Why is railway catering such a rip off?

[TravelDream]

The 'Spoons at Heathrow T5 is definitely NOT selling beer or food at high st prices.

Definitely not, but when you think Heathrow themselves take around a 20% cut of the sales price (net so after VAT etc. is taken off), and the increased costs of operating at an airport (Spoons have to pay to have their stock searched before delivery is just one example), I think their prices aren't actually crazy.

Most pints are around the £5-£5.50 mark which isn't really than different to most London prices. Food is pretty pricey mind, but again, not that much more than their Central London pubs with the additional Heathrow cut on top.

 

[AndyHA]

Nice job

What does upset me here is that we’ve all just accepted that supermarkets are offering reasonable quality products for these prices. Often they aren’t

I can assure you that my Roast Beef and Horseradish sandwich was top quality and very high in flavou and content

 

[johntea]

They are often very close by. It’s my second railway messroom, or maybe even my first.

I think the 'closest Spoons to public transport' award is held by the Hillsborough one in Sheffield, the tram stop is literally aligned with the entrance

 

[D6130]

I think the 'closest Spoons to public transport' award is held by the Hillsborough one in Sheffield, the tram stop is literally aligned with the entrance

View attachment 100900

The 'Spoons in Eccles, Greater Manchester, is also right alongside a tram stop....in that case I think it's the terminus (although there's a much nicer Joseph Holt's pub - The Empress - next door).

 

[Bald Rick]

Still can’t believe sensible people choose to go to W*th*rsp**ns.

 

[GALLANTON]

Still can’t believe sensible people choose to go to W*th*rsp**ns.

Cheap food and drink, nothing wrong with that at all.

 

[bspahh]

I can recommend getting a Contigo Byron travel mug. It keeps a hot drink reasonably hot for several hours, and it has a good lid that doesn't usually leak. I can then drink tea or coffee that I have made, rather than having to queue and pay to take a chance on getting something drinkable.

There is an O-ring inside the lid that can move out of place, but its fairly easy to reseat it. When you fill it, close the lid, and tip it upside down over a sink to make sure its in place.

They are easy to get for £12 from Asda or Amazon. Quite often they sell for £8. I bought mine for £6.

 

[physics34]

The sad thing is SSP stuff used to be quite good. One example is le croissant shop which became Delice de France. Their awesome cheese and mushroom croissant used to be about £1.99, its now £4.49 and awful.

On a similar note A Piece of Cake was great and the best Sausage Roll around. Now gone.

Switzerland have high quality reasonable prices food outlets on their stations. Not hard to do.

 

[dk1]

Still can’t believe sensible people choose to go to W*th*rsp**ns.

That’s got to be the strangest comment in the strangest way this side of Brexit & beyond.

 

[superjohn]

Switzerland have high quality reasonable prices food outlets on their stations. Not hard to do.

Nothing in Switzerland is reasonably priced!

 

[NorthOxonian]

Cheap food and drink, nothing wrong with that at all.

It's also reliable. Reliably a bit crap, but you'll struggle to find one that's utterly abysmal. Independents are much riskier - plenty are brilliant, but some are ludicrously expensive or absolutely terrifying.

Though while we're on the topic of pubs, it is interesting to see how station pubs vary quite a lot. Some are rather nice, charging prices similar to (or only slightly above) those found away from the station. However, as many have noted, plenty are ridiculously expensive. Is this a case of SSP operating some station pubs or just individual owners deciding whether or not to price gouge?

 

[dk1]

The 'Spoons at Heathrow T5 is definitely NOT selling beer or food at high st prices.

And so it shouldn’t at the rental cost of the unit. Remember The Windmill at Stansted even though charging way above normal Spoons was still awarded the best European Airport bar award.

 

[SteveM70]

One of the unexpected side effects of those ghastly Beer House places was making Spoons look good

 

[dk1]

One of the unexpected side effects of those ghastly Beer House places was making Spoons look good

Spoons never needs anybody else’s help. I, like them get off on the petty criticisms from their haters comments that usually hold next to no water.

 

[D6130]

Still can’t believe sensible people choose to go to W*th*rsp**ns.

I fully agree, but some people like them.....especially carpet spotters!

Cheap food and drink, nothing wrong with that at all.

