# List of meals served on all LD trains



## RTE_TrainGuy (Feb 20, 2014)

I thought it would be a good idea to have a list of what meals are served on long distance trains, as this seems to be a popular question. As I don't have the answers to most of these, I am hoping to merge the combined experience of members into a hopefully helpful guide. I will do my best to update this post as content is added. If this can be turned into a wiki thread, that might make more sense.

I think it makes sense to have this list ony be for meals served assuming you are taking the train end-to-end, and that the train is on time. I am sure that collectively we have been on all of these routes, so please only post if you are sure of the answer

To add to this list, please post:

- train

- direction

- meals served

Auto Train

California Zephyr

- 5 Westbound: Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch

Capitol Limited

- 29 Westbound: Dinner, Breakfast

- 30 Eastbound: Dinner, Brunch

Cardinal

- 51 Westbound: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast

City of New Orleans

Coast Starlight

- 11 Southbound: Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

- 14 Northbound: Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Crescent

- 19 Southbound: Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (abbrev.)

- 20 Northbound: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch

Empire Builder

- 7 Westbound: Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast

- 8 Eastbound: Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch

Lake Shore Limited

Silver Meteor

- 98 Northbound: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast

Silver Star

Southwest Chief

- 3 Westbound: Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast (abbrev.)

- 4 Eastbound: Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch

Sunset Limited

Texas Eagle

Please feel free to offer suggestions or comments.


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## AmtrakBlue (Feb 20, 2014)

Capital Limited (29) - Westbound - Dinner / Breakfast

Capital Limited (30) - Eastbound - Dinner / Brunch (Breakfast and short time for lunch)

California Zephyr (5) - Westbound - Dinner / Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner (to SLC) and I assume Breakfast & Lunch between SLC and EMY.

Cardinal (51) - Westbound - Breakfast / Lunch / Dinner / Breakfast


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## OlympianHiawatha (Feb 20, 2014)

This can be quickly researched by simply going to the Amtrak site, pulling up the individual routes and studying the Menus there. They are also all batched under Meals and Dining in the Riders Guide.


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## CHamilton (Feb 20, 2014)

Coast Starlight. Since southbound train 11 and northbound train 14 both leave their origins mid-morning and arrive at their destination ca. 36 hours later, both trains have similar meal schedules.

Day 1: Lunch, Dinner

Day 2: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner


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## SarahZ (Feb 20, 2014)

Southwest Chief (3) Westbound - Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast (abbreviated, usually from 5:30/6:00 - 7:00).

Southwest Chief (4) Eastbound - Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch


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## TVRM610 (Feb 20, 2014)

OlympianHiawatha said:


> This can be quickly researched by simply going to the Amtrak site, pulling up the individual routes and studying the Menus there. They are also all batched under Meals and Dining in the Riders Guide.


The OP was not asking about the menus... rather what meals are served on what trains. For example.. the City of New Orleans does not serve Lunch departing New Orleans.. even though it departs during "lunch time" (theoretically the train could board early for sleeping car passengers to enjoy lunch before and during departure the same way the City serves a quick dinner departing Chicago Southbound).

It's a pretty legit question.


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## TVRM610 (Feb 20, 2014)

Silver Meteor NB serves full Breakfast shortly after departing Miami.

Miami - NYP is Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner - Breakfast

Crescent NB serves full Breakfast shortly departing New Orleans.

NOL - NYP - is Breakfast - Lunch - Dinner - Breakfast - Lunch

Crescent SB

NYP - NOL - Dinner (1 early seating before DC at 4:30 I think?) - Breakfast - Lunch - Abbreviated Dinner before arrival in NOL.


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## EB_OBS (Feb 20, 2014)

EB #8, Dinner, Brkfst, Lunch, Dinner, Brkfst & Lunch

EB #7, Dinner, Brkfst, Lunch, Dinner, Brkfst


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## the_traveler (Feb 20, 2014)

To make it easier, the normal hours for meals are

Breakfast - 6:30-9 am

Lunch - 11:30 am to 2 or 3 pm

Dinner - 5 or 5:30 until last seating usually 8 or 9 pm

If you are on the train at these times, meals are served.


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## D.P. Roberts (Feb 20, 2014)

the_traveler said:


> To make it easier, the normal hours for meals are
> 
> Breakfast - 6:30-9 am
> 
> ...


I was thinking the same thing - considering that most people don't ride endpoint to endpoint, and that delays of several hours can greatly impact a train's meal schedule, knowing the meal times is far more useful.

I'd add one caveat to that (especially since there are several threads going about dining times)- most trains only serve a meal _when the train is scheduled to travel during the entire meal period_. So, if lunch is generally from 11:30 am to 2:00 pm, you're generally not going to get lunch on a train that either arrives or departs at noon.


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## SarahZ (Feb 20, 2014)

D.P. Roberts said:


> I'd add one caveat to that (especially since there are several threads going about dining times)- most trains only serve a meal _when the train is scheduled to travel during the entire meal period_. So, if lunch is generally from 11:30 am to 2:00 pm, you're generally not going to get lunch on a train that either arrives or departs at noon.


Yes. I think this is where most new travelers get confused. When I rode the TE a couple of months ago, a lady was very upset that they weren't serving lunch out of Chicago. She hadn't eaten in anticipation of eating on the train and didn't want to "waste" money on the cafe car, so she was quite hungry by the time dinner came.


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## SubwayNut (Feb 20, 2014)

That's is the issue, something like the first meal served will be...and last meal served is like the No Dinner Service departing Chicago note in the Lake Shore's timetable would be useful.

All I can think of is in the signs on the convenience store in the Emeryville Station saying "By Breakfast Here" the first meal served on the Zephyr is lunch. The train does depart at 9:10am, just after the 6:00 to 9:00am window. It's less than an hour after the Meteor that departs at 9:10.

Finally the dinner time arrivals, City of New Orleans is at 7:32pm that I know (from reading this forum has a dinner service) vs. the New York half of the Lake Shore at 6:35pm, still less than an hour different.

The Star arrives at 6:05pm into Miami the Meteor at 6:55pm, do either of these get meal service? (I assume the answer is no for both trains, I haven't ridden these)


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## Nathanael (Feb 20, 2014)

LSL 448 to Boston eastbound: Breakfast, Lunch, Boxed Dinner

LSL 48 to New York eastbound: Breakfast, Lunch, NO DINNER and the Cafe Car closes at Albany. This is an undesirable and unpleasant exception to Amtrak's usual meal hours.

