Is "No Coaches" Justifiable ?
Page 52
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REPRESENTATIVES of the catering industry should
react strongly to criticisms of the " No Coaches" notices contained in the leading article entitled "Tending the Tourist" in "The Commercial Motor" dated July 4. Their main contention might well be that the coaching industry should be the one to put its house in order and, as their case may be worthy of study by operators, a summary of the points that can be made may prove instructive.
• In some areas the notice most frequently seen reads "No coaches, except by prior arrangement" for almost all coach tourists' main meals are booked ahead. Thus the café proprietor who displays such a notice is usually losing only the morning tea and coffee trade, in which it often happens that the takings are no more than 10s., whilst the whole party makes use of the facilities provided by the premises. At the same time, the presence of coaches tends to drive the normal customers to seek other places, particularly as the arrival of one coach is often followed by others turning in at the same spot.
The impossibility of catering in their accustomed style for unexpected parties that wish for only limited-time halts Must be stressed in the case of café proprietors who are accustomed to give individual attention to their patrons. At the same time catering-staff regulations now make it uneconomic for every roadside refreshment house to provide full service throughout the day, although it may be practicable for the proprietor or an individual member of the staff to handle isolated callers.
In a great many places it is recognized that excellent relations already exist between the catering industry and coaching operators, but a feeling is undoubtedly present that the scale to which coaching has grown is not matched by the overall -organization of that industry, for in many instances on long journeys mealhalts are made atplaces where facilities are limited and timings mean that passengers have no satisfactory alternative if they do not care for the recommended house.
Allegations are sometimes made that drivers who are allowed to work substantially on their own initiative have been in the habit of demanding their own " cut "• when offering patronage to cafés. A further point in defence of the roadside caterer is that not every park has been constructed to stand continued use by heavy vehicles.
Although criticism of some catering establishments may be justified, operators might well ask themselves if their administration has kept pace with the all-round improvement in the vehicles of which they are so proud. Too many coach proprietors are obviously well-satisfied to sell their services purely on the basis of cheapness— the appeal, of fourth-class travel.
Blackpool: CATERER.