Amtrak Diner and Food Service Discussion

If Amtrak were cashless on board, would the cafe cars stay open longer? They close so early--the last trip I took on the Acela, the cafe car closed 20 minutes before arriving at NY Penn. Maybe keeping them open longer would help increase revenues.

I'd be curious as to the percentage of Amtrak tickets are paid for in cash. So many stations are now unstaffed that I'd think that would reduce cash sales of tickets, which can't be bought at a station now unless there is a kiosk.

It's really only certain parts of the country but Amtrak is a varied system. A functional point if sales system on trains not named acela might help but most food losses are on services with diners. Routes with one or no dinner service will perform poorly with a diner

Random off-topic thoughts, but still topic related

On the one week trip to Atlanta that I returned from yesterday, I spent $90 in cash. Of that, $75 was for tips. It will be a happy day for me when at hotels, you could place tips to Housekeepers and Valets directly on your bill as that would have been $65 less I would have needed.

Within the Corridors, especially the NEC, Amtrak has ceded the "bottom feeding" business to busses and jitneys (either may or may not be licensed). It likely would be reasonable to expect that clientele to know a currency exchange better than they do a bank.

Q: can one even buy an airline ticket for cash anymore?

I can recall a few years ago going to a seminar in Vegas. I was standing in line to check out of the hotel when ahead of me is this guy with a multi-paged bill paying it in cash!!! Now let it be known that guy was not breaking any law I know of using cash (if > $10K, the hotel is required to file Form 8300 with the IRS), but it sure looked as if he was hiding "something from somebody". Just one of many reasons I consider cash "simister".

SouthernRailway wrote:My regular 600-mile commute on American Airlines is often $129 more in first class than coach (less than 2x the coach fare). I have paid the same for a 1300-mile trip (or sometimes $100 more) in first class as a coach ticket would have cost on the same flight. The bigger differences between first class and coach are on international trips.

But to your other point recently made, the food, if any, in 1st on a 600 mile flight is pre-made, not separately staffed and seated. While(some) airline food is getting fancier, the galley is "reheat" & there's no cook. The $129 premium goes a lot farther in domestic F given a seat only about 2x as big and a meal that's pre-made. There'd be a business case for all kinds of free meals if they were airline style heat-and-distribute and eat-at-your-seat.

SouthernRailway wrote:Can't Amtrak allocate revenues from sleeping car tickets to food service--meaning that if Amtrak spends $x per year on food service for sleeping car passengers, it can allocate $x from sleeping car revenues to the food service column and make food services losses attributable to sleeping car passengers disappear? If that's the case, I don't see why a "cold food only" policy is required; surely Amtrak could allocate a bit more from sleeping car tickets to food service and have hot meals.

Amtrak apparently does allocate sleeper (and Acela First Class) revenues to F&B.

FY2017 ticket revenues (including F&B included in ticket price): $2,244.1 million (page 6 of the Management Discussion and Analysis)
FY2017 ticket revenues: $2,180.8 million (page 16)

Which suggests that $63.3 million in FY2017 was First Class F&B allocation (which is about half of total F&B revenue). They don't break out a total number of First Class passengers, so it's hard to get what that number is per First Class passenger. The ticket-to-F&B allocation decreased by about $3 million, while total F&B revenue increased by $7 million (a greater percentage increase than ticket revenue).

However, trying to make the dining cars look better by increasing the allocation of sleeping car tickets to F&B, absent an increase in sleeper prices, implies making the sleepers look like more of a money-loser. One runs the danger, in trying to save diners, of getting rid of sleepers.

Have all the new Viewliner diner cars been delivered? I read somewhere that CAF was starting on new baggage-dorm cars, so does that mean diners are complete? Have any of the new diners entered service, or are they all sitting in Hialeah?

-otto-

No, at least some number of them are in service, including 8400 last I heard.

Hi everyone, I'm a journalism graduate student at CUNY in midtown Manhattan. I'm putting together an audio piece about the Viewliner IIs, with more of a focus on the diners. I was hoping to find some people who would be willing to give a quick phone interview, whether it be expert analysis or some very colorful opinions and experiences.

