Buffet cars
Railway Interiors International ANNUAL SHOWCASE 2019
52
The challenge for
tomorrow’s onboard
catering is to offer
attractive and tasty
food equal to the
food you’ll find at
the train station
How are passengers’
eating habits changing?
Like any service on board, food
service in buffet cars must evolve
to meet operators’ and customers’
new requirements. The offer has been
restructured around new eating habits.
Customers want to have a proper
choice, and they want genuine,
organic and good food.
Pleasure is a key word for today’s
consumers; they want this break during
the trip to be pleasant.
What challenges are
operators up against in
making a success of
onboard food service?
The offer has developed a lot in train
stations, on the platforms, in a similar
phenomenon to the evolution of
motorway rest areas. New actors enter
the market, such as market chains
or suppliers with very specific offers,
such as sushi, pasta, traditional meals
or coffee. Just like street food, the
food available on platforms is bought
easily, consumed quickly, and can be
good, healthy and cheap. The demand
for choice and quality must be met on
trains too, for passengers who want
a quick meal or snack.
The challenge for tomorrow’s
onboard catering is to offer attractive
and tasty food equal to the food
you’ll find at the train station, but also
for operators to meet the challenge
of consumer diversity, providing
traditional, vegetarian and vegan
options. Consumers’ demand for
comfort and service are getting higher.
What design solutions
do you propose?
The concept of the buffet bar can
be rethought to meet this diversity
of demand. A new type of self-service
facility could be created that is more
adapted to the current mode of
consumption. The customer would
make their selection in a self-service
area, then make their payment with
a barista, who also coordinates the
smooth running of the service. The key
is to offer a quality service with shorter
waiting times and more empathy.
This type of buffet bar would not
be exclusively a dining/lunch area.
Passengers would grab their lunch and
return to their seat or sit down in the
buffet car in a simple but comfortable
way. From an ergonomic point of view
the design should remind the customer
of a bistro more than a restaurant.
RÉGINE CHARVET PELLO
CEO AND FOUNDER
OF RCP DESIGN GLOBAL