{"id":29841,"date":"2026-03-11T11:36:15","date_gmt":"2026-03-11T11:36:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/29841\/"},"modified":"2026-03-11T11:36:15","modified_gmt":"2026-03-11T11:36:15","slug":"from-fine-dining-to-fast-food-swiss-dining-cars-through-the-ages","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/29841\/","title":{"rendered":"From fine dining to fast food: Swiss dining cars through the ages"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"1978<\/p>\n

1978: White tablecloths even on the move. As the landscape rolls by outside, passengers enjoy their meals at tables laid with white tablecloths in the dining car. The journey is the destination, so to speak. <\/p>\n

Gemeinfrei <\/p>\n

The more than 100-year history of the Swiss dining car is varied \u2013 and at times surprising. From freshly cooked meals on board to steam-heated dishes and even a McDonald\u2019s experiment, dining cars have always reflected their era.\n<\/p>\n

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This content was published on <\/p>\n

March 11, 2026 – 11:00\n<\/p>\n

\n Deutsch <\/p>\n

\n de <\/p>\n

Mal edel, mal Fast Food \u2013 Speisewagen gehen immer mit der Zeit <\/p>\n

Original\n <\/p>\n

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Read more: Mal edel, mal Fast Food \u2013 Speisewagen gehen immer mit der Zeit
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\n Fran\u00e7ais <\/p>\n

\n fr <\/p>\n

Tant\u00f4t raffin\u00e9s, tant\u00f4t fast-food, les wagons-restaurants ont toujours su s\u2019adapter \u00e0 leur \u00e9poque\n <\/p>\n

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Read more: Tant\u00f4t raffin\u00e9s, tant\u00f4t fast-food, les wagons-restaurants ont toujours su s\u2019adapter \u00e0 leur \u00e9poque
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\n Italiano <\/p>\n

\n it <\/p>\n

A volte raffinati, a volte fast food, i vagoni ristorante svizzeri hanno sempre saputo adattarsi ai tempi\n <\/p>\n

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Read more: A volte raffinati, a volte fast food, i vagoni ristorante svizzeri hanno sempre saputo adattarsi ai tempi
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In the 19th century, the railway revolutionised transport across Europe. Switzerland\u2019s first railway line opened between Zurich and Baden in 1847. Soon, a practical question arose: how would passengers be fed during long journeys?<\/p>\n

On extended routes, trains initially stopped so travellers could eat at station restaurants. Many stations established buffets \u2013 some of which still exist today.<\/p>\n

Dining carriages instead of station buffets<\/p>\n

The Swiss Dining Car Company was founded in 1903. Today, the company operates under the name Elvetino. It is wholly owned by Swiss Federal Railways and continues to run the country\u2019s dining cars.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe first dining cars were aimed at well-heeled travellers,\u201d says Isabelle Bitterli from Swiss Federal Railways Historic. \u201cBefore there were dining carriages, there were supply stops where passengers could have lunch in a town.\u201d<\/p>\n

By the 1930s, trains had become lighter and faster, reducing the need for extended meal breaks.<\/p>\n

From the 1950s onwards, dining cars opened to all passengers. \u201cThey became places where different social classes met,\u201d Bitterli explains. \u201cBusiness deals were made over meals, and people on excursions enjoyed simple dishes. This period is often described as the \u2018democratisation of the dining car\u2019.\u201d<\/p>\n

Catering systems and a fast-food experiment<\/p>\n

In the 1980s, new solutions were sought to simplify the complicated logistics. They opted for a catering system. \u201cFor the first time, meals were prepared in a centralised kitchen. The menus were then simply warmed up in the dining car,\u201d says Bitterli. This approach remains common today.<\/p>\n

Previous <\/p>\n

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\"Breakfast<\/p>\n

Breakfast on the Swiss Federal Railways: A luxury that few could afford in the 1940s. It was a classy affair \u2013 just like in a grand hotel. <\/p>\n

Keystone\/Albert Jansen <\/p>\n

\"1914<\/p>\n

1914: A noble relic from the Belle \u00c9poque. A rolling salon from the heyday of railway catering: in this dining car, you can still dine in the elegant style of the Belle \u00c9poque. The carriages are made of wood and decorated with heavy carpets and shiny brass fittings. A luxury that looks beautiful, but which few could afford at the time. <\/p>\n

Gemeinfrei <\/p>\n

\"1941<\/p>\n

1941: cooking with limited space. Space is definitely at a premium in the kitchen. The cook needs not only technical skill, but above all a talent for improvisation. <\/p>\n

Keystone\/Albert Jansen <\/p>\n

\"1944<\/p>\n

1944: WWII atmosphere. Rationing and national defence are omnipresent. This abandoned car in 1944 seems like a symbol of the difficult circumstances. <\/p>\n

