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Post by SS Shasta on May 8, 2008 14:55:14 GMT -8
I haven't heard much about galley service recently. Just wondering why they closed the Galley on MV Sealth several days ago . She is still in service on the Vashon-Southworth route. BTW: Did they open the galley on MV Evergreen State during her long service on that route last winter?
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Post by Barnacle on May 8, 2008 14:58:18 GMT -8
Can't answer for the EState, but the Sealth's galley wasn't open because it was deemed "too difficult" by the galley concessionaires to move their equipment on and off the boat for the relatively short time it was going to be on the run.
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Post by SS San Mateo on May 8, 2008 18:37:43 GMT -8
I haven't heard much about galley service recently. Just wondering why they closed the Galley on MV Sealth several days ago . She is still in service on the Vashon-Southworth route. BTW: Did they open the galley on MV Evergreen State during her long service on that route last winter? The galley on the Sealth has been closed the entire time on her current stint on the Vashon route. It was open when she was replacing the Klahowya a few weeks ago. As for the Evergreen State, her galley wasn't open the entire time she was on the Vashon route.
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Post by SS Shasta on Nov 5, 2008 17:19:40 GMT -8
What is wrong with the galley on MV Sealth? Now WSF says that there are "electrical equipment issues." Seems like it takes much too long to address these issues.
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Post by EGfleet on Nov 5, 2008 19:16:38 GMT -8
What is wrong with the galley on MV Sealth? Now WSF says that there are "electrical equipment issues." Seems like it takes much too long to address these issues. Don't believe everything you read. Olympic Foods never intended on staffing the Sealth as it is only going to be there a month. They're using that reason as an excuse.
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Post by SS Shasta on Mar 21, 2010 8:29:08 GMT -8
Just wondering if the new Kwa/Island class vessels are being constructed and equipped for galley service? I think galley service has traditionally been available on the Port Townsend-Keystone route when it was served by the Rhody, Olympic, and the Steel Electrics.
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Post by whidbeyislandguy on Mar 21, 2010 9:12:01 GMT -8
Just wondering if the new Kwa/Island class vessels are being constructed and equipped for galley service? I think galley service has traditionally been available on the Port Townsend-Keystone route when it was served by the Rhody, Olympic, and the Steel Electrics. Just not the last 5 years of the SE's...
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Post by EGfleet on Mar 21, 2010 11:39:02 GMT -8
Just wondering if the new Kwa/Island class vessels are being constructed and equipped for galley service? I think galley service has traditionally been available on the Port Townsend-Keystone route when it was served by the Rhody, Olympic, and the Steel Electrics. Just not the last 5 years of the SE's... The plans for the boats show a galley on board for passengers. But as pointed out here, no one picked up the contract for the last five years. Whether or not anyone will pick it up after the Chetzemoka is on the run is anyone's guess. It was deemed "unprofitable" at one point which is probably why neither Olympic Cascade or the other galley service provider (whose name I can't remember) bothered with it.
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Post by SS San Mateo on Mar 21, 2010 12:19:45 GMT -8
The plans for the boats show a galley on board for passengers. But as pointed out here, no one picked up the contract for the last five years. According to this article, CDX did pick up the contract for the Pt. Townsend route (I couldn't tell if it was only for the winter months on an experimental basis or if it was year-round). Someone here posted a picture that showed the galley open on the Klickitat either in 2006 or 2007.
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Nick
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Chief Engineer - Queen of Richmond
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Post by Nick on Mar 21, 2010 13:52:16 GMT -8
Seeing this thread pop up gave me a thought. I don't know how feasible this would be, nor do I know how much WSF currently makes with their food service contracted out, but it's an idea.
What if WSF ran their own food service on their vessels, and actually attempted to provide decent food? From what I have heard (I've never been on a WSF vessel except either the the E-State or Elwha on the international run when I was very young), the food available on board WSF vessels is generally inferior quality to what is available on shore, which makes most people avoid eating on board the ship.