Cheap microwaved or boil-in-the-bag food and cheap beer that's usually on or past its sell-by date plus usually very slow service, as they rarely had enough staff on duty to cope with the demand - even before the Brexit/Covid debacles made things even worse. Fabulous unique and individual Axminster carpets though....specially made for every branch and they have preserved and conserved some fine historic buildings which would have otherwise gone to rack and ruin. I'm not a Wetherspoon's hater....I just prefer to eat and drink elsewhere, except as a last resort - or if a group of friends or ex-colleagues have chosen to meet in one. At the end of the day, they do fulfill a useful function providing food, drink and shelter to less well-off members of our community.

 

[Bald Rick]

Cheap food and drink, nothing wrong with that at all.

Also poor food, poor servicee and an owner who is an absolute idiot, who treats his staff like muck. But, of course, you are free to choose them.

That’s got to be the strangest comment in the strangest way this side of Brexit & beyond.

Sorry in advance, but after 20 years of giving W*th*rsp**ns second chances, I realised they were just rubbish. I will happily pay double their prices for better food, drinks and service. I won’t darken their door again*, unless it is to use their toilets.

*or contribute to Tim Martin’s growing pile of cash. I’d much rather give it to a local publican.

 

[dk1]

Also poor food, poor servicee and an owner who is an absolute idiot, who treats his staff like muck. But, of course, you are free to choose them.



Sorry in advance, but after 20 years of giving W*th*rsp**ns second chances, I realised they were just rubbish. I will happily pay double their prices for better food, drinks and service. I won’t darken their door again*, unless it is to use their toilets.

*or contribute to Tim Martin’s growing pile of cash. I’d much rather give it to a local publican.

Good luck to you on that score. The good friends I have working for Wetherspoons have been treated fairly throughout & continue working for Tim & Co. My shares in JDW have performed handsomely too, especially those bought at the depths of the first lockdown.

 

[GALLANTON]

Also poor food, poor servicee and an owner who is an absolute idiot, who treats his staff like muck. But, of course, you are free to choose them.



Sorry in advance, but after 20 years of giving W*th*rsp**ns second chances, I realised they were just rubbish. I will happily pay double their prices for better food, drinks and service. I won’t darken their door again*, unless it is to use their toilets.

*or contribute to Tim Martin’s growing pile of cash. I’d much rather give it to a local publican.

Must just be the Wetherspoons near you then as I've never experienced poor service at any of the Wetherspoons I've been to.

Although I must admit, I've never seen nor heard of a place called W*th*rsp**ns... It might be a difference chain altogether and you're getting confused?

 

[Bald Rick]

Good luck to you on that score. The good friends I have working for Wetherspoons have been treated fairly throughout & continue working for Tim & Co. My shares in JDW have performed handsomely too, especially those bought at the depths of the first lockdown.

Fair enough. Experiences vary!

I’m still a little sore for being (nearly) refused entry to the first W*th*rsp**ns I ever tried to enter, on the evening it opened, for having the temerity of wearing trainers ‘because we don’t normally allow lads in not wearing shoes’ (they’d been open 5 hours). It was only when I pointed out the two tramps on the table next to the front door drinking the pints priced at 79p that I was allowed in. (This was 26 years ago). The beer and service was rubbish then, incidentally.

Must just be the Wetherspoons near you then as I've never experienced poor service at any of the Wetherspoons I've been to.

Ha! I haven’t been to the one near me for 5 years. Far too many decent pubs nearby. I’ve been to about 100. Last one I went to was in Fort William. That was awful too.

 

[dk1]

Fair enough. Experiences vary!

I’m still a little sore for being (nearly) refused entry to the first W*th*rsp**ns I ever tried to enter, on the evening it opened, for having the temerity of wearing trainers ‘because we don’t normally allow lads in not wearing shoes’ (they’d been open 5 hours). It was only when I pointed out the two tramps on the table next to the front door drinking the pints priced at 79p that I was allowed in. (This was 26 years ago). The beer and service was rubbish then, incidentally.

I really think you need to get over it & yourself after all this time. It really can’t be healthy.

 

[Bald Rick]

It really can’t be healthy.

I’d argue that not using them encourages better health! That example was just the first in a long line of port beer / food / service, and I’ve had enough.

But I do I bear grudges. Ry*nair. W*th*sp**ns. BA. Three strikes (of p*ss poor customer service) and you’re out.

To get us back on topic, I also won’t use Upper Crust. I won’t say why.