Anyone know the full meal list for the LSL westbound for sure? For various reasons I've never started my trip far enough east to know.


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## Nathanael (Feb 20, 2014)

D.P. Roberts said:


> the_traveler said:
> 
> 
> > To make it easier, the normal hours for meals are
> ...


I think a list of the standard meals offered is actually necessary in addition to the "standard hours", due to things like trains scheduled to arrive halfway through dinner or breakfast hours -- some serve, some don't. The situation where the cafe closes at Albany is a particularly nasty "gotcha" on the LSL.


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## Nathanael (Feb 20, 2014)

Hmm, I can help a little more.

California Zephyr eastbound: Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch.

(Yes, last I checked they served lunch entering Chicago. On early arrival it can get truncated, but it's still a "full" lunch rather than an abbreviated one, since I guess early arrival is uncommon.)

Also worth noting: the CZ is serving breakfast westbound and dinner eastbound *during* the Denver station stop, but you will probably be unable to get either if you're getting on the train at Denver. Passengers getting on in Denver are all served *after* all passengers who were already on the train, so it's quite easy to find that all the late sittings are already taken if you're getting on at Denver.

Also worth noting: most cafe cars close half an hour to an hour before arrival at the terminating station, with the eastbound LSL's early cafe car closure being an unpleasant exception.


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## Ryan (Feb 20, 2014)

Nathanael said:


> LSL 448 to Boston eastbound: Breakfast, Lunch, Boxed Dinner
> 
> LSL 48 to New York eastbound: Breakfast, Lunch, NO DINNER and the Cafe Car closes at Albany. This is an undesirable and unpleasant exception to Amtrak's usual meal hours.
> 
> Anyone know the full meal list for the LSL westbound for sure? For various reasons I've never started my trip far enough east to know.


Dinner is served out of NYP. You get breakfast before arriving in CHI, but you're in before lunch (assuming you're on time).


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## Nathanael (Feb 20, 2014)

RyanS said:


> Nathanael said:
> 
> 
> > LSL 448 to Boston eastbound: Breakfast, Lunch, Boxed Dinner
> ...


Thanks. Anyone know the scheme out of Boston? I think it's a boxed dinner (no lunch), but I'm not sure since I haven't done it...


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## Nathanael (Feb 20, 2014)

From this thread: http://discuss.amtraktrains.com/index.php?/topic/58774-sleeping-car-and-meals/

we find the information CONO #58 Northbound Dinner, Breakfast (abbreviated)

We should be able to get the full list before the end of the day at this rate...


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## guest (Feb 20, 2014)

Is there any logical reason that Amtrak does not include this information on their published schedules?


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## PRR 60 (Feb 20, 2014)

guest said:


> Is there any logical reason that Amtrak does not include this information on their published schedules?


No.


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## RTE_TrainGuy (Feb 20, 2014)

Hmm, looks like I can't update my OP any more times. Anyone know a fix?


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## Nathanael (Feb 20, 2014)

guest said:


> Is there any logical reason that Amtrak does not include this information on their published schedules?


If I were to be cynical, I would suggest that the people preparing the published schedules do not actually have this information. Large organizations often have a "left hand doesn't know what the right hand is doing" problem.


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## J-1 3235 (Feb 20, 2014)

Lunch is served on the westbound Lake Shore from Boston. Dinner for the passengers on 449 is served after departing from Albany.


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## D.P. Roberts (Feb 20, 2014)

Well, Amtrak does have this on the LSL schedule:

"Dining: Full meal service between New York and Chicago. Not available between Albany and Boston; Sleeping car passengers will receive complimentary hot Lounge car meal service.

Lounge: Sandwiches, snacks and beverages. (Note—Combined Diner/ Lounge provides food and beverage service between New York and Albany)."

Does that not cover it?


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## chakk (Feb 20, 2014)

And now something completely different: Via Rail's Canadian (#2) eastbound from Vancouver to Toronto. No dinner departing Vancouver, but a champagne reception in the end-of-train dome observation car. Then breakfast, lunch, dinner, continental breakfast, brunch, dinner, breakfast, lunch, dinner, breakfast. On my train last week, 2(14), we received another lunch from a shortened menu, due to 8-hr late arrival into Toronto.

Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum


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## Ryan (Feb 20, 2014)

RTE_TrainGuy said:


> If this can be turned into a wiki thread, that might make more sense.


This is a good idea as well, and something I've been starting to pull together in my "spare" time. Nowhere near ready for prime time yet, but I'm hoping to have at least an outline put together "soon" so that we can go to work filling in details like this.


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## nferr (Feb 20, 2014)

Silver Star Southbound NYP-Miami: lunch, dinner, breakfast, lunch


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## RampWidget (Feb 20, 2014)

CONO Southbound:

Dinner (abbreviated, service generally begins before the train pulls from the station)

Breakfast

Lunch


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## D.P. Roberts (Feb 20, 2014)

I know that the northbound CS leaves LA too late for breakfast, but I just read a travelogue that stated that the PPC had pastries/muffins available at departure. Is this still in effect?


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## Nathanael (Feb 20, 2014)

D.P. Roberts said:


> Well, Amtrak does have this on the LSL schedule:
> 
> "Dining: Full meal service between New York and Chicago. Not available between Albany and Boston; Sleeping car passengers will receive complimentary hot Lounge car meal service.
> 
> ...


Well, that doesn't seem to be correct, because the combined diner/lounge wasn't providing food or beverage service between New York and Albany eastbound. Unless it's new since the last time I rode NY-Albany on the LSL (which was a few years back). Any recent (say, 2013) reports on the status of cafe car service on the eastbound between NY and Albany?


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## manchacrr (Feb 20, 2014)

Sunset Limited:

Westbound = Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Eastbound = Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Crescent:

Southbound = Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Northbound = Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast

City of New Orleans:

Southbound = Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch

Northbound = Dinner, Breakfast

Texas Eagle:

Westbound = Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Eastbound = Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch


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## SP&S (Feb 21, 2014)

D.P. Roberts said:


> I know that the northbound CS leaves LA too late for breakfast, but I just read a travelogue that stated that the PPC had pastries/muffins available at departure. Is this still in effect?


