Beef or No Beef, that is the question.

Was originally going to comment on Buns trip report when it was first mentioned about beef being withdrawn, but decided against it. However it seems worth posting a poll ( if for no other reason than we haven't had a poll for a very long time)

David

In economy going Westbound they used to hand out cheese & tomato or "steak" cornish pasties. I was told they eliminated the beef for environmental reasons. Not sure how much actual beef there was in them, but IMHO better than the C&T

I’m vegetarian.

[buns]

Thanks for the name check!!

From a commercial perspective, to remove beef on Transatlantic routes will do nothing to encourage US premuim passengers to swith from Delta if you ask me.

buns

I fully concur with buns - this move is not going to help Virgin win US passengers on the TATL routes. Generalisation aside, Americans do like their beef.

On the flights I've done in Upper Class, before you could pre-order your meal, the beef option has generally been the first one to run out onboard. And more to the point, the Clubhouse with no Clubhouse burger! The mini beef burger light bites onboard were good too.

I suspect we need another poll creating for how long before Virgin back down & reverse the decision, once customer feedback starts to hit Crawley Towers. If Beardie does not want to eat beef, then that's his decision - but it seems a commercially strange decision to make.

Edit: Just looked at the sample Upper Class menu on the VS website... shows how the left hand does not know what the right is doing at Crawley Towers... one of the main courses listed is: Weeping tiger beef salad.

Beef please

Another vote for Beef. The menu feels very boring without it. Also I’ve noticed the menu hasn’t changed greatly since September 2019! Bar minor tweaks (including the removal of the burger from light bites). Feels very poor, they need to update more regularly.

Recent menu choices in Upper have been lack lustre and unappealing

Recent menu choices in Upper have been lack lustre and unappealing

I think like anything, menu's [anywhere, be it on the ground or in the air] are subjective. What appeals to one person will be someone else's idea of hell. I've just found the UC Menu from my Upper Class trip back in November and there was 1 out of 3 starters I would eat, 3 out of 4 main courses & one of the puddings, plus cheese, afternoon tea & this light bites that I would happily eat. And yes, I had the beef main course and a light bite burger later on! Yes, I admit the menu choices are nothing stellar - no absolute "must haves" on it, but I left the flight far from hungry.

If you want good in-flight food in Business Class, get on a Turkish Airlines flight on a route that has the Flying Chef in Business Class... wow.

Really hacked off about no Beef .....

Let people make their own choices, with pre-select if it isn’t popular then theIr will be little wastage.

I’m an adult - stop making my decisions for me !!

I think something that starts the conversation is good. Maybe those selecting beef could have received a small note explaining the environmental impact of beef, and hopefully by raising awareness individuals make the decision. I also firmly believe that saying I do X which is so much worse so Y isn't worth the effort is lazy and thoughtless. Every little change does help. But the removal of beef from an airlines menu is ridiculous, such double standard will also will sharpen the focus on the other aspects of their business. Why do they continue to promote and facilitate flying if they care about the environment so much. I've pretty much always regarded any Virgin business as marketing over substance, this just further entrenches that position.
There are things VS does will, this will not be one of them.

I wonder how long before ,even on long haul flights ,the meal service will be replaced with sustainably package cold food, ore-prepared and collected at the gate by the passenger.(and counts as some of the hand luggage allowance) Its still seems difficult to produce consistently good food on aircraft and there are some fantastic "Lunch or dinner boxes" commercially available. I can imagine after the current situations plays out, and let hope that's sooner rather than later, global travel will take a long time to recover. Airlines will be under more and more pressure to cut cost whilst also being environmentally friendly. Remove the majority of galleys, and all the weight and space it saves will help that target. And heaven forbid that the current crisis turns into a full blown recession, will the passenger choose their flight because of the meal service, or the fact they have a salad box and the flight price is cheaper?
Some food for thought, although perhaps not particularly appetizing

RB has made no secret of his desire to eradicate beef from the menus of his services. The demise of the clubhouse burger was the first sign of big changes to come. RB has invested millions into the production of non-beef products that will ultimately satisfy the customer. It's all over google.

Sooooo, if you're flying out of JFK - head to Shake Shack or McDonalds for your beef!

I've ordered 'WILD BOAR meatballs for my return Sunday and March... I shall report.

Great!!! They’ve just removed the only meat item that I eat and genuinely look forward to

BA still doing beef, just chose it for our flight in 3 weeks. linda

Sooooo, if you're flying out of JFK - head to Shake Shack or McDonalds for your beef!

And try to smuggle your "outside" beef into the Clubhouse to make a statement. May be difficult to get a McD's past the Lounge Dragons, but a beef & horseradish sandwich in a Boots bag should be quite easy at LHR.

I think it is a very retrograde step. I don't eat pasta dishes or anything spicy, so I would normally go for the beef or chicken. However, most of the chicken dishes seem to be paired with other stuff I don't eat, such as sweet potato, spicy sauces or weird vegetables, so in essence, the beef dish was the only one I could eat! I accept that my tastes are very traditional, but for various reasons, that is how it is!

Definitely found this an interesting outcome. Not here to challenge anyone's tastes .etc but I genuinely didn't think it would be so important, especially given yes whilst maybe people prefer beef over chicken I assume outside of flying people don't just eat beef for every meal? Also, is this change in catering due to cost, changing tastes generally, or being environmentally freindly?

No more CH burger? I don't eat beef that often and usually find onboard beef overcooked and disappointing, but the burger has been my pre-flight choice for umpteen years when flying VS. Onboard I'm not that fussed, I'd rather lay down and sleep!

General production of pork and chicken is hardly impact free. If VS had instead decided that all meat/fish would now be sourced only from suppliers operating with sustainable/environmentally friendly methods - which I expect would be pricier, though at individual meal level pretty much insignificant vs. the fare - I'd have seen it as a really positive move to set a new standard, instead of what feels like cheap tokenism at RB's whim.

Tbh since the FC changes, dropping DXB and BOM (though that's back now), I've largely switched to the dark side, though I still have a soft spot for VS (and a lot of miles!), but now no limo, no burger, the balance is tilting further away

Definitely found this an interesting outcome. Not here to challenge anyone's tastes .etc but I genuinely didn't think it would be so important, especially given yes whilst maybe people prefer beef over chicken I assume outside of flying people don't just eat beef for every meal? Also, is this change in catering due to cost, changing tastes generally, or being environmentally freindly?

I don't eat beef all the time. The reason being cited is due to the environmental impact of beef production, but it's a bit difficult to claim the moral high ground over the environment as an airline when your business model (i.e. flying) is always called out as being environmentally damaging and activists such as Greta Thunberg proudly shun flying as a mode of transport. That isn't to say there are steps airlines can take to reduce their impact, but nobody in the industry can really claim to be green.

Let people choose for themselves. If demand for beef drops then it becomes easier to make a case for ditching it like they recently did for Upper limos.

Just bumping this for anyone that might have missed this poll before it slips off the first page.

David

Plane food has now become less appealing now so I tend to buy and take on my own choice usually a sandwich and sides from the shops before I get onboard. so I can eat when I want and drink when I like. I eat my cooked meal before departing on the flight, either breakfast or lunch. its your choice so its simple.