Rail Catering


A VIEW FROM THE TRAIN Dinner in the Diner


Are railway restaurants a thing of the past, asks Roger Williams, gm business development for Rail Gourmet in his regular column


It is a truism that, as trains get faster so the time to ‘relax’ gets less and less. Yet the irony is that, in our recent survey, one of the main reasons people quote for taking the train, especially First class, is that they can relax and enjoy the travel experience compared to driving or going to the airport! As little as 15 years ago all the key inter-city railway routes in the UK and most of Europe would have offered customers a full restaurant option with crisp white linen tablecloths, polished cutlery and glassware, professional waiters and chefs serving dishes freshly prepared on-board, all designed to enhance the comfort and enjoyment of the traveller. Alas, the number of real restaurants now provided on trains has dwindled as railway companies have lost their appetite for investing in the necessary skills and perhaps, in some cases, now lack the vision to see the intrinsic value of providing these enhanced customer services. The restaurant has been seen as an easy target for cost cutting and yet, from a customer perspective, what better way is there to travel than in the Diner, where you are cosseted and cared for whilst watching the world go by over a fine Chablis with your salmon, or a full bodied Bordeaux to accompany your beef Wellington. Certainly eating a meal, whilst sitting with


other non-eating passengers in an ordinary First coach amongst a sea of laptops and mobile phones just doesn’t have the same appeal! As First Class custom has declined in these times of increased travel choices perhaps this is a missed opportunity to convince customers to upgrade and indulge themselves a little. Whilst some companies have introduced at-seat airline style food included in the ticket, many still have the capacity on-board to offer an enhanced restaurant option either in addition to this or complementary to it which, if marketed correctly, would be a valuable tool in re-invigorating First volumes. Come on train marketeers, what about putting some restaurant sizzle back on the menu?


66 www.onboardhospitality.com


Several mainland European trains still successfully encourage customers to come to a dedicated restaurant area to eat, drink and socialise - a trend which is not reflected in the UK. Below: A Taste of Norway


different view and has asked Togservice to create an improved quality and value for money for its on-board customers and for the NSB business.


Togservice NSB, Norway’s national railway company, has recently taken the decision to outsource its on-board catering services after a long period of managing them in-house. The new contract has been awarded to Togservice, a joint venture between Umoe Catering and Rail Gourmet, which already operates NSB’s catering logistics, marketing and product supply services. At a time when some train companies are marginalising their catering, NSB has taken a


A new ‘Norwegian model’ – Togservice gets the catering on track in Norway


Lars Gotaas, Togservice ceo said: “Our existing win/win commercial arrangements with NSB are known as the ‘Norwegian model’ by colleagues across Europe. It has been a successful formula and we are pleased to be able to extend it to cover the actual on-board service itself. Put simply, we will run NSB’s entire catering operation and they will receive a bonus when our joint efforts at marketing and delivering the service result in a higher catering turnover.


Roger Williams


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65  |  Page 66  |  Page 67  |  Page 68  |  Page 69  |  Page 70  |  Page 71  |  Page 72  |  Page 73  |  Page 74  |  Page 75  |  Page 76  |  Page 77  |  Page 78  |  Page 79  |  Page 80  |  Page 81  |  Page 82  |  Page 83  |  Page 84  |  Page 85  |  Page 86  |  Page 87  |  Page 88  |  Page 89  |  Page 90  |  Page 91  |  Page 92  |  Page 93  |  Page 94  |  Page 95  |  Page 96  |  Page 97  |  Page 98  |  Page 99  |  Page 100  |  Page 101  |  Page 102  |  Page 103  |  Page 104  |  Page 105  |  Page 106  |  Page 107  |  Page 108  |  Page 109  |  Page 110  |  Page 111  |  Page 112  |  Page 113  |  Page 114  |  Page 115  |  Page 116