I've never noticed any goodies out of LA although it's possible I went to the PPC too late.


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## SubwayNut (Feb 21, 2014)

I think that's been discontinued at least those boarding in LA now have whatever breakfast items the Metropolitan Lounge sets out. I've only been there in the evening and it was a nice selection of cookies, not the normal pretzels chips or gold fish (goldfish everywhere except NYP).


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## Nathanael (Feb 21, 2014)

To consolidate some information which arrived in several different posts:

Lake Shore Limited #449 Westbound: Boxed Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast

Lake Shore Limited #49 Westbound: Dinner, Breakfast

OK, that's almost all of them. We're just missing:

Cardinal eastbound

Silver Meteor northbound

Silver Star northbound

Auto Train


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## Ryan (Feb 21, 2014)

Auto train is dinner and breakfast both ways.

Cardinal eastbound is dinner out of CHI and then all 3 meals the next day.

Sent from my iPhone


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## Antagonist (Feb 21, 2014)

guest said:


> Is there any logical reason that Amtrak does not include this information on their published schedules?


I think an accurate list, would need to include all possibilities of the train running early or running late. And let's face the fact that LD trains do indeed run off-schedule quite often.

This is also why I feel that the first post here is so very wrong for not including such. For example, if the train is suppose to pick you up at 5pm, you'll get dinner. But if the train doesn't pick you up until 9pm, you don't get dinner (but the first post here implies that Amtrak "owes" you a dinner, and will hold the dining car open just for you).


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## lyke99 (Feb 21, 2014)

On 448 and 449 the meal between Albany and Boston is not a "boxed meal" per se. It is a choice between a salad or a sandwich in each direction (one of the choices is a vegetarian option).

448 - Breakfast, Lunch, Limited menu dinner served in the cafe car.

449 - Limited menu lunch served in the cafe car, Dinner (after joining the NY section at Albany), Breakfast

I've made this run twice in the last 3 years, same both runs.


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## SubwayNut (Feb 21, 2014)

The on-line menus (448, 449) make it out more like a meal served on the Cardinal, the Lake Shore has the same equipment:

448: A hot (microwaved) dinner: Vegetarian Pasta or Braised Beef Short Rib with Wine Sauce

449: A sandwich or salad, less exciting.


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## andersone (Feb 21, 2014)

Wouldn't early / late just be simple logic? I Think it would muddy a table,,, but then again my graphic guru is Tufte who preaches simplicity. Once the data is collected I would love to take a shot into making it into an image. I am already envisioning a cascading red/green/blue with standard set of labels (L-Limited, B-box). turning it into a nice 4"x 4". Set it so the longest trains were at the bottom,,, I am way too sick in too many ways,,,,


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## Nathanael (Feb 22, 2014)

The way to present this is to present the standard "Amtrak meal hours" first.

Then say:

Many trains are scheduled to depart their initial station during one of these mealtimes, or arrive at the final station during one of these mealtimes. People often ask whether they will get a meal in this case, and this varies by train. The following is a listing the meals *normally served* if you are travelling from end to end on the train.

If the train is running late, you may get fewer meals -- you will *not* generally get extra meals beyond these, although the crew will provide emergency food in extreme cases.


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## TVRM610 (Feb 22, 2014)

If you ride a train from end point to end point you will never get fewer meals because the train is late....

Also... I've never boarded the Crescent in Atlanta and not been offered dinner, even when the train was almost 2 hours late which pushed the meal time to almost 10. Ditto for Lunch on the Silver Meteor out of Orlando.


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## Golden grrl (Feb 22, 2014)

Nathanael said:


> The way to present this is to present the standard "Amtrak meal hours" first.
> 
> Then say:
> 
> ...


Regarding Extra meals/emergency food.

I rode on an extremely late CL from Chi to Was earlier this week. Scheduled departure of 6:40 pm was delayed until midnight. Scheduled arrival in WAS of 1:10 pm was delayed until 7:40 pm.

On the train, we were served

1) dessert [2 choices] and coffee [no other beverages]

2) breakfast

3) lunch

4) Amstew with rice

The delay was Amtrak's fault. We were told it was a mechanical issue, rumor was that they took a loco from a SWC to use on the CL. On my arrival on the SWC into CHI and check in to the lounge, the Metro lounge attendants had no word of a delay, and went ahead to take dinner reservations. About an hour later, we learned of a delay of at least an hour and so it went through the afternoon and evening. We were told several times that we would be served dinner, even though late. Finally, the CHI station agent ordered us sandwiches and chips, which arrived about 30-45 minutes before the train arrived - but they failed to order enough, so a second order went out and arrived later.

For vegetarians, a word of warning-all the ordered sandwiches were heavily meat laden, so if you get caught in a similar situation, have some backup food available. The goldfish and pretzel snacks one might normally expect to see in the lounge all had been consumed far before the scheduled CL departure, because there were 5 other trains that day with significant departure delays from CHI.

I am not blaming the dining car staff for the "dessert and coffee" abbreviated meal service. The onboard staff had TRIED to set us up for meal service and started cooking food before the consist pulled into CUS. They were not informed of how long the delay would last, either. But after 4 hours, they legally had to dump ALL the food, so there was _nothing_ available to serve for dinner. We finally learned this when we were boarding the train, way too late for anyone to obtain food items from the station - and besides, most of the food service areas in Union Station already had closed, anyway.

Although they did not have a lot of resources to work with, the dining car staff really did try to serve us and put in far longer hours than they should have had to do.

One other caution. We nearly ran out of bottled water in the sleepers and dining car. Had fewer people been bustituted or switched to other alternatives at Pittsburgh, we definitely would have been out of bottled water. I've had this water scarcity happen in December, too, on a 2 hour late CL. So I think I'm going to start buying a big bottle beforehand and carry that with me. For some reason, the Capitol Limited dries me out far more than other long distance trains, and I routinely have nose bleeds when that happens.


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## amamba (Feb 22, 2014)

Nathanael said:


> If the train is running late, you may get fewer meals -- you will *not* generally get extra meals beyond these, although the crew will provide emergency food in extreme cases.


There are two kinds of delays IMO and they are treated differently in regards to meals. 
I was on a silver that was a few hours delayed into NYP. By the time we arrived it was around 2 pm but no lunch was served. Not that big of a deal.