I took the Silver Meteor to and from Florida last February, so I had the pleasure of trying out a new diner. Will have to go back to my notes to see which one it was. Taken Amtrak long distance before but never dined, so I never experienced the Heritage units. I also did an audio piece about last fall's Autumn Express. So much fun and was amazing interviewing old rail buffs and train lovers, so when I was en route to Florida, I figured why not do another one, especially because I've kept my eye on these developments. A couple years ago, I thought maybe I would be fortunate enough to get a new diner in time for a long distance trip...

So that's the basic idea. Also wanted to say how helpful these forums can be in understanding some of the things that are going on, both as a journalist and avid mass transit user. Always much appreciated. Anyway, hope I get the chance to speak with some of you. Oh, and I also took a bunch of 360 degree spherical photos inside the dining car and can share those, if anyone wants to see them. Thanks everyone!

Vegan anyone? A little diversion from the Diner fate discussion: OneGreenPlanet.org

Pretty clear given the source they're in favor What's next, Gluten free?

Amtrak Adds New Vegan Option To Its Menu

Amtrak has added a new vegan option for overnight riders in sleeping cars.

In addition to its previously available vegan options, Amtrak is adding a vegan wrap to its menu for sleeping car routes.

While Amtrak’s vegan options can vary depending on where you’re going or the length of your trip, the new menu item joins options including a Black Bean & Corn Veggie Burger, Pad Thai, Black Bean-Vegetable Enchiladas, Chinese Rice Noodles, Vegetable Lasagna, and snack of Sabra Hummus with Pretzel Crisps, according to The Green Plate.

“Vegan meals are available on the regular menu for Long Distance trains and do not require advance notice,” says Amtrak on its website.

Yeah, jeez, the very thought of catering to people who have allergies. We’ll be communist by the end of the year at this rate.

I’d like to know where they got that list. It’s certainly longer than Amtrak’s.

Arlington wrote:

SouthernRailway wrote:My regular 600-mile commute on American Airlines is often $129 more in first class than coach (less than 2x the coach fare). I have paid the same for a 1300-mile trip (or sometimes $100 more) in first class as a coach ticket would have cost on the same flight. The bigger differences between first class and coach are on international trips.

But to your other point recently made, the food, if any, in 1st on a 600 mile flight is pre-made, not separately staffed and seated. While(some) airline food is getting fancier, the galley is "reheat" & there's no cook. The $129 premium goes a lot farther in domestic F given a seat only about 2x as big and a meal that's pre-made. There'd be a business case for all kinds of free meals if they were airline style heat-and-distribute and eat-at-your-seat.

I’ve stated over and over and over and over and over that I’m totally fine with pre-made meals being served onboard to sleeping car passengers instead of having things made from scratch. My issue with the most recent change is that all food served to sleeping car passengers will be cold. At least Amtrak should have an airline-style oven to heat up the pre-made meals.

Arlington, you’re so anti- sleeping car that you just say anti- sleeping and anti- dining car things no matter what the facts and topic of conversation are. You lose credibility that way.

We just need to get a few government agencies together and make Amtrak better.

1 - Get the US Post Office to ship mail by rail as much as possible - over $100M income potential.

2 - Get the Military to supply MREs to Amtrak and give them to Sleeping Car passengers. They heat themselves up and even toilet paper is included! Fresh hot meals and the reviews are even good!

https://www.amazon.com/ULTIMATE-Inspect ... N6GYF9GNEQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Awesome idea! I've used them for years for camping.

Can't believe that Amtrak is actually proudly touting this as a great improvement:

New Onboard Experience Options: Starting in June, Amtrak will offer contemporary and fresh dining choices and amenities for sleeping car customers on the Capitol Limited and Lake Shore Limited.

This is pretty hard to swallow (pun intended)!

Ayup, I got a response to my complaint about this and was given some platitude about "improving the customer experience."

I pointed out that for example, with my son attending Buffalo in the fall, the LSL was an ideal way to go back and forth, but since the coach passengers will no longer have a diner, I'm less likely to travel via the LSL now.

I've also written my NY Senators.

I recommend others do the same if they feel strongly.