HBI Staff | Hyderabad 
Railways have been the lifeline of Indian travelers throughout the decades. More than a transport, it is an experience that connects the different parts of diverse India. From mountains to the sea, from plains to the jungles—trains have connected numerous people to the real essence of the country. Long journeys are time-consuming and tiring, and food plays a vital part in making the travel pleasant. The intense and complicated connectivity of railways has often come across several concerns regarding their facilities, especially food.
What about food? It is a serious concern in the railways as it fails to keep the quality of the food intact despite taking several measures. The food served is often stale, unhygienic, and of bad quality. Imagine you wake up to a scenic landscape and the food served has a cockroach in it! As per reports of the Comptroller and Auditor General (CAG) in 2017, the issue of food quality in Indian Railways has been thoroughly discussed. It reveals that Indian Railways’ caterers “consistently failed to protect the food served to passengers from flies, insects, dust, rats, and cockroaches.” The premium trains like Vande Bharat, Duronto, Rajdhani, Satabdi, etc. are also on the list.
Though the railway ministry has repeatedly taken measures to minimize the casualties, it seems to be failing. Complaints against the quality of food have been consistent and seen a rise of 500% in recent years. The kitchen has been upgraded in the trains, cameras have been installed in the pantry, and fines have been imposed. Why is the quality of food still a concern? As quality checks are not done consistently, the vendors are not responsible enough. Above this, no background checks are done while choosing the vendors. Facilities provided to preserve food are inadequate.
Bad food can seriously hamper the essence of traveling. It can be the reason for stress, a bad mood, or much worse: food poisoning. People might reach the hospital before they reach their destination. Other than the quality of food, delays in food delivery and order mismatch are the problems faced by the passengers. India is a country where most of the population is vegetarian; a section eats satvik food. Delivering the right orders is a matter of trust, and once the trust is broken, it can hurt the sentiments of the passengers.
Passengers are ditching food from the pantry and ordering on rail food apps. There has been a recent uproar regarding a train food delivery app, RailRestro. It is very simple to order food on this app and it delivers food to more than 450 rail stations across India at an affordable price. A wide range of options in food are available in the app: regional food, veg, non-veg, and jain food. Founder of RailRestro Mr Manish Chandra said: “We are delighted to see the passengers response and promise to provide Hygienic and varieties of food options through RailRestro to enhance the food experience of our passengers. We aim to deliver an unmatched food experience through our platform, making train travel more comfortable and enjoyable for everyone.” The app promises to deliver hygienic and fresh food on time to the seat. A large network of FSSAI-approved restaurants has partnered with this app, ensuring passengers the quality and taste they want to experience. Orders can be booked through a website, app, or Whatspp.
Website booking:
- Go to the RailRestro website.
- Enter the train number or PNR number.
- Select your delivery station and food item.
- Choose to pay via a secure payment gateway or you can also choose to pay cash on delivery (COD).
- Enjoy food delivered directly to your train seat.
App booking:
- Download the RailRestro app from play store or app store.
- Enter the train number or PNR number.
- Select your delivery station and food item.
- Choose to pay via a secure payment gateway or you can also choose to pay cash on delivery (COD).
- Enjoy food delivered directly to your train seat.