As most know, BCF does their own food service, and generates a significant amount of revenue from them. The food is generally of good quality, and at fairly reasonable prices. To save time, people often plan to eat their meals on board. With WSF in such short supply of money for operating costs, it would seem that maximizing secondary revenue sources would help keep fares low, and would actually be seen to improve service.
I realize that most WSF routes are considerably shorter than the mainline BCF runs, but for example the PT-K run is 35 minutes, which isn't far off HSB-Langdale's 40 minutes, which has full galley service.
Anyway, it was a thought. It might have been mentioned earlier in this thread, as I didn't read back all that far, but I thought it deserved mention.
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Post by SS Shasta on Mar 21, 2010 14:14:10 GMT -8
The plans for the boats show a galley on board for passengers. But as pointed out here, no one picked up the contract for the last five years. According to this article, CDX did pick up the contract for the Pt. Townsend route (I couldn't tell if it was only for the winter months on an experimental basis or if it was year-round). Someone here posted a picture that showed the galley open on the Klickitat either in 2006 or 2007. Yes, the galley was open on the MV Klickitat during the summer of 2007, the last time I rode her. I don't know if it was open on her route mate, MV Nisqually, but someone said it was. I believe they said the galleys were open during the summer season, but closed during the winter. They followed the same sort of schedule that is used currently in the San Juan Islands.
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Post by SS San Mateo on Mar 21, 2010 14:24:25 GMT -8
The galley on the Nisqually wasn't open when I was on her in September 2007 (it was just before she was pulled from service).
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Post by EGfleet on Mar 21, 2010 14:31:19 GMT -8
Seeing this thread pop up gave me a thought. I don't know how feasible this would be, nor do I know how much WSF currently makes with their food service contracted out, but it's an idea. What if WSF ran their own food service on their vessels, and actually attempted to provide decent food? From what I have heard (I've never been on a WSF vessel except either the the E-State or Elwha on the international run when I was very young), the food available on board WSF vessels is generally inferior quality to what is available on shore, which makes most people avoid eating on board the ship. As most know, BCF does their own food service, and generates a significant amount of revenue from them. The food is generally of good quality, and at fairly reasonable prices. To save time, people often plan to eat their meals on board. With WSF in such short supply of money for operating costs, it would seem that maximizing secondary revenue sources would help keep fares low, and would actually be seen to improve service. I realize that most WSF routes are considerably shorter than the mainline BCF runs, but for example the PT-K run is 35 minutes, which isn't far off HSB-Langdale's 40 minutes, which has full galley service. Anyway, it was a thought. It might have been mentioned earlier in this thread, as I didn't read back all that far, but I thought it deserved mention. I don't think WSF has run the galley since they first took over from Black Ball in '51. By the early mid fifties they were already being run by Clark's Ferry Concessions. Cost is the reason WSF won't take it on. Galley workers could top at at $18.00 an hour after five years (or could at the time I was applying in the late 1990's--I have no idea how much that may have changed now) which limits the amount of profit that can be had. It is why Sodexo wasn't too upset about dropping the galley service in favor of the vending machines--they were practically pure profit. I think WSF would rather not have the hassle. Are galley workers part of the union in BC as they are at WSF?
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Koastal Karl
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Post by Koastal Karl on Mar 21, 2010 15:06:41 GMT -8
I noticed on the WSF site it says for the Saun Jaun Islands the Galley service on the ships is only available during the summer! Is that for all WSF routes or is there like Galley service on Bainbridge and Bremerton, Edmonds, routes and so on all year round???
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Jody
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Post by Jody on Mar 21, 2010 15:44:00 GMT -8
Are all of the galley contracts held by the same company, or is it broken up by route(s)? I have ridden a number of routes with galley service - Seattle-Bremerton, Southworth-Vashon-Fauntleroy, Seattle-Bainbridge, Kingston-Edmonds, and Mukilteo-Clinton. All seemed to have the same level of service - deplorable, with the same basic fare - hot dogs, burgers, pretzels, etc. hardly worthy of being served in your local AM/PM gas station, at prices well in excess of what you'd pay for premium versions of the same. I can say without a doubt that I have never given one cent to the concession companies on the WSF system. And unless something changes, I never will. I can think of one particular trip as an illustration where I was hungry and planned on grabbing something on the way to the dock. I was running late and didn't get to, so I ended up on the boat seriously starving. I waited and got something when I hit Seattle. No way I was going to pay 15 bucks for garbage and an overpriced bottle of soda. Instead, I rewarded myself at Ivars after I got off the boat, and came out with a much better meal and was still about four bucks ahead.
