.

In my mind it would be foolish to promise anything given we are in the midst of the biggest challenge the railways have ever faced, with the possible exception of the World Wars, during which, incidentally, the majority of restaurants were removed.