I have to strongly agree with the comment upthread that VX was the modern example of "a carrier with a domestic F service that was a cut above". It didn't work at a financial level, and honestly when flying VX I constantly wondered how much extra I was paying for that 55" pitch which, while nice, was kind of overkill.

If I were running an airline though, I think there is ample room to try to differentiate with an extra $5-10 or so per seat-flight to improve catering. These cuts, like the Snacking discussed in this thread, just seem so remarkably short-sighted because the cost savings are immediate and any reputational impact will take years to accumulate.