Features of the dining car.

It is worth noting that not every train is equipped with a restaurant car. It is economically impractical to hitch a specially equipped wagon that cannot carry passengers, not on long-distance flights. Usually there is the following rule - if the trip lasts more than a day, the train is equipped with a restaurant car.

The dining car is located strictly in the middle of the train, next to the car in which the head of the train and all the management are located. This is due to the need to ensure that passengers of all cars have the same access to the services provided. The traffic of people moving through the cars decreases accordingly, the train ceases to look like a regular commuter train with its high turnover.

The restaurant itself is located in a carriage that differs significantly from the standard ones. Its capacity usually does not exceed 40 people, which can be placed at tables. The tables themselves are located near the windows and stand in two rows. There are several seats behind a specially equipped bar.

The bar in the dining car is also the actual ticket office. All monetary payments between restaurant employees and visitors are made here. At the bar, you can get acquainted with the menu and make a pre-order for drinks.

The restaurant's kitchen is located behind the bar. Despite its small area, it has the full functionality of a full-fledged restaurant. The kitchen is equipped with refrigerators and storage rooms. The products are always fresh, most of them are semi-finished products, which increases the time of serving dishes.

Ready meals in the restaurant are brought to the tables by waiters. This is the main difference between a restaurant car and a buffet car. There are also differences in the assortment.

The restaurant is usually opened at 8 o'clock in the morning. The shift in the institution lasts 16 hours with two breaks of no more than 30 minutes. At this time, the general cleaning of all premises takes place and the preparation of products is carried out. Half an hour before closing, guest service stops and all customers of the institution are calculated.

With a large landing in the restaurant, it is possible to order ready meals in the car itself, where the passenger is traveling. To do this, it is enough to make a payment at the bar and make certain recommendations on the delivery time. In this case, the waiters bring the food to the customer.

The menu of the restaurant car is not very diverse, but it still has several duplicated items. At the same time, there are always special offers that are valid for a certain period of time. This, in particular, applies to breakfasts and business lunches. After the time has elapsed, it is impossible to order these dishes in the cafe.

Each flight prepares a special signature dish, which is emphasized during sales by waiters. It is often subject to a reduced price. But unlike classic restaurants, this is not related to the expected expiration of the shelf life of products.

The classic menu includes the following items:

• breakfast (sandwiches, porridge, scrambled eggs and cake. Usually the cost of breakfast varies around three hundred rubles);
• business lunches (they are a classic presentation of business lunches in a cafe. By default, this is salad, soup and hot. Business lunches are characterized by a fast time of serving ready meals. The complex can cost about 500 rubles. At the same time, it is possible to order items separately. But in this case, the total cost of meals will increase - the passenger will have to pay a large amount);
• salads and snacks (here are the most popular items. Even on the train there is no escape from Caesar and Olivier);
• hot dishes and soups (they also do not differ in any delicacies).

Separately, it is worth highlighting hot pastries and sweets. Here is the largest selection in the restaurant. Usually there are about 15 items in the menu. Their assortment is extremely diverse and ranges from chebureks to homemade croissants.

The bar deserves a special mention. Here you can not only enjoy hot drinks, but also order alcohol. Usually it's beer, wine and vodka. In some bars, alcoholic cocktails and several types of homemade lemonades for children are on the menu. At the bar, you can pass the evening and spend time having a pleasant conversation with the bartender, discussing a train trip.

But the main emphasis in bars is still on tea and coffee. You can also buy branded fruit drinks and compotes. There are several bottled water items on the menu. This helps to avoid problems with the purchase of drinks at bus stops.

Of course, the prices in the dining car differ in a big way compared to classic restaurants. But this is more than compensated by the opportunity to enjoy high-quality hot meals in comfortable conditions. Now passengers can not worry about the possibility of buying food during long trips. Previously, half of the luggage could be food, which could spoil in the hot season.

The only drawback in the dining cars is the impossibility of cashless payments on a permanent basis. In Russia, the Internet does not yet entangle the entire territory of the country. During the flights between cities, the connection disappears. Therefore, it is advisable to always have cash.

In conclusion, I would like to say that you should not be afraid to try something new and not eat in a restaurant. The twenty-first century gives more and more comfort to ordinary passengers. And the opinion about sky-high prices is a common myth.