Whoever the concessionaire is seems to suffer from the "we're the only game in town, so F-you if you don't like it" mentality. THAT'S WRONG! I've been in the business before, and I will say without a doubt that a concessionaire could serve much better food at a lower price, and still turn a decent profit. That is, unless the contracts with WSF are so horribly overbid that there's no money in it. But from what I've seen, a fairly large percentage of riders on the WSF routes I've been on share my opinion. That tells me that there is a tremendous opportunity and amount of potential that isn't being tapped.
I don't know. I guess I saw this thread and figured I'd vent. Anybody want to go into the catering company and put our money where our mouths are? LOL. It's tempting to see what the WSF contract structure is like...
Just my $.02, cash value slightly lower.
Jody
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Nick
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Post by Nick on Mar 21, 2010 15:44:50 GMT -8
I think WSF would rather not have the hassle. Are galley workers part of the union in BC as they are at WSF? Yes, the galley staff are part of the union at BCF, and are counted as part of the ship's crew. I think that this is part of the reason why BCF ships seem to have such bigger crews than comparable WSF ships. I think you're right in that WSF doesn't want the hassle, but I would think that this would be a good revenue source for them if the galley facilities already exist on most of the vessels. The annual report isn't working for me right now to look up the revenue/expense for BCF, but I did find out that they took in $62.8 million in catering revenue on the 4 major routes. Not exactly chump change.
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Post by SS San Mateo on Mar 21, 2010 16:04:06 GMT -8
Are all of the galley contracts held by the same company, or is it broken up by route(s)? It's broken up by route as follows: Pt. Defiance/Tahlequah: none Fauntleroy/Vashon/Southworth: CDX Seattle/Bremerton: Olympic Cascade Seattle/Bainbridge: Olympic Cascade Edmonds/Kingston: Olympic Cascade Mukilteo/Clinton: CDX Pt. Townsend/Keystone: CDX (I'm assmuning they still have have the contract for that route) Anacortes/San Juans: Olympic Cascade (except for the inter-island route), but not year round. Sound Foods originally had the Vashon route, but lost it in 2005 when WSF cancelled the contract due to Sound Foods withholding money due to losses incurred because of a vessel with a non-working galley (see page 1 of this thread for more details).
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Post by Kahloke on Mar 21, 2010 20:00:47 GMT -8
I noticed on the WSF site it says for the Saun Jaun Islands the Galley service on the ships is only available during the summer! Is that for all WSF routes or is there like Galley service on Bainbridge and Bremerton, Edmonds, routes and so on all year round??? It varies by route. The main Central Sound routes, Edmonds-Kingston, Seattle-Bainbridge, and Seattle-Bremerton, have year-round galley service. I would imagine it's the same on the Vashon-Southworth ferries, and the Mukilteo ferries, as well. Hours vary by route, too.
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FNS
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Post by FNS on Mar 21, 2010 23:18:12 GMT -8
As we are in this topic of galleys, we rewind our clocks to the Mukilteo run several decades ago.
When the KULSHAN entered service on the run, there would be only one ferry serving food. This was at the turn of the 1970s decade. Clinton's roster then had the KULSHAN running the number one schedule, the RHODODENDRON running the number two schedule. The OLYMPIC became third ferry and was run when needed. Since then, the OLY's galley was closed and only the RHODY served food (her galley end touched Clinton).
In 1973, the OLYMPIC left Clinton and the VASHON became third ferry. Same situation. The VASHON's vintage galley was an ornament and was not staffed. It was near that time when part of the upholstered bench of the KULSHAN's cabin was inelegantly cut up and a vending machine was installed for coffee, which usually saw tape covering the coin drop as it was prone to breakdowns.