But I was on an extremely delayed EB and we absolutely got extra meals. We got am stew and then they ordered KFC for us after that. We missed lunch one day bc of bustitution but we probably got three or four extra meals on board.


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## blueman271 (Feb 22, 2014)

The Silver Star northbound: Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, abbreviated dinner served after departure from Washington.


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## nferr (Feb 23, 2014)

Just rode the Silver Meteor Northbound last week.

Breakfast-Lunch-Dinner-Breakfast


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## Nathanael (Feb 23, 2014)

For the sake of consolidation:

I note that we've gotten two conflicting reports on whether the Crescent serves lunch heading into NY.

Also, I was mistaken earlier: we're missing the Silver Meteor *southbound*. We seem to have everything else more or less.

Thanks to everyone for collecting this info.

Auto Train

- 52 Northbound: Dinner, Breakfast

- 53 Southbound: Dinner, Breakfast

California Zephyr

- 5 Westbound: Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch

- 6 Eastbound: Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch

Capitol Limited

- 29 Westbound: Dinner, Breakfast

- 30 Eastbound: Dinner, Brunch

Cardinal

- 51 Westbound: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast

- 50 Eastbound: Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

City of New Orleans

- 59 Southbound: Dinner (abbrev.), Breakfast, Lunch

- 58 Northbound: Dinner, Breakfast

Coast Starlight

- 11 Southbound: Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

- 14 Northbound: Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Crescent

- 19 Southbound: Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (abbrev.)

- 20 Northbound: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch (? reports vary)

Empire Builder

- 7 Westbound: Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast

- 27 Westbound: Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast (limited menu in cafe car)

- 8 Eastbound: Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch

- 28 Eastbound: Dinner (limited menu in cafe car), Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch

Lake Shore Limited

- 449 Westbound: Lunch (limited menu in cafe car), Dinner, Breakfast

- 49 Westbound: Dinner, Breakfast

- 448 Eastbound: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (limited menu in cafe car)

- 48 Eastbound: Breakfast, Lunch (note: cafe car also closes at Albany)

Silver Meteor

- 98 Northbound: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast

- 97 Southbound: ??

Silver Star

- 92 Northbound: Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner (abbrev.) after Washington

- 91 Southbound: Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch

Southwest Chief

- 3 Westbound: Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast (abbrev.)

- 4 Eastbound: Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch

Sunset Limited

- 1 Westbound: Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

- 2 Eastbound: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

Texas Eagle (Sunset Limited through cars will get additional meals)

- 21 Southbound: Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner

- 22 Northbound: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch


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## andersone (Feb 23, 2014)

well here is my first go at a table,,,, if you like it i will refine, PLEASE Make suggestions,,, (consider this V.1)


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## SarahZ (Feb 23, 2014)

I love the table!


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## andersone (Feb 23, 2014)

Thanks here is version two,, i still would like readability comments. If were building a website I would have the notes popup on mousever,, I will see I can figure out someway to make that happen


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## SarahZ (Feb 23, 2014)

I think the first table is easier to read.


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## andersone (Feb 23, 2014)

easier in what way?

here is V3 (these area all at 85% in these drafts)

I am considering the point of reference is not ALL meals at once, but the train I might be on,,, hence the trains are in # order,,

and now it is bed time for the old man, and thanks for your input


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## SarahZ (Feb 23, 2014)

I liked having the train names and text off to the left and then the color table on its own in the middle.


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## Amy in TX (Feb 23, 2014)

Nathanael said:


> For the sake of consolidation:
> 
> I note that we've gotten two conflicting reports on whether the Crescent serves lunch heading into NY.
> 
> ...


Just to be a little nitpicky, on the 48 EB the cafe car doesn't actually close at Albany, it goes to Boston on the 448.


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## Nathanael (Feb 23, 2014)

andersone said:


> Thanks here is version two,, i still would like readability comments.


You have (A) for abbreviated meals -- you should also have © for "limited meal selection in cafe car", since it happens four times (and never at the same time as abbreviated meals).

---

Regarding the eastbound service on #48, there's generally a lounge car -- which is the same equipment as the cafe car -- but it doesn't serve any food south of Albany either, and the diner closes too.

If the train's running on time, you could grab dinner in Albany. But if it's running late, you *need to have brought your own food*, especially if you have any sort of tendency towards hypoglycemia. It's actually the worst food service situation on Amtrak, which is why I feel that it's important to mention the situation explicitly; you are quite likely to actually need to carry your own dinner with you if traveling to NY on the #48.

Seriously, I should find some way to bring this situation up with someone appropriate in charge at Amtrak. The #48 food situation is an example of a "you really should fix that, you're leaving your customers feeling negative about you" situation -- as is any situation where customers walk off your train unexpectedly hungry, because hungry people are not happy customers.


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## Nathanael (Feb 23, 2014)

SarahZ said:


> I liked having the train names and text off to the left and then the color table on its own in the middle.


Agreed.

Now, has anyone ridden the Meteor S/B or the tail end of the Crescent N/B recently? Last two missing data points...


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## Nathanael (Feb 23, 2014)

Ugh, my "( C )" came out as ©. You know what I meant. C for cafe car.


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## Nathanael (Feb 23, 2014)

Ah. For Silver Star Northbound, it should include a D(A) box. We probably don't need to mention that the abbreviated dinner starts after Washington, though someone did mention it so I figured it was information.


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## andersone (Feb 24, 2014)

two revised versions for your dining and dancing pleasure






and for the landscape lovers


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## RTE_TrainGuy (Feb 24, 2014)

Thanks for making these charts. They look great.


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## andersone (Feb 24, 2014)

use them as you please,,,, cross post if you feel like it


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## Nathanael (Feb 24, 2014)

Thanks again for the charts.

I intended the cafe car reference to look a lot like the "abbreviated" reference -- so a cafe car dinner would be D(C ) while a cafe car breakfast would be B(C ).

Some of the information got a little garbled on the last two versions.

- #92 should be L D B L D(A)

- #448 should be B L D(C )

- #449 should be L(C ) D B

- #27 should be D B L D B(C )

- #28 should be D(C ) B L D B L

- #20 should be D B L D B L? -- the question is on the final lunch

Also, change the headings of the chart so that the first column is lunch; trains where the first meal is breakfast would then have their chart elements moved over to the right. Trust me, it'll be more compact and clearer to read. (You'll find you don't need the final dinner column, either, so it'll be two columns fewer.)

