Roland Perry wrote:
In message
-septe
mber.org, at 18:23:04 on Sun, 10 Sep 2017, Recliner
remarked:

Not sure when EMT threw in the towel completely, but they are
Stagecoach, not NX.

I thought the restaurant cars had been cut before Stagecoach took over from
NX?

May depend on your definition I'm including trains with a kitchen car,
serving at-seat in First Class. Not a car where you move to for the
meal, then move back to your seat.

Yes, I meant a separate dining car, now I think only offered on a few GWR
services.


I know nothing about the Anglia catering service.

I think it was Adonis who instructed that free food and drinks be provided
to First pax instead, similar to Virgin's WC offering.

The free "food" is pretty pathetic, even more so at weekends.

Yup. Has it changed much since VTEC took over from EC? My first weekday
experience of it will be in a couple of weeks.

I don't know if "Please note, we don't serve hot food or alcohol at the
weekend or on bank holidays" is worse than before; and the "Evening"
menu is somewhat restricted in terms of which trains[1].

The daytime hot food they offer looks much the same. Breakfast was
beyond rubbery, and we had to insist on getting one boarding at
Peterborough as they clearly thought it was for Kings Cross starters
only. And of course the time limit means a KGX-PBO passenger doesn't
qualify. Weekend sandwiches were very poor quality. More Tesco than M&S.

Not convinced where they get the locally-sourced rice, spices, pistachio
nuts etc (unless they mean at a local cash and carry).

[1] "these trains from King’s Cross: 1700, 1719, 1730, 1733, 1800,
1803, 1819, 1830, 1833, 1900." No southbound ones.

In message
-sept
ember.org, at 20:34:48 on Sun, 10 Sep 2017, Recliner
remarked:

Not sure when EMT threw in the towel completely, but they are
Stagecoach, not NX.

I thought the restaurant cars had been cut before Stagecoach took over from
NX?

May depend on your definition I'm including trains with a kitchen car,
serving at-seat in First Class. Not a car where you move to for the
meal, then move back to your seat.

Yes, I meant a separate dining car, now I think only offered on a few GWR
services.

That's not the main economic driver (for withdrawal) though - which is
the kitchen car, chefs, supply of non-microwave meals, and so on.
--
Roland Perry