Keystone\/Hans Gerber <\/p>\n

\"1951<\/p>\n

1951: Dining car to wear. On the Zurich to Lausanne route in 1951. In carriages without a dining car, the waiter himself is the means of transport. Catering for Swiss Federal Railways guests still requires full physical effort and strong arms. <\/p>\n

Keystone\/Jules Vogt <\/p>\n

\"1978<\/p>\n

1978: orange-brown precision work. Stylish dinner in a striped pattern: orange-brown conservatism provides the trendy flair in the dining cars of the 1970s. Here on the road in the carriage of the German Sleeping Car and Dining Car Company. <\/p>\n

Gemeinfrei <\/p>\n

\"1978<\/p>\n

1978: Juggling skills at the stove. Quality is also a priority in the kitchen. The chef himself stands behind the stove and juggles the pans. Microwaves and ready-made r\u00f6sti are still a long way off. Here, genuine craftsmanship is celebrated at full speed. <\/p>\n

Gemeinfrei <\/p>\n

\"1985<\/p>\n

1985: Queue up instead of waiting. If you don\u2019t want to wait to be served and want to save money, you can grab a tray in the self-service dining car in 1985 and fill your plate. However, self-service ends at the cash desk \u2013 there you have to get out your wallet and pay in cash. <\/p>\n

Keystone\/STR <\/p>\n

\"1989<\/p>\n

1989: \u201cCoffee, sandwiches, mineral water\u2026!\u201d_The minibar was a must-have in the 1980s and 1990s. People were delighted when the trolley rattled in with the cry of \u201cCoffee, mineral water, sandwiches!\u201d As guests increasingly ate at train stations, the service was discontinued in 2017. <\/p>\n

Creative Commons\/gemeinfrei <\/p>\n

\"1992<\/p>\n

1992: Big Macs and chips on the go. In 1992, McDonald\u2019s wanted to jump on the bandwagon in Switzerland, a country known for its railways. However, enthusiasm for Big Macs and chips on the go was limited. The pilot project was discontinued a few years later. <\/p>\n

Gemeinfrei <\/p>\n

\"2002<\/p>\n

2002: Service on the incline. July 2000 marks the beginning of the era of new tilting trains. Swiss Federal Railways and Mitropa Suisse present how to dine in style even when travelling around bends in the brand new ICN trains. Home-style cooking is served, from Schnipo to Bolo. <\/p>\n

Keystone\/J\u00fcrg M\u00fcller <\/p>\n

\"2002<\/p>\n

2002: Passagio-Passaggio Rail AG. the joint venture between Swiss Federal Railways and Rail Gourmet is set to bring a breath of fresh air to trains with 600 employees. Just one year later, the name Passaggio disappears again and is absorbed into the now well-known Swiss Federal Railways subsidiary Elvetino. <\/p>\n

Keystone\/MARTIN RUETSCHI <\/p>\n

\"2015<\/p>\n

2015: Coffee-to-go on rails. The world\u2019s first Starbucks on rails serves its guests iced lattes instead of caf\u00e9 cr\u00e8mes or bowls in 2015 \u2013 on two floors. <\/p>\n

Keystone\/Christian Beutler <\/p>\n

One unusual episode followed in 1992, when McDonald\u2019s launched a pilot project with its own restaurant carriage. The fast-food concept on rails failed to win over passengers, and the project was discontinued after a few years.<\/p>\n

An uncertain future<\/p>\n

\u201cThe dining car no longer has the same importance as it once did,\u201d says Bitterli. Today\u2019s focus is on quick service. At the same time, catering options at railway stations have expanded significantly. Many passengers buy food in station shops and consume it on the platform or in standard carriages.<\/p>\n

What the dining car of the future might look like remains unclear. \u201cThe dining car has always mirrored society and constantly reinvented itself,\u201d Bitterli says. During economic downturns, demand fell; in prosperous times, travellers were more willing to treat themselves to a meal on board. \u201cIts future depends on too many factors to predict.\u201d<\/p>\n

Bitterli herself still appreciates the traditional dining car. \u201cThere is a special atmosphere that I enjoy,\u201d she says. She also shares a practical tip: passengers can reserve a table for a fee of CHF5 ($6.40) \u2013 a charge that is deducted from the bill.<\/p>\n

Join the debate: <\/p>\n

Translated from German using AI\/amva\/ts<\/p>\n

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Learn more\u00a0here\u00a0<\/a>about how we work with AI.\u00a0<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"1978: White tablecloths even on the move. As the landscape rolls by outside, passengers enjoy their meals at…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":29842,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[101,3931,5395,334,3381,41,17,2726],"class_list":{"0":"post-29841","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-switzerland","8":"tag-article","9":"tag-beat-best-of-srg-content","10":"tag-dialogue","11":"tag-production-type-adaptation","12":"tag-society","13":"tag-swiss","14":"tag-switzerland","15":"tag-transport"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@ch\/116210341524449199","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29841","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29841"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29841\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29842"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29841"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29841"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/ch\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29841"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}