Again, anyone who can resolve the question about #20 or give the meal list for #97 would be appreciated.


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## andersone (Feb 25, 2014)

great suggestions,,, revisions fore your dining and dancing pleasure,,,,


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## andersone (Feb 25, 2014)

and another rev


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## RTE_TrainGuy (Feb 25, 2014)

#20, the northbound Crescent must be a mistake. The train leaves at 7am, so the first meal would have to be breakfast or lunch (not sure), but not dinner.


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## Nathanael (Feb 25, 2014)

Yep, sorry for the garbled data. My fault this time.

#20: B L D B L


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## Nathanael (Feb 25, 2014)

I do think it looks better -- less visually distracting -- if the columns are lined up by meal, as they were in the earlier version. It avoids creating "checkerboard patterning".

....but lunch should be the first column please.  Just see how it looks.


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## Nathanael (Feb 25, 2014)

(Use California Zephyr #6 EB as the "key" row -- it's the only one with seven meals. Everything else will fit into columns over or under that.)


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## tim49424 (Feb 25, 2014)

andersone said:


> and another rev


Typo on Empire Builder....should be 7/27 not 7/24. Nitpicky, I know. That being said, thanks for posting this, it will be very helpful when I take my trip this summer on the EB/CS/CZ.


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## SarahZ (Feb 25, 2014)

Thanks for all of your work on this. You should ask Amtrak if they want to put it on their menu page. I think it would help a lot of people.


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## andersone (Feb 26, 2014)

revised as requested


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## neroden (Feb 26, 2014)

Wow. Beautiful. Thanks again.

Now if only we knew what was going on on #97.


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## neroden (Mar 26, 2014)

Poking this topic. This chart needs to be moved to a sticky in the "First Time" forum. Can a moderator do something like that?


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## MnMotherMary (Apr 1, 2014)

Silver Meteor Southbound.

Dinner-Breakfast-Lunch


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## FriskyFL (Apr 1, 2014)

andersone said:


> revised as requested


For the EB, perhaps a column titled "AmStew", followed by "Survival Rations", and finally, "Cannibalism".


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## FriskyFL (Apr 1, 2014)

FriskyFL said:


> andersone said:
> 
> 
> > revised as requested
> ...


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## battalion51 (Jul 27, 2014)

I know this is an old topic, but hopefully this will help: AFAIK 97 is D-B-L. The times bear this out, 91 and 97 arrive in Miami just 50 minutes apart, if 91 isn't serving dinner then 97 won't unless they get extremely late. Even if they did an abbreviated dinner at 4:30 at best you could only serve Ft. Lauderdale, Hollywood, and Miami sleeper passengers. Given the short period of time I don't see that as being even remotely feasible to serve and then have the crew complete inventory, clean up, etc. Leaving New York at 3:15 there's no way they'd be serving lunch, they'd be prepping dinner.


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## neroden (Jul 28, 2014)

Thanks Battalion!

Now, is there any way a moderator can make a sticky of this? It is a FAQ.

...thank you, moderators.


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## crescent2 (Jul 30, 2014)

Nice work, thanks! Amtrak should include this on their website.


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## andersone (May 29, 2016)

Does this table need to be updated?







Information that is not current is worthless

Thanks in advance for all your help


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## Bob Dylan (May 29, 2016)

It's evident this is out of date since the Silver Starvation doesn't have a Dinner anymore and the CONO now has a Very Limited "Heat and Eat" Menu like the Cardinal.


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## andersone (May 29, 2016)

Updated with your suggestions

What else do I need to change?


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## pennyk (May 29, 2016)

I think Silver Meteor, 97 should be D, B, L

and Silver Meteor, 98 should be B, L, D, B

I also think Cardinal 51 needs to be corrected, but I am not sure.


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## Ryan (May 29, 2016)

The Cardinal definitely needs to be corrected, it has defined meals and meal periods just like any other train with a Diner.


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## AmtrakBlue (May 29, 2016)

Yeah, the Cardinal's directions are reversed. Eastbound starts with dinner, westbound starts with breakfast.


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## andersone (May 29, 2016)

ok made these changes

97 SB leaves at and arrives at 6:30 pm so I made it L,D,B,L

98 NB leaves at 11 AM and arrives at 6:30 so i made it L, D, B, L

Cardinal reversed and removed language about heat and eat

what else do i need to do?


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## AmtrakBlue (May 29, 2016)

Make sure the BLDB's match up between the left side and the right side (like 50- Eastbound: B,L,D,B should be 50- Eastbound: D,B,L,D)


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## andersone (May 29, 2016)

good catch,, you look at stuff so long, you don't see anything

have made the change,will wait to see if there are other changes before i repost


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## AmtrakBlue (May 29, 2016)

andersone said:


> good catch,, you look at stuff so long, you don't see anything
> 
> have made the change,will wait to see if there are other changes before i repost


Yep, always good to get a 2nd, 3rd, 100th pair of eyes to check things out.

I'll contact web masters/owners of websites, if I can find a "contact us", when I see typos. Not because I'm picky, but because it can make the site look bad and they may loose business.


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## andersone (May 29, 2016)

I am used to having things proofed at work, nobody here but the chickens (apologies to BB King)


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## pennyk (May 29, 2016)

andersone said:


> ok made these changes
> 
> 97 SB leaves at and arrives at 6:30 pm so I made it L,D,B,L
> 
> 98 NB leaves at 11 AM and arrives at 6:30 so i made it L, D, B, L


97 leaves NYP at 3:15pm. Dinner is the first meal.

98 leaves MIA at 8:10am. Breakfast is the first meal (usually) and ordinarily lunch is not served the second day because it is scheduled to arrive in NYP before noon.


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## HighBall (May 29, 2016)

andersone said:


> What else do I need to change?


Your info on the CZ and EB are wrong. They should be:

CZ West D B L D B L East L D B L D B *L (can't remember if they serve lunch before arrival).

EB West D B L D B East D B L D B *L (see above).

You show EB 28 as 26.


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## andersone (May 30, 2016)

I think I got them all, your help is greatly appreciated.

MODERATOR NOTE (7/5/19): please see subsequent posts for additions and corrections to this chart. It was mentioned that an extra day was added to the Empire Builder and that Southbound Crescent may have any extra breakfast and lunch.


