Better food on non-LD trains - is it doable?

Closed from Syracuse to Albany???? I've eaten dinner in the dining car on the LSL between Albany and Syracuse! That's a hella long time to be closed. Maybe some provision in the next agreement that rewards and/or punishes cafe attendants based on sales figures is in order. I realize the outsourced cafe operation on the Downeaster is a different animal, but I'm sure that attendants who consistently don't meet anticipated sales figures on their trains don't stick around long.

Sometimes I think North Carolina got it right with all the horror stories I read here, fire the cafe attendant and install vending machines instead.

That little bar area upstairs in the supeliner lounges could house a coffee machine , and a can dispenser nicely , i would have thought . Probably save 1/2 the trips down the stairs , and be open 24/7.

David Benton wrote: ↑Mon Sep 20, 2021 11:31 pm That little bar area upstairs in the supeliner lounges could house a coffee machine , and a can dispenser nicely , i would have thought . Probably save 1/2 the trips down the stairs , and be open 24/7.

Small upstairs automat, maybe? Have passengers nuke their own Flex Meal...

Nah, have the machine do it for you like in Singapore.

Have you seen what someone can do in the office microwave with a bag of popcorn?

There's no chance Amtrak will ever allow passengers to operate a microwave on-board.

Greg Moore wrote: ↑Tue Sep 21, 2021 6:22 pm Have you seen what someone can do in the office microwave with a bag of popcorn?

There's no chance Amtrak will ever allow passengers to operate a microwave on-board.

And thus why I linked to the "Chef in a Box" video off of the Dancing Bacons channel.

Greg Moore wrote: ↑Tue Sep 21, 2021 6:22 pm Have you seen what someone can do in the office microwave with a bag of popcorn?

There's no chance Amtrak will ever allow passengers to operate a microwave on-board.

Popcorn has nothing on a piece of fish that cleared the entire Albany station a few years ago. So bad it stank for days. Wouldn't worry about Amtrak, the FDA wouldn't allow passengers nuking their own food.

Railjunkie wrote: ↑Tue Sep 21, 2021 11:14 pm Popcorn has nothing on a piece of fish that cleared the entire Albany station a few years ago. So bad it stank for days. Wouldn't worry about Amtrak, the FDA wouldn't allow passengers nuking their own food.

...aaaand another reason why I linked to that "Chef in a Box" video. We have ways to automate heating up meals to get around those issues. Presentation is going to suck, though...

Weird thought, though. Amtrak allows food to be brought on board. Why not have these "Chef in a Box" systems at (most) every station?

Yes, you can bring food on board to eat at your seat. However you are not allowed to use the cafe the car or its facilities. Microwave convection oven coolers are off limits. Technically your not allowed to sit down with any store bought food items in the cafe. Period.

Who'd want there to be decent, edible food on Amtrak?

I get the microwave issue because too many idiots would do all sorts of damage. But for some trains on or near platform carry on meals in a box could make sense. But it would be a problem at NYP - you'd get swarmed by derelicts trying to beg money or steal your food, unless the area was secure.

photobug56 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 22, 2021 7:36 pm Who'd want there to be decent, edible food on Amtrak?

I get the microwave issue because too many idiots would do all sorts of damage. But for some trains on or near platform carry on meals in a box could make sense. But it would be a problem at NYP - you'd get swarmed by derelicts trying to beg money or steal your food, unless the area was secure.

I'm thinking more at the LD stations, where it's not much of an issue. NYP, PHL, WAS, CHI... you got malls for a station. In places where it doesn't make sense to have a restaurant but the load is roughly there? Maybe a small "Chef in a Box" will do.

Hire Taco Bell to run up and down aisles with a taco cart!!! ROTFL

I'm not saying what happens when I eat TB, but imagine a train full of TB eaters!

photobug56 wrote: ↑Thu Sep 23, 2021 12:21 pm I'm not saying what happens when I eat TB, but imagine a train full of TB eaters!

I hear the screams of many trains, gasping for air, as the circulation systems fail under extreme load while barreling down the track... the wails of sirens heading to the next train station... the delays announced as train after train is forced to dump their sewage tanks after every run...

I am glad PHL's in station Taco Bell is hidden by other much better food vendors. Imagine the daily horror that would entail if it were any closer to the track gates!

I like a bit of TB now and then, but NEVER in a car, train or plane! Just the in car (secondary) smell!