 

[GALLANTON]

I’d argue that not using them encourages better health! That example was just the first in a long line of port beer / food / service, and I’ve had enough.

But I do I bear grudges. Ry*nair. W*th*sp**ns. BA. Three strikes (of p*ss poor customer service) and you’re out.

To get us back on topic, I also won’t use Upper Crust. I won’t say why.

What about the poor service your giving to your * key? Use the full names of companies, it's not hard and won't kill you. Or are you one of these people who refuse to say the name of anything/anyone that upsets you in any way shape or form?

 

[43066]

Sorry in advance, but after 20 years of giving W*th*rsp**ns second chances, I realised they were just rubbish. I will happily pay double their prices for better food, drinks and service. I won’t darken their door again*, unless it is to use their toilets.

*or contribute to Tim Martin’s growing pile of cash. I’d much rather give it to a local publican.

Quite agree. Interesting buildings and a fair range of beers (surprisingly) are the only things going for them. They invariably have sticky carpets, bad service, awful ambience and I’ve also been into many over the years. Far better are available yet their customer base (mostly tramps and OAPs) seems to swear by them.

 

[dk1]

I’d argue that not using them encourages better health! That example was just the first in a long line of port beer / food / service, and I’ve had enough.

But I do I bear grudges. Ry*nair. W*th*sp**ns. BA. Three strikes (of p*ss poor customer service) and you’re out.

To get us back on topic, I also won’t use Upper Crust. I won’t say why.

Gosh that’s quite impressive. My only gripe is with Travelodge which doesn’t bother me as I only tend to stay nowadays at hotels with swimming pools & to the best of my knowledge, spa’s are not that chains forte. I wouldn’t use a * instead of a letter though.

 

[ajrm]

Not mentioned so far, I think, is the WH Smith Coffee House brand, which appeared overnight a few years ago in Scotland at least and took over the Upper Crust spaces at Dundee station and elsewhere. Not sure whether the tentacles of SSP are still involved but the coffee is just as undrinkable and the rest of the offering similarly underwhelming and overpriced.

 

[GoneSouth]

I can assure you that my Roast Beef and Horseradish sandwich was top quality and very high in flavou and content

Very glad to hear it, I shall give it a try next time I have the opportunity

The sad thing is SSP stuff used to be quite good. One example is le croissant shop which became Delice de France. Their awesome cheese and mushroom croissant used to be about £1.99, its now £4.49 and awful.

On a similar note A Piece of Cake was great and the best Sausage Roll around. Now gone.

Switzerland have high quality reasonable prices food outlets on their stations. Not hard to do.

£4.49 for a croissant… J**** C*****, what planet are they on

Not mentioned so far, I think, is the WH Smith Coffee House brand, which appeared overnight a few years ago in Scotland at least and took over the Upper Crust spaces at Dundee station and elsewhere. Not sure whether the tentacles of SSP are still involved but the coffee is just as undrinkable and the rest of the offering similarly underwhelming and overpriced.

Ah somebody mentioned WHSmith. £1.25 for a TWIX that costs £65p in Tesco…. That’s a rip off and they’re on every major station!

 

[Carlisle]

Ah somebody mentioned WHSmith. £1.25 for a TWIX that costs £65p in Tesco…. That’s a rip off and they’re on every major station!

I remember paying the equivalent of £1.10 for a can of Coke in a vending machine on Oslo station in 1993, large stations with perhaps the odd exception always appear to have been expensive

 

[Bald Rick]

Or are you one of these people who refuse to say the name of anything/anyone that upsets you in any way shape or form?

No, just those that have really, really upset me.

 

[Gloster]

I remember paying the equivalent of £1.10 for a can of Coke in a vending machine on Oslo station in 1993, large stations with perhaps the odd exception always appear to have been expensive

Norway has long been horrendously expensive by European standards. By my recollection that would not be a great deal above the normal price, but I never bought Coke there (or anywhere else, for that matter).

 

[Watershed]

I’d argue that not using them encourages better health! That example was just the first in a long line of port beer / food / service, and I’ve had enough.

But I do I bear grudges. Ry*nair. W*th*sp**ns. BA. Three strikes (of p*ss poor customer service) and you’re out.

To get us back on topic, I also won’t use Upper Crust. I won’t say why.

On that basis I imagine you must boycott the railways completely?