The bar car is shunned by more than 80% of passengers. How are TGV dishes prepared, and why are they so expensive? First, head for a tasting of the brand new SNCF menu, signed by starred chef Thierry Marx. On the menu, simmered carrots and tender beef. The dishes will be sold around 10 euros in the TGV, and nearly 15 euros in formula. Are the chef’s services expensive for the company? “It costs nothing compared to what it brings in”, comments Alain Krakovitch, director of TGV-Intercités. Going upmarket, SNCF took the opportunity to raise prices on products. The cheapest sandwich now costs 6.70 euros, an increase of 91% in 10 years, according to calculations by France Télévisions. With a drink and a dessert, it takes 12.20 euros, an increase of 76%.
The SNCF serves 3,000 dishes a day, and 20,000 a week, which it weighs to the nearest gram. To save money, the number of operations is also reduced to a minimum. “If you put one more gesture, times a thousand, that’s two more hours of work at the end of the day”, explains Ricardo Silva, the executive chef of Thierry Marx. Once packaged, the dish must be able to travel without moving too much, an additional constraint that would drive up prices. “The dish may seem expensive, but you have to understand all the logistics and manipulations that are necessary to be able to offer a dish at 365 km/h in a train”argues Marc Starke, vice-president of Newrest.
If the prices go up, the business is not profitable. The SNCF loses several million euros a year on catering. The on-board sales representatives thus have sales objectives, with a bonus. The SNCF feeds 12 million passengers every year. The cheapest products are at the top of sales.