One thing that strikes me is the portion sizes of some meals seem to have decreased since the East Coast era. I think it started with Virgin, as I remember people complaining about the penny pinching. Looking at their current menu, the chilli looks especially small, compared to the size of the wallet on the table next to it! From reading the thread, it seems the portions started out small but East Coast started to increase the sizes after a year or so. Even though it is complimentary, if a job is worth doing, it is worth doing well. EMR charge for most meals but they do give reasonable portions. As a vegetarian, I don't think I'd be keen on the breakfast options. It seems the full Vegetarian English was replaced with a poached egg and avocado dish. That's just my personal opinion though, they cannot please everyone! I'm sure many people are happy with the current offering and the catering planners seemed to have worked hard to cater for a range of dietary requirements. Not that any food I'd being served at the moment though!
It does seem a little harsh. It is perfectly plausible that the passenger in question could have genuinely thought "Oh, I fancy some lunch, so I will travel a little further". On the other hand, there are probably countless people who claim to be travelling further than their destination to receive the full offer. I think a good will gesture might have been an appropriate offer from customer services, on the basis that it is likely the poster met the criteria, assuming he carried on further than York.