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## willem (May 30, 2016)

Thank you, andersone, for your efforts to bring the chart back up to date.


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## George K (Jun 12, 2016)

Northbound CONO (#58) doesn't serve lunch. In fact, they're in a hurry to get breakfast done.

Or at least it didn't as of November 2015.

ETA: Thanks for the great job, by the way.


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## Philly Amtrak Fan (Jul 27, 2016)

Andersone,

Is it possible for you to separate 21/22 and 421/422 on your grid?

The current CL (https://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/261/881/Capitol-Limted-Dining-Car-Menu-0416.pdf) lists breakfast and "express lunch". There is no "brunch" specified. Interestingly continental breakfast is a listed as a breakfast and a lunch option.

The CL 29 serves breakfast upon arrival into CHI but the LSL 49 does not? The LSL arrives after the CL.

I'm thinking of upgrading to a roomette for one of the legs of a trip I am planning and I wanted to see what meal(s) to get. I know the Amtrak steak isn't available on the LSL currently. After the horror of the last CL trip I'd like to avoid the CL (at least eastbound where you have to deal with CSX at the end of the trip). I'm guessing either Chicago-Texas or Texas-Chicago would be the best choice.


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## Bob Dylan (Jul 27, 2016)

Even though there is currently no Diner on #49, Breakfast IS served on the way to Chicago.

I'm not certain what is on offer, but I would think it is similar to the Limited Menu available on the CONO and the Cardinal???

As for the Texas Eagle (#21/22/421/#422), between San Antonio and Chicago the following meals are served in the CCC/Diner(Full Menu).

#22/#4225) Breakfast, Lunch,Dinner,Breakast,Lunch

#21/#4214) Dinner,Breakfast,Lunch,Dinner


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## dogbert617 (May 28, 2017)

This chart is an amazing reference tool! I wish Amtrak better detailed the order of what meals will be served on each of their long distance trains on Amtrak's website, like how it's shown here. Another thanks for doing all the work to make that long distance train meal chart, andersone!


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## jis (May 28, 2017)

Breakfast is served on 49/449 westbound. Needs to be corrected.


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## ehbowen (May 29, 2017)

andersone said:


> I think I got them all, your help is greatly appreciated


The _Empire Builder_ is a two-night trip, not a three night trip. There are only two dinners and two breakfasts each way. Also, I think that the "complimentary cold meal for Portland passengers" language needs to be revised to specify "Portland _sleeper_ passengers." There are some coach passengers who do regularly take advantage of the dining car (me being one!), and if they are unfamiliar with Amtrak they might be disappointed when they are denied one of those cold meals aboard the train.


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## dogbert617 (Jun 15, 2017)

ehbowen said:


> andersone said:
> 
> 
> > I think I got them all, your help is greatly appreciated
> ...


Speaking of that if you don't have a sleeper aboard the Portland-Spokane leg of the Empire Builder, does that at least have a cafe car(of course where you'd have to pay) for coach passengers? I totally understand on all long distance routes, that complimentary meals are only for sleeper passengers.


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## Maglev (Jun 15, 2017)

dogbert617 said:


> Speaking of that if you don't have a sleeper aboard the Portland-Spokane leg of the Empire Builder, does that at least have a cafe car(of course where you'd have to pay) for coach passengers? I totally understand on all long distance routes, that complimentary meals are only for sleeper passengers.


There is *always* a sleeper and cafe on the Portland section of the _Empire Builder, _along with two coaches.


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## Bob Dylan (Jun 15, 2017)

Yep, the Sightseer Lounge on the is on the PDX-SPK Section of the Builder ( the Diner is on the Seattle Section)with Cafe Downstairs.

Sleeper passengers receive a Boxed Dinner ( very good!) out of Portland and a Boxed Breakfast ( Not so good!)on the way from SPK-PDX along the Columbia!


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## CCC1007 (Jun 16, 2017)

Maglev said:


> dogbert617 said:
> 
> 
> > Speaking of that if you don't have a sleeper aboard the Portland-Spokane leg of the Empire Builder, does that at least have a cafe car(of course where you'd have to pay) for coach passengers? I totally understand on all long distance routes, that complimentary meals are only for sleeper passengers.
> ...


There have been trips, rather infrequently, without a lounge, though there isn't usually a replacement for it.


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## PVD (Jun 16, 2017)

The latest chart doesn't show 49/449 breakfast before arrival. Did that go away?


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## jis (Jun 20, 2017)

PVD said:


> The latest chart doesn't show 49/449 breakfast before arrival. Did that go away?


The chart is in error. Breakfast is indeed served on 49/449.


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## dogbert617 (Jun 25, 2017)

Bob Dylan said:


> Yep, the Sightseer Lounge on the is on the PDX-SPK Section of the Builder ( the Diner is on the Seattle Section)with Cafe Downstairs.
> 
> Sleeper passengers receive a Boxed Dinner ( very good!) out of Portland and a Boxed Breakfast ( Not so good!)on the way from SPK-PDX along the Columbia!


Interesting insight, that the boxed dinner from Portland has better food vs. the food out of the cafe car going west to Portland. I guess the fact they can use a full service kitchen somewhere inside the Portland station, vs. how little room the cafe car has to prepare food going west from Spokane, would make a difference in that the food quality would be better going eastbound?


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## Bob Dylan (Jun 25, 2017)

Both boxed meals on #27/#28 are Catered by a Contractor, not prepared by Amtrak.

The Dinner out of Portland is really good with several choices, but the Breakfast on the way from Spokane to Portland is Second Rate in Comparison to Breakfast in Amtraks Diners and the Box Dinner.


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## JayPea (Jun 26, 2017)

The quality of the boxed dinner out of Portland is in my opinion much higher than the boxed breakfast. I have ridden to Portland several times in coach from Spokane and to me the quality of the breakfast items from the lounge car is higher than that of the boxed dinner. Just my opinion of course.


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## dogbert617 (Jun 2, 2018)

Speaking of full meal/dining car service on long distance trains, it gave me sad goosebumps when I was coming back from my Pittsburgh trip on Friday morning, that the conductor/employee on the PA system noted when the dining car closed after South Bend that it was the last time they'd have traditional dining car service on the Capitol Limited due to the change that train(and Lake Shore Limited) were getting with dining car service come June 1st.




