Hofmann's recommendations

Meals on wheels

700394

700394

Travel and food have a long tradition, especially when it comes to rail travel. However, the business of catering in dining cars has always been difficult, usually loss-making and also a challenge in terms of quality.

Since April 2012, the well-known airline caterer Attila Dogudan has been responsible for ÖBB's culinary services under the name "Henry am Zug". Reason enough for an observation. We tested various Railjet, Inter City and Euro City connections throughout Austria. On the Railjets, we only used the "at your seat service" in Business Class.

For example, on the Railjet Salzburg - Zurich. That morning, it was relaxed and quiet in the Business compartments. Newspapers and the obligatory welcome drink for this class were served. A glance at the "Henry am Zug" menu reveals that a few things have changed. There are sandwiches, of course the obligatory frankfurters (particularly tasty), Leberkässemmel (original), an Indian vegetable curry (good recommendation), Wiener Schnitzel (breading sometimes too dry), salads, Kaiserschmarren and the cake of the day, to name but a few. The warm ham and cheese panini met our expectations on this day, and the coffee was served fresh and hot.

The pricing policy can be described as absolutely fair. Creamed spinach with rösti only €6.90, often cheaper than anywhere in a restaurant. The freshly prepared rigatoni with tomato and parmesan sauce is a bargain at the same price. A bottle of Riesling Federspiel Terrassen 2012 Domäne Wachau, 0.375 l, for €8.90. The Wiener Schnitzel is the most expensive dish at €10.90.

The logistics of supplying the dining car are not necessarily easy. It can happen, for example, that in the IC593 between Villach and Salzburg there are only more sausages available in the dining car or a very limited selection. Background: The train set and staff have already completed a marathon from Frankfurt to Klagenfurt. On the way, there was probably no opportunity to refill. The technical availability of the dining cars is also often a challenge. Especially on the routes to Italy, there are disruptions that prevent food from being prepared.

Snacks from the carriage
However. The coffee, hot and fresh, comes from the espresso machine - absolutely recommendable for €1.90. €1.40 for a good croissant, which cannot be reheated due to technical faults in the trains without dining cars. By the way: A large beer for €2.90 is often cheaper than in the station restaurant. The service from the trolley is of course logistically limited. Nevertheless, there are three different sandwiches, a cake of the day and various drinks are available.

The training of the staff also bears the hospitality signature of Do&Co's service. However, it is also a fact that this job is characterized by fluctuation, with some employees having different attitudes to pay and working hours in a working environment that is not always easy. There are trolley service employees who are extremely courteous, while others are less concerned with service and loiter in the 1st class business compartments. Just like some train staff. During our test trips, we also noticed that the service on Railjet trains was often more efficient. Perhaps this is also due to the better technical equipment.

For Attila Dogudan, "meals on wheels" is still a loss-making business. It will be interesting to see what further adjustments will be made in order to stop burning money in this sector and one day earn some.

For those interested: The menu is also available on the Internet.

www.henryamzug.com

Kurt Hofmann

August 2013

Meals on wheels

Kurt Hofmann

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