UK: TransPennine Express is to relaunch its onboard catering proposition from February 26 after a review concluded that its existing offering had become ‘diluted and confused’.
The operator told stakeholders that this is partly the result of timetable enhancements which have not been matched by budget uplifts over the past 10 years.
TPE said onboard catering needs to be ‘enhanced and at the same time simplified’, to ensure the messaging around availability can be ‘clear and concise’.
Three identities
The relaunch will see three ‘unique catering product identities’ being offered, which TPE says will allow customers to better understand the service they will receive onboard.
‘Buy on board’ will be an at-seat service throughout the train; at-seat ordering is expected to be introduced later in the year.
First class passengers, except for those on TPE’s West Coast Main Line services, will be offered food and drinks from a premium selection.
An ‘enhanced first class’ will be introduced on trains between Liverpool/Manchester and Edinburgh/Glasgow via the West Coast Main Line. This will offer local and freshly-made food from a significantly improved and redesigned menu, served by a second onboard Customer Host who will be dedicated to first class and will also give a personal ‘welcome and farewell’ to passengers at each station.
Local produce
The WCML first class food offer will include Highland breakfast, vegan breakfast, freshly prepared breakfast and sandwiches. All day items will include a selection of hot, plated dishes such as braised beef stew and vegan options including ratatouille chilli with rice. Premium sausage rolls will be sourced from suppliers on the route. A range of premium coffee, teas and soft drinks will be available throughout the day, with beer and wine in the afternoon.
TPE says that it will be ‘keeping it local’, with selected products from suppliers in Scotland and the Lake District; additional regionally sourced products will be added to menus in the future.
The availability of a dedicated host in first class will allow standard class passengers on the WCML services to be provided with ‘a minimum of three trolley services from start to end of service’.
TPE will use feedback from the WCML trial to determine how it develops onboard catering on other routes.
