SMART plans food and beverage service, including wine and beer

This being Wine Country, it makes sense that passengers who want to imbibe aboard soon-to-be-unveiled commuter trains in the North Bay won’t want to drink swill.

Hence, the Sonoma Marin Area Rail Transit’s pursuit of a concessionaire to serve “quality” food and beverages aboard trains, with an emphasis on local brands.

“Coffee,” the request for proposals states, “shall be of a premium quality and shall be prepared fresh throughout periods of operation.”

SMART, which put out the call for concessionaire proposals last week, has given respondents until Oct. 10 to submit plans. As incentive, the rail agency is offering to forgo charging vendors a concession fee for space aboard trains for the first year of operation.

“We’re looking for a small business that wants to get on their feet and experiment, and not have to worry about rent,” Farhad Mansourian, SMART’s general manager, said Tuesday.

The mere existence of food and beverage service aboard the two-car SMART trains is noteworthy given that many public transportation systems prohibit such consumption.

Under California law, a person caught eating or drinking on a transit system where those activities are prohibited is an infraction punishable by a fine of up to $250 for the first offense.

Bay Area Rapid Transit prohibits food and drink consumption aboard trains. Caltrain does not sell food or beverages on trains, but allows passengers to bring their own. That includes alcohol, except on days of special events, such as concerts or sporting contests, when such consumption is prohibited on the trains after 9 p.m.

“Commuter trains have such limited capacity to carry all of the passengers that devoting space to concessions on trains that are standing room only during the commute is a pretty hard sell,” said Jayme Ackemann, a Caltrain spokeswoman.

SMART trains, by contrast, will operate at lower capacities, with the rail agency projecting a total daily ridership of about 3,000. For significant stretches of the initial 43-mile rail line from north Santa Rosa to downtown San Rafael, the trains will traverse bucolic landscapes.

As part of its marketing strategy, SMART has painted a portrait of riders kicking back with a premium cup of java and a pastry to start their day, or unwinding after work with a snack and chardonnay.

Sonoma County Supervisor Shirlee Zane, a member of SMART’s board of directors, referenced the length of the journey for some passengers and her own experience riding the rails in Europe for why she believes food and beverage service is a necessity aboard SMART trains.

“I would hate to have a commuter get on in downtown Santa Rosa and get off in San Rafael and tell them they can’t have their cup of coffee and a muffin on board. It’s part of the train experience,” Zane said.

Mansourian noted that SMART’s riders will include tourists who are here to experience Wine Country.

“We’d love to be able to start that promotion right from our trains,” he said.

However, both he and Zane acknowledged the potential downsides of serving alcohol aboard the trains. Mansourian said alcohol sales, which in the beginning will be restricted to between 4 and 8 p.m., may need to be adjusted depending on how things go.

“We don’t want to turn this into the party train,” Zane said.

Mansourian said he anticipates that the concessionaire contract likely will be awarded to a single vendor, based on economies of scale.

“I don’t think business-wise they (vendors) can make money on one train,” he said.

After the first year, SMART will charge the concessionaire a fee equal to 10 percent of the total monthly gross sales. For example, in a month where total gross sales are $50,000, the concessionaire would pay SMART $5,000.

You can reach Staff Writer Derek Moore at 707-521-5336 or derek.moore@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @deadlinederek.