That guy was thanking the people who ate a meal in that car, on that trip. That train left DC on May 31st, hence the breakfast dining car service that morning(June 1st) being the last Capitol Limited train where traditional dining car meals were served on. For the record too(as far as I know it'll still have cafe car food/snacks despite that dining car food change on the side), and more noting this for future travelers, if you're going west on the Capitol Limited to Chicago the cafe car is closed after the train passes Chesterton, IN. I know that was the case, since I heard a PA announcement that they had closed the cafe car.


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## Manny T (Jun 3, 2018)

Quite ironic and bittersweet for me, because after many years of experimenting with different routes between Chi and NYP, trying the LSL, Cap Ltd (with Regional or Acela) and Cardinal, booking bedrooms, roomettes, etc., eating before I boarded and on board, last year I finally settled on the best scenario for me: a bedroom on the Cap Ltd. and a steak dinner in the dining car.

Now it's gone and back to ground zero for me. Just as soon as Amtrak satisfied me, they unsatisfied me.


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## JRR (Jul 2, 2018)

chakk said:


> And now something completely different: Via Rail's Canadian (#2) eastbound from Vancouver to Toronto. No dinner departing Vancouver, but a champagne reception in the end-of-train dome observation car. Then breakfast, lunch, dinner, continental breakfast, brunch, dinner, breakfast, lunch, dinner, breakfast. On my train last week, 2(14), we received another lunch from a shortened menu, due to 8-hr late arrival into Toronto.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Amtrak Forum


Shortly after departing eastbound from Jasper, we were served champagne and apetisers in the dome car.


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## troo troo tcrane (Jul 4, 2019)

Is it me or the SWC and EB in post #92 both look really off?


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## chakk (Jul 4, 2019)

troo troo tcrane said:


> Is it me or the SWC and EB in post #92 both look really off?



looks correct to me for when post #92 was originally made five years ago.


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## lstone19 (Jul 5, 2019)

chakk said:


> looks correct to me for when post #92 was originally made five years ago.



Uh, no. Empire Builder is shown in post #92 as if it's three nights enroute each way. Southwest Chief looks right. But SB Crescent also has an extra night (shows two nights enroute).


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## pennyk (Jul 5, 2019)

troo troo tcrane said:


> Is it me or the SWC and EB in post #92 both look really off?





lstone19 said:


> Uh, no. Empire Builder is shown in post #92 as if it's three nights enroute each way. Southwest Chief looks right. But SB Crescent also has an extra night (shows two nights enroute).



A moderator note was added to post 92 suggesting that readers should read beyond that post to get more accurate information. Thanks for the heads up.


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## Noob76 (Jul 17, 2019)

Was on the Zephyr in 2017 and we were delayed 16 hours into Denver because of tornados that moved through Omaha before we got there. The whole train had all we could eat Krispy Kreme donuts and the famous Denty Moore stew that according to our car attendant separates the normally late Amtrak from the super late trains. 

Also last week on the Sunset Limited the eastbound train was delayed 9 hours because of the earthquake in California. Our westbound train started off two hours late and they bought us all donuts from a local donut shop in New Orleans. They were so good I had four.


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## dogbert617 (Jul 31, 2019)

Noob76 said:


> Was on the Zephyr in 2017 and we were delayed 16 hours into Denver because of tornados that moved through Omaha before we got there. The whole train had all we could eat Krispy Kreme donuts and the famous Denty Moore stew that according to our car attendant separates the normally late Amtrak from the super late trains.
> 
> Also last week on the Sunset Limited the eastbound train was delayed 9 hours because of the earthquake in California. Our westbound train started off two hours late and they bought us all donuts from a local donut shop in New Orleans. They were so good I had four.



That sounds really awesome! Sometimes, I wonder if I should consider doing some sort of Sunset Limited trip down the road? Even despite that sadly, it only runs 3 days a week.  I just wish CONO was running between Jackson and New Orleans, and not it being bustituted as of right now due to CN(IIRC the freight railroad) temporarily not allowing Amtrak to carry passengers because of high water levels by the Bonnet Carre Spillway.


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## Noob76 (Aug 1, 2019)

dogbert617 said:


> That sounds really awesome! Sometimes, I wonder if I should consider doing some sort of Sunset Limited trip down the road? Even despite that sadly, it only runs 3 days a week.  I just wish CONO was running between Jackson and New Orleans, and not it being bustituted as of right now due to CN(IIRC the freight railroad) temporarily not allowing Amtrak to carry passengers because of high water levels by the Bonnet Carre Spillway.



Sunset Limited was OK. But feels really slow through Texas (because it is.) You pass this place in about seven seconds but I got a decent video of it when passing by:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prada_Marfa

Personally in terms of beautiful scenery, my vote is for Grand Junction Colorado to Denver on the California Zephyr. Really nothing compares. (Though I've never been on the Empire Builder.)

CONO I'll probably never do, because I live in NY and Crescent is more direct. I'll probably have to suffice with the song.


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## dogbert617 (Aug 1, 2019)

Noob76 said:


> Sunset Limited was OK. But feels really slow through Texas (because it is.) You pass this place in about seven seconds but I got a decent video of it when passing by:
> 
> https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prada_Marfa
> 
> ...



Funny that I have the opposite problem, vs. you. As much as I want to ride the Crescent, it's annoying there aren't any direct ways for me to connect to this train, except either riding Capitol Limited to DC, or Cardinal to Charlottesville and transferring at either station respectively. And as CONO still is being bustituted between NO and Jackson, that reduces my chances of doing a trip to New Orleans for now. As I'd rather ride Amtrak and not a bus, if I wanted to do an Amtrak trip down to NO.

I had been throwing a thought in my head as of late, where MAYBE in August I'd take Cardinal to Charlottesville, Crescent to Atlanta, then fly back to Chicago. FYI only wouldn't take the train back, due to my work schedule not allowing a longer Atlanta trip and just a brief one. Part of my motivation if I were to do such a trip, would be to experience dining car service on Crescent before it's removed for good.  And to at least finally see a good bit of Crescent's route, for the first time in my life.

ETA: here's the latest service alert, I've seen for CONO. So sadly, that train running all the way to NO isn't yet a reality(sigh):

*Track Work Affects City of New Orleans Trains 58 and 59*
Effective July 29 - August 8, 2019
Due to track work being performed by Canadian National Railway, the schedule of Trains 58 and 59 will be adjusted as shown below.

