Amtrak Diner and Food Service Discussion

Did Amtrak renegotiate labor agreements so the cafe opens along the Hudson after departing NYP?

jonnhrr wrote: ↑Thu Jul 22, 2021 12:03 pm One issue you have with the LSL is the split at Albany. Currently the diner runs to/from NYC and the
cafe to/from Boston. If you go to one food service car and say run it to NY you have no way to
provide food to sleeper passengers on 448/449.

Similar situation on Builder, with diner to Seattle and lounge on the Portland branch.

The descriptions I've hear about the cold boxed meals offered to Portland passengers sounded alot better than Flex meals.

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Alphaboi wrote: ↑Thu Jul 22, 2021 6:53 pm The descriptions I've hear about the cold boxed meals offered to Portland passengers sounded alot better than Flex meals.

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You can get still hot food from the cafe in the lounge; the boxed meals as I recall were for sleeper passengers but were warmed up.

This came across Google News: Review: Amtrak reinvents ‘traditional’ dining car meals

ABOARD THE SOUTHWEST CHIEF — A month after Amtrak revamped dining-car menus on the five long-distance trains that serve the West Coast — replacing pre-packaged meals in a bowl with freshly-prepared breakfasts, lunches, and dinners — it’s clear the company is aiming for a higher standard than what it previously offered.

“I was really surprised,” observes Chef Frank Villasenor, who, with Food Specialist Brian Garrigues, is manning the Southwest Chief’s kitchen, on the lower level of the Superliner dining car, out of Chicago on July 22. “This is a step above where I thought we would go, especially with the direction we were going.”

...But he did see how airline-accustomed management’s cost cutting took its toll on the Coast Starlight when the train lost its “Pacific Parlour Car” for sleeping-car passengers. Several years ago, there was also a directive removing all but the most basic spices from dining car kitchens, further tamping down chef creativity in favor of standardization.

Now he leads one of dozens of crews working the Chief, Starlight, Empire Builder, California Zephyr, and Sunset Limited, implementing a menu that brings back restaurant-style meals and service after a year’s absence resulting from COVID-19 health concerns.

It’s indeed very good. I certainly gained some pounds after my Chief trip home back in late June did not miss a single meal offered. And the first beverage free thing definitely does get you in the mood to have another.

Word on the street is that Amtrak will be trialing additional passenger access to the diner on the western trains in October. The trial will be with business class passengers on the Coast Starlight.

lordsigma12345 wrote: ↑Wed Sep 22, 2021 1:21 pm Word on the street is that Amtrak will be trialing additional passenger access to the diner on the western trains in October. The trial will be with business class passengers on the Coast Starlight.

They should never have removed dining from any of the routes. Overnight trains = hotel room + dinner + breakfast + transportation. Of course this comes from someone who doesn't fly. (Had too many negative experiences on aerial things, fixed and rotary wing.)
I personally prefer the Autotrain has the best dining, even though it was better 20 years ago. If profit is the problem, raise the prices. Most of us will pay it the quality is there.

Agreed re airlines, especially US based. Plus the Tough Sh-t A---oles. BA, Lufthansa, far superior. Flew Delta in 1C some years ago - reminded me of flying on Egypt Air except that EA's planes were in better condition.

Long time since I ate in an Amtrak diner car, but loved every bit of it back then. The cafe cars make MCD Express look and taste like gourmet outlets with amazing service (IOTW the cafe cars I used on Acela were beyond awful).

Hasn't 448/449 run with the cafe and less food service for sleeping car passengers for quite a while now?

448/449 has a split cafe/business car. On 449 sleeping car passengers boarding from Boston to Springfield are offered a complementary lunch from the cafe car. On 48/49 south of Albany there is no food for coach passengers - the new york section has a viewliner 2 dining car which only serves flexible dining to sleeper passengers. West of Albany the viewliner diner serves flex dining to all sleeper passengers and the spit cafe/business serves all coach passengers.

lordsigma12345 wrote: ↑Thu Sep 23, 2021 9:00 am 448/449 has a split cafe/business car. On 449 sleeping car passengers boarding from Boston to Springfield are offered a complementary lunch from the cafe car. On 48/49 south of Albany there is no food for coach passengers - the new york section has a viewliner 2 dining car which only serves flexible dining to sleeper passengers. West of Albany the viewliner diner serves flex dining to all sleeper passengers and the spit cafe/business serves all coach passengers.

Before New Englander’s cry out why just us, a very similar things occurs with Superliners on the Empire Builder west of Spokane, with the dining car and sightseer lounge-cafe car splitting between the sections of the trains heading to or coming from the west.

Amtrak has posted more OBS positions for Bos, NYC, WASH, & CHI earlier this week.

At a recent RPA meeting Mr. Harris of Amtrak mentioned they are working with a new food vendor to make changes to the meal setup on the trains currently utilizing flexible dining. This same vendor was used for the new Acela first class meals.

That sounds encouraging.

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