F&B in Trains: Driven by Logistics

Europe's biggest train operators have invested a lot of money to improve their F&B services in recent years. Many of them have outsourced the sale of food and beverages on board to professional caterers who pursue the in-train foodservice business on a national and, sometimes, international plane. Nevertheless, train catering is a profit centre only in very rare cases. Rather, high-quality restaurant cars and friendly at-seat catering represent an effective marketing tool via which train operators can distinguish railway travel from their competitors, the car and aeroplane. Pampering not simply providing is the motto for relaxed travel in 2008. The main challenges to realisation: logistics and quality.