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The lunch box on the train made a lot of people drool. However, due to the high price and uneven quality, these lunch boxes are no longer attractive.
Some people would rather go hungry than buy a packed lunch on the train.
In exploring why, the retired flight attendant revealed a little-known insider story. Let's take a look at the hidden stories behind the increase in the price of dining on the train.
Unpopular train lunch boxes
Lunch boxes on trains used to be a favorite of passengers, but now they are gradually falling out of favor. Although times have changed and consumers' tastes have changed, the primary reason for refusing to buy lunch boxes is high price and single taste.
First of all, the bento on the train is really expensive. Generally speaking, lunch on the train costs at least more than 20 yuan, and some people say that they have seen lunch for 80 yuan. Even cheaper ones cost around 15 yuan, which is already two or three times the cost of restaurant meals.
Retired flight attendants said there were several reasons for this: First, most of the catering services on trains were provided by private companies. In the absence of competition, merchants can easily inflate prices.
Secondly, the production and transportation costs of train bento are high. They are not freshly cooked on trains, but must be made in advance in a ground factory and then transported to the carriages in incubators to be sold. The additional process undoubtedly increases the cost.
Third, sales are difficult to predict. The number of guests on each bus is unpredictable. In order to prevent losses, businesses can only sell at a high price.
Finally, the current train lunch boxes have a single taste and limited variety. Basically, rice and a dish or two really don't compare to the rich selection of decades ago.
At that time, trains had special coal stoves and kitchens where chefs could cook all kinds of delicious dishes. In contrast, today's train lunches are the same, which is really not enough to whet an appetite.
Due to this situation, many passengers of the older generation lament the changing times. They remember when they were kids, when they rode the train, they could buy hot meat and vegetable rice for a few cents. Cheap and delicious, there is still food floating in the carriage. The aroma is mouthwatering.
Not only are train lunch boxes now expensive, but when you open them, you'll see superficial, symbolic side dishes that simply can't compare to the steaming meals you remember.
Passengers also complained about the catering services currently served on the train. Some people believe that train transportation is the main function of trains, and catering is only an ancillary service and should not be developed like hotel restaurants.
Some people also remind that instead of wasting money on the road, it is better to prepare instant noodles, bread and other light foods in advance. Even drinks and snacks on the train are much cheaper than boxed lunches.
For various reasons, train lunches gradually lose their appeal in the minds of passengers. As a memory of the good things of the past, they need to be improved in terms of price, variety, etc., in order to regain the favor of consumers.
After all, for passengers on the road, the temptation of hot meals is still hard to resist. If the train box lunch can return to the essence of low cost and high quality, it will definitely return to the appetite of passengers.
The evolution of lunch boxes on trains
At the end of the 70s of the 20th century, most of the trains on the mainland were old-fashioned green trains. Aluminum lunch boxes were very popular at the time. Each trip takes more than ten hours, and everyone can only rely on the lunch boxes bought on the train.
The train lunches were very authentic and were prepared in the small kitchens of the carriages by specially equipped chefs for each carriage. Lunch will be prepared using the freshest local ingredients according to the area the train passes through.
For example, when passing through Hangzhou, people make lunch boxes with fresh fish from West Lake and local vegetables. When passing through Chengdu, they make hot lunch boxes with Sichuan spices. Each lunch box is delicious and very popular with tourists.
In the 80s of the 20th century, with the reform and opening up, many advanced technologies and products came to China, during which polystyrene plastic lunch boxes were introduced.
Lightweight and durable, this lunch box soon replaced the old aluminum box as the most common lunch box on trains. At the same time, the capacity of continental rail transportation is also growing, but the cooking level of catering cars is beginning to decline.
Many trains outsource catering services to private contractors. So-called "bento" are often just ready-made snacks that are not prepared live by professional chefs. Prices have also gone up, and quality has been uneven.
In the 90s of the 20th century, with the improvement of environmental awareness, people began to realize the pollution problem of polystyrene lunch boxes, so degradable cellulose and starch lunch boxes appeared.
This kind of lunch box can be quickly decomposed after use, reducing environmental pollution. However, the so-called "lunch box" on the train is no longer worthy of the name. It tends to be just fast food, mass-produced in factories, unlike handmade lunch boxes that were freshly made in the past. It can be said that it is a world of difference.
In the era of high-speed rail in the 21st century, mainland railway transportation has entered a new stage. High-speed rail catering has come a long way, offering a variety of pricing options that you can order in advance through the app.
At the same time, ordinary railway bento has also entered standardized and industrial production. Today's train lunch boxes are made in a central kitchen outside the station and then transported in incubators to the train for heating and sale. Although the deliciousness of the previous live cooking has been lost, the ingredients are safer and more hygienic, and there is more variety.
Over the course of 70 years of history, lunch on trains has also evolved over time. From the production process to the food packaging, from ingredients to taste, all have undergone earth-shaking changes to meet the high standards of passengers in the new era. We must also adapt. Enjoy a new experience of traveling by train over time.
Measures to improve the quality of lunch boxes on trains
Passengers have long criticized train lunches for being expensive and monotonous. In order to improve the quality of lunch on the train, the relevant departments must start from several dimensions.
First, make sure the ingredients are fresh. Nowadays, most lunch boxes on trains use quick-frozen meat and vegetables, but they don't taste good. If we can set up purchasing centers in various railway stations and establish cooperation with local markets, then we can regularly purchase local specialty agricultural products every day and stock up on necessary quick-frozen reserve ingredients, which can greatly increase the freshness and taste of lunch boxes.
For example, trains running in the Tohoku region can buy high-quality ingredients such as Wuchang rice and beef at the station to make authentic Tohoku lunch boxes.
The second is to enrich the variety of dishes. At present, most train lunch boxes have only one ingredient and a limited variety. A catering R&D team can be set up to develop innovative dishes based on data on the train operating area and passengers' taste preferences.
It is also possible to organize chefs from different kitchens at one station in the train car, and the menu can be updated regularly according to seasonal changes and regions. In spring, the train to the south offers delicious osmanthus and a rich menu.
The third is to improve packaging design. At present, the packaging method of train lunch boxes is simple, which is not conducive to appetite. You can take inspiration from the design of Japanese-style bento boxes to make the packaging more recognizable and artistic.
You can also design unique packaging for different trains. For example, the Beijing-Shanghai high-speed railway may use a gold packaging box with a dual theme of Shanghai cuisine and Beijing cuisine. Even the ingredient images on the packaging should be vivid and expressive to induce an appetite.
The fourth is to improve support services. Dish details and real pictures can be added to the ordering platform to allow passengers to fully understand the content of the lunch box, strengthen the training of waiters, actively provide passengers with ordering suggestions, establish post-meal feedback channels, and optimize after-meal services. Corresponding menus, they also offer a reservation service. Let the passenger choose his favorite lunch set in advance.
Improvement in procurement, R&D, design, service, etc. Traveling by train is bound to become a taste experience, which will greatly increase passenger satisfaction and related companies will also gain new development opportunities.
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