Sod that for a game of soldiers !!!
I suppose you want the free alcohol removed as well ? - Killjoy or by beverages do you include alcoholic ones ?
I'd remove the free alcohol, yes. Once upon a time, I'd be of a different view but that was now a long time ago (OK, December 2019 isn't *that* long ago but it feels like it), and my opinion on the consumption of alcohol won't get mentioned here. Too many unpleasant words involved...
Complimentary beverages I'd offer would be your average tea, coffee and a small variety of soft drinks. I'd probably go a little more upmarket for First Class drinks though, and offer a superior quality tea and coffee to that in Standard, even offering a limited variety of flavoured herbal tea. I've fallen in love with those, really helps to up the relaxation.
I'd rather a cheaper fare and just to pick up my choice of ale at the station.
Yes this would make much more sense. Offer a First Class fare at say £30 with alcoholic beverages but without supplying those the fare could easily drop to £20. Maybe £25, depending on the actual figures of course. Even so, if the difference was then not too drastic from Standard one would easily see an uplift in First Class uptake.
It's worth adding that on an average week my beverage consumption is plain water, flavoured herbal tea (which reminds me that I have a box of lemon flavoured green tea to try soon) and sugarless black coffee. Very occasionally, like today, I do have things like Pepsi Max, and occasionally I'll have a fancier drink from Starbucks.
I've been teetotal since January 3rd 2020, with exception of two glasses of sparkling wine (just to shut the mother up at the time) and more recently a bottle of beer in an extreme need to deal with a situation. Not happy about those beverages either, nor were they particularly enjoyable. I love being teetotal, everything is so much more enjoyable now