It would be in the later years of the OLYMPIC's assignment at Keystone when her galley would be dusted off and serving food. No galley service in her earlier years there.
When programs changed in 1978, WSF sent the RHODY up to Keystone and the OLY returned to Mukilteo, this time serving food in her third vessel service there. The ILLAHEE became the number two vessel there and her galley was serving food. The Mukilteo run would finally get two ferries serving food again.
In 1980, the NISQUALLY replaced the KULSHAN at Clinton and she served food besides the ILLAHEE. I can't remember if the third ferry OLYMPIC served food then. In 1981, the KULSHAN returned to Clinton as third ferry and the OLY went north to be with the RHODY.
Since 1982, the CATHY and KITTY have been at Clinton and both have been serving food.
So, there's your history lesson on food service on the Mukilteo run from 1970 to today.
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Koastal Karl
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Post by Koastal Karl on Apr 1, 2011 8:52:03 GMT -8
A question about the Galleys for example this is what it says for the Spring Schedule for the San Juans
# Food Service: Yes. Spring Schedule Galley Hours:
#1 Boat: 6:00am - 2:30pm (Elwha/Chelan) #2 Boat: 8:15am - 12:45pm (Sunday 3:45pm)(Hyak/Elwha) #3 Boat: 10:00am - 4:45pm (Sealth/Hyak/Yakima)
How come the Galleys are only open like half the day??? You would think that Galley service would be open for all sailings at least for all or part of the sailing except maybe for really late night sailings where there isent alot of passengers. Just seems odd that you have Galley service but only in like the morning/early afternoon.
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Post by Barnacle on Apr 1, 2011 12:11:10 GMT -8
A question about the Galleys for example this is what it says for the Spring Schedule for the San Juans # Food Service: Yes. Spring Schedule Galley Hours: #1 Boat: 6:00am - 2:30pm (Elwha/Chelan) #2 Boat: 8:15am - 12:45pm (Sunday 3:45pm)(Hyak/Elwha) #3 Boat: 10:00am - 4:45pm (Sealth/Hyak/Yakima) How come the Galleys are only open like half the day??? You would think that Galley service would be open for all sailings at least for all or part of the sailing except maybe for really late night sailings where there isent alot of passengers. Just seems odd that you have Galley service but only in like the morning/early afternoon. For starts, I do believe those are the times of the sailings out of Anacortes where the galleys are open. Also, the concessionaires running the galleys are only running a single shift per day on each boat.
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Koastal Karl
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Been on every BC Ferry now!!!!!
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Post by Koastal Karl on Apr 1, 2011 16:02:10 GMT -8
I know the Galleys arent actually run by WSF but it's like saying oh the people in the morning can get food but if you travel in the late afternoon your screwed, lol! Not that I am saying the food on WSF is good but it might be nice if you were hungry if you could get a little something on board. Do the Galleys on the San Juan boats make money?? Do alot of people use the Galleys on those runs??
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Post by Barnacle on Apr 1, 2011 21:26:23 GMT -8
There are also vending machines on board, if you feel like paying $2.50 for a soda.
I have no idea if the galleys make money in the San Juans; I pay them very little attention unless I need another hit of coffee. I suppose it all depends on your definition of 'a lot' but, as I stated, I don't watch the galleys very closely in terms of passenger action. Beyond safety issues and a friendly bit of chat with the staff, I don't hang out there.
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Post by sounder on Apr 3, 2011 19:25:37 GMT -8
Was there ever galley service on the Lofall-South Point run at any time?
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KE7JFF
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Post by KE7JFF on Sept 8, 2011 12:29:40 GMT -8
I haven't been on other ferries in the WSF system yet, but my observation from the Chelan is that I am surprised that being the largest ferry system in the US, WSF is not using services of a national concessionaire like Delaware North which is known for operating food services very well.
I understand the idea behind using state business for WSF, but from reading the whole Puget ordeal, it sounds like they can't figure out a simple issue like how to handle venue changes.
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