Amtrak Diner and Food Service Discussion

[Backshophoss]

Now that a proper step in the right direction for the NEC food wise,Boars Head is quality Deli Meats and Cheese!
That is what needs to be done for the Lake Shore Ltd,the Cardinal,and the "Silver Starvation"!

[ryanov]

It is not an improvement. I generally are that fairly good quinoa salad or a gardenburger on board. Both were eliminated. On my first trip with the new menu, I ordered that Asian type noodle bowl. Came cold and was actually frozen upon further inspection. We had it heated up but it warped the package. Was very bland besides.

[bostontrainguy]

Funny how they seem to have made a sincere effort to improve their food service on one hand but seriously destroyed it on another! Doesn't make sense.

P.S. $3.50 for a cup of coffee seems a bit high.

[Alco FA]

Attempted to sample the new cafe car menu while riding Train #88 on June 16. Unfortunately, after our OT departure from Philadelphia I was only able to get the 2nd to last bag of Chex Mix and a bottled water. The cafe car was sold out of everything else within two hours of our departure from Washington, DC.

[ryanov]

That's not really accurate. It's in the eye of the beholder whether the new cafe menu is an improvement, but comparing it to dining is an apples to oranges comparison anyway.

[Mackensen]

I'm aboard 29 (10) and just finished my first encounter with the new mode of service. My observations:

• The in-room menu is printed on fairly high quality recycled paper. There's some texture to it. The type is clear and easy on the eyes. It makes a good first impression.
• Your sleeping car attendant takes your order and sets the pickup time. You can have it brought to your room, or go to the sleeper lounge to pick it up. The time is still every half-hour, so that the lounge attendant knows what to have ready.
• The diner-lounge is now serving as the sleeper lounge, with the old cafe section (at least on this train) facing the sleepers. The cafe has moved back to the basement of the Sightseer Lounge.
• My meal was ready at the appointed time. It's served in a green cloth bag. Inside the bag is a card emphasizing the sustainability of this approach, a piece of paper with the nutrition facts for each portion of the meal, a standard Amtrak box holding your drink order, and a recycled balsa wood box containing the meal itself.
• The packaging is fairly straightforward, but it does take up space. It's the need to serve the drink with the meal that requires the bag. First Class on the Acela Express avoids this because of the at-seat service, but that's not scalable here. On the other hand, the bag leaves you free to go wherever, including disembarking if you're getting off soon (dinner is now a realistic option for Harpers Ferry passengers, for example).
• The process is fast. Food delivery is instantaneous, and once you're done you're done. I was finished with my meal within 30 minutes.
• The food itself is good. I had chicken caesar salad, orzo pasta salad, and salted caramel cheese cake. All fresh and tasty. No, it's not a steak, but it was a decent meal and filling. The cheese cake is among the best desserts I've ever had aboard an Amtrak train. I think the only one that beats it is the bourbon pecan pie I had on the Southwest Chief back in 2011.
• First drink is on the house. I don't drink anymore, but it's a reasonable list (save dropping Scotch for bourbon, that's inexcusable). The unlimited complimentary non-alcoholic drinks restores, and in some ways exceeds, the old in-sleeping car service we lost a couple years ago. That's very much appreciated.
• There's some obvious economies here. Just one attendant, instead of the three (?) who manned the traditional dining car. Passengers are in and out much faster. Tables don't need to be set and therefore don't need to be turned. Certain posters on this forum will be pleased to learn that there is no longer a table stacked up with silverware. Everything is run out of the cafe area in the middle of the car.

I didn't socialize with anyone during dinner, though I suppose I could have. I wasn't feeling it, and besides all the railfans just wanted to grumble about Anderson, change, and the Chief, which aren't topics I feel like rehashing in person. I found this experience perfectly satisfying. While a previous poster found fault the print matter (along with everything else), my takeaway is that some real thought went into this initiative, it's not just a downgrade. The onboard crew aren't happy about it (obviously, jobs are going away), and as others have observed aren't "selling" the change. That's understandable at a personal level but it's also unprofessional and poor customer service. From what conversations I overheard in the sleeper lounge other passengers were enjoying their meals.

I'm heading back on 30 (15) and will report back on whether the rumored "hot" option was added.

[gokeefe]

Excellent report. Thank you very much for sharing and for the care you took in providing a balanced view that clearly was merited. Sounds like an excellent meal.

I am intrigued by the labor savings. If true Amtrak may have found a way to "save" onboard dining by making an adjustment to table service. I will be very impressed if it works and results in meaningful cash savings.

[David Benton]

I'd be happy with that , but I doubt I'm your typical sleeper patron.
How busy did the attendant appear to be ? rushed off their feet , or coping well?
One idea I have mooted would be to have Business class also be eligible for lounge car use and meals. at a cost of course, but the one valid criticism I have seen is the lounge car feeling empty , or not having a "social" feel . this could remedy that , and bring in extra $$$.

[Matt Johnson]

More choices, including hot items, would certainly make it seem more palatable. The idea that the benchmark set by Acela first class meal service shouldn't be met for long distance sleeper service seems wrong to me. And VIA definitely demonstrates how to do adequate meal service without a full kitchen on the Ocean, as seen at the 1:37 mark here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WOHB-FLClFs" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Not that I think Amtrak should have to do away with a full kitchen when they have these new proper dining cars entering the fleet, but alas, I think Republicans are more interested in killing a few decent middle class wage union jobs than in improving the service in any meaningful way.