*Monday, July 29 through Friday, August 2*

Northbound Train 58 will depart Jackson at 7:44 pm, 2 hours later than normal, and operate on a later schedule through to Chicago.
Northbound buses traveling from New Orleans to Jackson, will operate 2 hours later at all stations.

Southbound Train 59 will depart Chicago at 9:05 pm, 1 hour later than normal and operate on a later schedule at all stations from Chicago to Jackson.
Southbound buses will operate 1 hour later at all stations between Jackson and New Orleans.

*Monday, August 5 through Thursday, August 8*

Northbound Train 58, which normally operates between New Orleans and Chicago, will originate in Memphis.
Southbound Train 59, which normally operates between Chicago and New Orleans, will terminate in Memphis.
Trains 58 and 59 will operate on a normal schedule between Chicago and Memphis.
Alternate transportation will be provided between Memphis and Jackson.
There will be no alternate transportation to the missed station stops of Marks, Greenwood or Yazoo City.


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## piedpiper (Sep 17, 2019)

andersone said:


> I think I got them all, your help is greatly appreciated.
> 
> MODERATOR NOTE (7/5/19): please see subsequent posts for additions and corrections to this chart. It was mentioned that an extra day was added to the Empire Builder and that Southbound Crescent may have any extra breakfast and lunch.


is there anyway to erase the gray photo bucket logo so we could print the chart??


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## jis (Sep 17, 2019)

Be careful. That figure is not terribly accurate in all cases. [emoji57]


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## dogbert617 (Oct 11, 2019)

piedpiper said:


> is there anyway to erase the gray photo bucket logo so we could print the chart??



Unfortunately piedpier, I don't think so. That is a watermark(background graphic) that photobucket.com added after the image was uploaded there, so no way to get around that sadly.

Anyway if you're having trouble reading that, the order of diner car meals on train 21(Chicago-San Antonio) would be: Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner.

22(San Antonio-Chicago): Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch.

If riding on 421(Chicago-LA, with through cars switching from Texas Eagle to Sunset Limited in San Antonio): Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, (at this point, is after 421 combines with train 1) Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner. NO breakfast is offered the morning that combined train 1/421 arrives in LA(scheduled at 5:35am), due to how extremely early that is.

422(LA-Chicago, with through cars being split from Sunset in San Antonio, keep in mind no dinner is served the evening you depart from LAX due to the train leaving at 10pm, so BRING YOUR OWN food onboard the train to get around this): Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch.

29(DC-Chicago): Dinner, Breakfast.

30(Chicago-DC): Dinner, Brunch.

Not sure if the introduction of contemporary/flex dining has changed this up, but I'm sure you'd still get 2 meals onboard that train if you were in a sleeper. Sad the food has probably been downgraded due to contemporary/flex, though.


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## SEA2MTZ (Nov 19, 2019)

CHamilton said:


> Coast Starlight. Since southbound train 11 and northbound train 14 both leave their origins mid-morning and arrive at their destination ca. 36 hours later, both trains have similar meal schedules.
> 
> Day 1: Lunch, Dinner
> 
> Day 2: Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner


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## SEA2MTZ (Nov 19, 2019)

Thank you! Were boarding at 9:45 as roomette so I wasn’t sure if breakfast was offered. Couldn’t find this information on their site. Anyone have a favorite King Street Station breakfast spot nearby? Otherwise a pause on Bainbridge’s Streamliner diner it’ll be then


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## flitcraft (Nov 20, 2019)

If you go to the second floor of King St. Station and exit there, you will be on S. Jackson. If you go left a couple of blocks you'll get to Zeitgeist Coffee, which does typical breakfast sandwiches and pastries along with killer coffee. If you go right out of King St Station, just past the old Union Station building (peek in if open, it is beautifully restored, though not as a train station) you will see 85C Bakery on the corner. It is an outpost of a Taiwanese chain, doing fancy coffees and teas along with dozens of kinds of pastries and cakes--many of them are either Chinese or Japanese, but they also do European style pastries too. Nothing healthy there, but there's a reason when they opened that the line stretched outside the door!


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## basketmaker (Nov 4, 2021)

Nathanael said:


> Hmm, I can help a little more.
> 
> California Zephyr eastbound: Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner, Breakfast, Lunch.
> 
> ...


I know this is a very old thread. But my last trip I boarded the CZ eastbound at Fort Morgan, CO (FMG) after Denver and it was about 15 minutes late. Much to my surprise not expecting dinner service. I through my bags in my room and decided to head to the Lounge to grab a coke. Well I walked into the Dining car and the single attendant working upstairs asked me if I was Mr. Innes. I said yeah (at this point I was a bit confused). And he asked if I was going to have dinner? I said it would be great. He said please take seat. It appeared that he had pretty much finished the clean up from the earlier seatings. He asked if I needed a menu and I said no just bring me a dinner salad and a Coke. He asked if that was it. I said since it looked like they were finished for the evening I didn't want to hold him/them (chefs/cooks) up and the salad would be fine. I ate quick to let him close everything and head to bed. Still not sure how or where he got my name but was pleasantly surprised.


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## AmtrakBlue (Nov 4, 2021)

basketmaker said:


> I know this is a very old thread. But my last trip I boarded the CZ eastbound at Fort Morgan, CO (FMG) after Denver and it was about 15 minutes late. Much to my surprise not expecting dinner service. I through my bags in my room and decided to head to the Lounge to grab a coke. Well I walked into the Dining car and the single attendant working upstairs asked me if I was Mr. Innes. I said yeah (at this point I was a bit confused). And he asked if I was going to have dinner? I said it would be great. He said please take seat. It appeared that he had pretty much finished the clean up from the earlier seatings. He asked if I needed a menu and I said no just bring me a dinner salad and a Coke. He asked if that was it. I said since it looked like they were finished for the evening I didn't want to hold him/them (chefs/cooks) up and the salad would be fine. I ate quick to let him close everything and head to bed. Still not sure how or where he got my name but was pleasantly surprised.


Your SCA probably made a reservation for you before you boarded. 
I boarded a late TE in St Louis a few years ago and was sent straight to the diner. I’m pretty sure I was the only one there & had my steak dinner.


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