Douglas Railway Station - Catering

Catering

In the past the railway boasted its own tea rooms and bar, located in the ground floor of the administrative block which stands next to the station building itself. This building now houses the island's Custom House and no longer houses any railway staff. In later years following the nationalisation of the railway a basic cafe was provided in the booking hall and this was also home to the station shop which was operated by the volunteers of the Isle of Man Steam Railway Supporters' Association. When the interior of the booking hall was extensively redeveloped in 1991 (for which it won a prestigious Ian Allen Heritage Award for best preserved station in the British Isles) a mezzanine floor was added and a catering establishment known as Greens took up residence; this enterprise quickly establishing itself as the island's only dedicated vegetarian restaurant. In December 2010 it was announced that there would be new tenants be taking over the facility and by January 2011 it was announced that the facility was to rebranded as The Tickethall and following basic refurbishment it was opened that month. The new premises similarly cater for the vegetarian market at the same time as offering a number of fish dishes and breakfast items. They also work in conjunction with the railway's regular special events providing the catering for many of these throughout the year. The company that runs the facility also operates a similar restaurant and grill in the upper part of the town known as The Mailbox which is located in the former premises of the Isle of Man Post Office.