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  • Amtrak Diner and Food Service Discussion

  • Discussion related to Amtrak also known as the National Railroad Passenger Corp.
Discussion related to Amtrak also known as the National Railroad Passenger Corp.

Moderators: GirlOnTheTrain, mtuandrew, Tadman

 #1545193  by Pensyfan19
 
Westernstar1 wrote: Wed Jun 10, 2020 4:50 pm A recent article from Business Insider:

https://is.gd/FgZLBi

Amtrak claims 80% of its passengers are happy with flexible dining.

WS (Richard)
DARN IT!!! YOU BEAT ME TO THE PUNCH!!! I was just about to use the exact same article. :P

But then again, who can blame them?
 #1545196  by SouthernRailway
 
The 80% approval seems to be customers’ ratings of their entire experiences on trains that also happen to offer Flexible Dining. The 80% rating isn’t an approval of Flexible Dining specifically.

Thank you for misleading information, Amtrak.
 #1545241  by SouthernRailway
 
bostontrainguy wrote: Thu Jun 11, 2020 8:01 am So people really hate it but 80% of riders like it? Huh?
80% of riders are satisfied with the overall train trip. I think that includes coach passengers.

Based on ridership figures I'm seeing, maybe 5-10% of passengers on LD trains these days are sleeping car passengers.

So if 50% of sleeping car passengers despise Flexible Dining, resulting in 50% of them disliking Amtrak, the effect on overall customer satisfaction is just a few percentage points and as low as a little over 1%.
 #1545250  by Westernstar1
 
Pensyfan19 wrote: Wed Jun 10, 2020 6:40 pm
Westernstar1 wrote: Wed Jun 10, 2020 4:50 pm A recent article from Business Insider:

https://is.gd/FgZLBi

Amtrak claims 80% of its passengers are happy with flexible dining.

WS (Richard)
DARN IT!!! YOU BEAT ME TO THE PUNCH!!! I was just about to use the exact same article. :P

But then again, who can blame them?
***********************************************
Sorry to have beaten you to the punch, Mr. Pensyfan 19 :wink: The article popped up on my "Yahoo News" home page. Yahoo knows I like news pertaining to trains and railroads and it frequently lists such news. It's about the only thing positive I can say about Yahoo News.

Going back to the article, I thought this quote interesting: "Your attendants seemed actually embarrassed [sic] to serve this stuff."

WS (Richard)
 #1545457  by SouthernRailway
 
Why not take the Viewliner diners and make them into true “first class lounges”?

* Remove some of the tables and add comfortable seats and small tables instead so that people can sit, stretch out and relax

* Improve the snack/drink menu

It would be nice to be able to take a break from my sleeping car room and go into a nice lounge, grab a cocktail and relax and maybe meet other travelers, instead of sitting around a restaurant-style table with limited food/drink choices.
 #1545461  by gokeefe
 
It's not a bad idea it just hasn't had any support from the recent leadership at Amtrak. Personally my bias would be to not make any modifications at all to these brand new cars. Allow both uses (dining and first class lounge) but don't spend money modifying them.

As always it *never* hurts to write Amtrak and let them know your thoughts, for those who missed the earlier post here's the email address again: [email protected].

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 #1545464  by Gilbert B Norman
 
Agree, Mr. Trainguy

I realize we are on "opposite poles" regarding LD's; you still getting enjoyment from riding, and I "not too concerned" if I have had my last ride on such (not saying "never again"; just "not going out of my way").

But whatever happens to this TRAIN Act in the 117th Congress and with whoever is sixteen blocks to the West, food service is in complete limbo. No sooner does Amtrak choose to move ahead with a conversion of the Viewliner-D's to a configuration reflecting "contemporary" service, the edict/mandate comes down for "traditional" food service.

Amtrak already parted company with $17m from such nonsense during the Bush43 Administration, when the Simplified Dining (Diner Lite in railfanese) initiative was unveiled. Seventeen 380XX Diners were converted to a Diner-Lounge configuration - at an $M a copy. Funny though, the Lounge was never used as such on the trains to which assigned, as a 330XX Sightseer Lounge continued assigned to such. Even though four of these cars were recently assigned to the Auto Train for it's "Limited" Coach F&B, six cover 21-22 and 58-59. Seven sit around as, well, "protects".

Oh the foibles Amtrak must live through. :( :(
 #1545467  by gokeefe
 
Indeed and yet they have still managed to get closer to sustainability than any other operator has in a very long time.

Sent from my Pixel 2 XL using Tapatalk

 #1545489  by SouthernRailway
 
Thanks, everyone.

I wrote Amtrak Customer Service, with what I thought was a very polite and respectful and to-the-point email about Flexible Dining breakfasts, with a few suggestions, and mentioning that I commute regularly on the Crescent and have elite status in Amtrak Guest Rewards.

No response from Amtrak.
 #1545527  by Tadman
 
Here's an interesting facet of the British model: when you have two subsidized private operators on the same route, often the amenities determine who the passenger chooses. This could include food. Last time I was in Britain, I can think of three times I chose a train over another due at least in part to food. From Crewe to London I could take LNWR's bare bones MU or VT's Pendolino with cafe car. From London to Inverness and return I chose Caledonian Sleeper over Highland Chieftan (LNER) due to the breakfast on the sleeper (and the sleep aspect). From London to north Wales I chose the "Gerald of Wales" over a VT option due to the full diner and on-board chef.

Perhaps on routes here with duplicate services we could see some innovations where the food gets better and draws passengers. Imagine if the Star and Meteor were run by competing franchises, what would they do different for food? If there were two Keystone or Albany franchises, would one introduce food? Perhaps on one or both trains the cafe car would see a extra fee to sit at a table or be eliminated in favor of a cart and/or ordering hot meals online that are made in the baggage car or delivered at stations en-route by commissary?

Post script, I kind of regret not taking the Highland Chieftan as it was in the waning days of LNER HST service. I rode the sleeper in order to use the MkIII sleepers in their last days, indeed they were 6 months late for retirement, but the HST is a really great train. It was only intended to be a stopgap equipment until full electrification of the main lines to Scotland but operated 45 years on mainlines and is still in use in Scotland and the secondary services. Since that August 2020 trip, the MkIII's have been retired from the Chieftan, the Sleeper, and are about to be retired from the Gerald in favor of used MkIV LNER stock.

And for what it's worth, this is dining on Britain's premier long distance train right before the 1968-era MkII diner was replaced. There are usually 2-3 lounge hybrid cars of four couches and perhaps 6-8 tables for 2ish.
Image

This is the sole lounge/diner on the Night Riviera - a food/drink bar with quite a few four-seat tables. This is a very-recently refreshed 1975-era MkIII.
Image

And finally the Gerald of Wales first class, which is a full MkIII diner where patrons keep their seat all night. The big overstuffed chairs are a delight.
Image
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