[mtuandrew]

Much as I love to hate on Republicans, the drive to cut well-paying jobs knows no political bounds for CEOs, nor is labor’s desire to maintain them a purely liberal/conservative issue.

I don’t like cutting union jobs. I do like good service and efficiency. It’s a trade-off, and I sincerely hope the bumped employees get good career positions elsewhere within NRPC or without.

[Mackensen]

I'd be happy with that , but I doubt I'm your typical sleeper patron.
How busy did the attendant appear to be ? rushed off their feet , or coping well?
One idea I have mooted would be to have Business class also be eligible for lounge car use and meals. at a cost of course, but the one valid criticism I have seen is the lounge car feeling empty , or not having a "social" feel . this could remedy that , and bring in extra $$$.

He was coping well. For dinner all the orders are known in advance and he has time to prepare them; in between that he's getting drinks for sleeper passengers. For breakfast, which is still first-come first-serve, he has you fill out a much smaller ticket with your car and room number and then takes your drink order. Everyone gets the same breakfast.

Regarding the breakfast, the packaging is the same as dinner. I sat in the sleeper lounge and avoided acquiring a second bag (sturdy bags are useful on a trip, but I don't need two). Breakfast is yogurt parfait, sliced fruit, banana pecan breakfast bread, blueberry muffin, kashi bar and kind bar. The yogurt was good. The muffin was fresh and moist, and probably enough breakfast for me on its own (500+ cal). The fruit was crisp. I saved the two bars for later and didn't try the breakfast bread. I gather Amtrak's reducing the portions and that's the right call. It's good, but it's too much.

There was a pleasant conversation between the various tables when I sat down. Usual topics--where people are going, grandchildren, difficulty of sleeping aboard train (I don't sleep well myself, never have). It's not as active as the dining car may have been in the past, but that could also have been a function of when I was there. I gravitate toward earlier meal times. I wouldn't be surprised if Amtrak starts offering these meals for sale, once they've determined an adequate price point.

[bostontrainguy]

I don’t like cutting union jobs. I do like good service and efficiency. It’s a trade-off, and I sincerely hope the bumped employees get good career positions elsewhere within NRPC or without.

I don't like to see people lose their jobs either. And I am still disappointed that the dining car experience has deteriorated to this.

But I honestly have to admit that almost every time I have taken Amtrak LD in the past, I asked myself why Amtrak diner employees hate their job. They were usually rather unpleasant and acted like you invaded their private space and were inconveniencing them.

On a trip to Tampa a few years ago my sleeping car attendant told me to demand my lunch because we were entitled to it after the dining crew said they would not be serving lunch before Tampa. I think the arrival was something like 12:35? They eventually reluctantly cooked us a couple of burgers before we disembarked. We were the only people in the dining car.

I do have to add that the Auto Train is an exception to the above. They have a much better passenger-friendly attitude there for some reason.

[Matt Johnson]

But I honestly have to admit that almost every time I have taken Amtrak LD in the past, I asked myself why Amtrak employees hate their job. They were usually rather unpleasant and acted like you invaded their private space and were inconveniencing them.

Over the last 5 years I've ridden aboard the Capitol Limited (3 one-way trips in total), Southwest Chief, Coast Starlight, Empire Builder, Texas Eagle, and Cardinal. For some reason, the Capitol Limited was the one train where I tended to get marginal/borderline rude employees, while for the most part the service was good on the other trains. Not enough anecdotal evidence to really draw any conclusion, but it was enough to make me remember.

Honestly, that new breakfast sounds awful. It sounds like something I might tolerate if I only had time to stop at a 7 Eleven and they were out of breakfast sandwiches, and I had to settle for some pre-packaged snacks, but I wouldn't particularly enjoy it.

[Mackensen]

But I honestly have to admit that almost every time I have taken Amtrak LD in the past, I asked myself why Amtrak employees hate their job. They were usually rather unpleasant and acted like you invaded their private space and were inconveniencing them.

Over the last 5 years I've ridden aboard the Capitol Limited (3 one-way trips in total), Southwest Chief, Coast Starlight, Empire Builder, Texas Eagle, and Cardinal. For some reason, the Capitol Limited was the one train where I tended to get marginal/borderline rude employees, while for the most part the service was good on the other trains. Not enough anecdotal evidence to really draw any conclusion, but it was enough to make me remember.

Honestly, that new breakfast sounds awful. It sounds like something I might tolerate if I only had time to stop at a 7 Eleven and they were out of breakfast sandwiches, and I had to settle for some pre-packaged snacks, but I wouldn't particularly enjoy it.

There seems to be a significant gap between the perception of breakfast and the people who have actually consumed it. For my part, I found it a step up on Amtrak's eggs, which were almost always a disappointment.

My experience on the Capitol Limited matches yours. Again, anecdotal, but I've made 1-2 round trips per year since 2009 and had highly variable experience with the on-board staff, whereas the Western trains service tended to be good. My few trips on the other East Coast LDs didn't really register one way or the other.

[ryanov]

I believe I had chilaquiles for my most recent Amtrak breakfast.

I don’t eat dessert for breakfast — I don’t much care how good it tastes.

What is in this amenity kit they speak of?