electricron wrote:mtuandrew wrote:Ron: depends, do you want hot prepared food or is cold shelf-stable food okay? New York State might have a different response for NYP-ALB than North Carolina does for RGH-CLT or Michigan does for CHI-PON. I’m suggesting hot food with one attendant, or two if you have someone running a coffee shop (in lieu of a standard cafe) as well.
And what I am replying is why can't your one attendant cook the food as well as serve it in your cafe style cafe? If the attendant can cook the food, why load freshly prepared semi-warm meals from vendors aboard at every meal?
Ever ate a pizza at the restaurant? It comes to the table pipping hot, but by the time you get to the last piece it is cold. Total elapse time from pipping hot to cold as ice being less than 30 minutes. Please do not suggest any preprepared meals leaving the restaurant pipping hot...
Based on the above info, the banquet industry is doomed. But they've realized this, and they have heated trucks, thermal storage containers, etc... ensuring that food at weddings in the country or catered lunches in large conference halls are the proper temperature. This is because caterers are in the business of supply a large quantity of narrow menu choices, hot, to the destination of your choice. A restaurant, in comparison, is in the business of supplying a wide variety of menu choices one at a time to your table, 20' from the kitchen.
Back to the Wolverine, I suggested Kalamazoo and Dearborn for a reason. There are two sizeable universities in Kalamazoo, and Ford headquarters in Dearborn. Each probably supports a large internal commissary and probably 3-4 independent businesses in the metro area in order to host conferences, symposiums, weddings, banquets, etc... Given the modern technology we call "the internet", the customers can order their meal anywhere up to 4 hours before meal time. The caterer makes 120% of requirements and has them ready at the kitchen 30 minutes before the train is scheduled. Because trains can be tracked via internet now, they can leave with a heated truck about 20 minutes before actual arrival time to meet the train.
Ron, we can load you a nice hot pizza in Kalamazoo. Or perhaps Fort Worth some day, but I'd prefer Tacoheads if I were in town. You ever try that spot?
The new Acela: It's not Aveliable.