Amtrak Dining and Cafe Service discussion 2024 H1

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Obviously people’s tastes, preferences, and opinions will differ - but for my take on it I have never noticed a significant difference in quality between the flexible dining meals and what is served in Acela first class - and I had a couple trips very close together once where I got a good comparison. They’re both basically pre made airline meals. To me presentation has always been the biggest difference. You see before you taste and first impressions are key. And I’ve found my taste can be influenced by that. Some of the meals are certainly better than others and I have found the same with Acela.
I have only ridden Acela in Business Class so I can't personally compare but nothing on the Acela 1st Class Menu sounds like it resembles anything on the flex menu. Now if you felt they were the same quality, that's interesting to note but the menu certainly makes them sound like a higher quality and fancy entree.
 
I have only ridden Acela in Business Class so I can't personally compare but nothing on the Acela 1st Class Menu sounds like it resembles anything on the flex menu. Now if you felt they were the same quality, that's interesting to note but the menu certainly makes them sound like a higher quality and fancy entree.
Acela will certainly serve different things than what is served on long distance trains - you aren't going to see raw bar type items on the flexible dining menu for example. The shorter distance trips on Acela certainly allow for items with a shorter shelf life. And with this Starr partnership they're kind of mixing things up a bit. But in the instances where there have been menu items where there is more of a direct comparison - braised beef entrees for instance which Acela first will often but not always have, they've always seemed more or less interchangeable to me when heated or prepared properly. But again, opinions will differ. It's just my experience, doesn't mean everyone has to agree or feel the same way. There's certainly more variety and more frequent changing up of the menu on Acela. I would say though that in my experience the portions are usually better on flexible dining (when you're dealing with a meal that's kind of similar to what they'd serve on long distance - a braised beef or chicken or fish entree.)
 
I travel the Acela about once a month for going on 9 years now. Usually but not always in First. So, I've had the Acela First food a few dozen times now. The Acela meals are generally pretty good and in my opinion miles above the Flexible Dining (which I have had on 4 trips times 2-3 meals, so about ten times).

The Acela food has better ingredients, for a start, and it's reheated from my understanding using sous vide trays so little risk of drying out. Tell that to the dried out pieces of "beef" (I counted 3) in my beef burgundy served on the Crescent this weekend. This does mean generally the Acela food is of a similar texture. No grill to sear steaks on!

In fact this weekend, taking the Acela FC to NYP to catch the Crescent was a great contrast if we're talking about the food. If I could I would have eaten the same Acela meal 3 more times instead of what I received from the Flexible Dining menu.

All that being said, I still had a great time. I have other gripes and praise, but this is a food thread.
 
I think he meant that on an Acela, food items can be offered that don’t have to last for 3-6 days, as some might on a long-distance train?🤔
But no items like that exist other than, perhaps, the breakfast pastries from the "local bakeries" which I highly doubt are delivered on a daily basis, but I suppose they could be.
 
That's generally not how commercial commissaries and kitchens work. A local bakery can still deliver items in bulk - often they will be frozen and then thawed the day before serving. And of course, local bakeries exist in all towns that Amtrak stocks dining cars from, which is really my point. There is nothing about Acela that can't be replicated on the other trains if Amtrak wants to.
 
Acela First has 2 dedicated attendants for 20, maybe 30 passengers max. The whole point of flex is to serve maybe twice as many sleeper passengers with only 1 attendant. Thus, the very simplified menu and less than stellar presentation. I generally find the food itself to be OK if prepared properly, which often isn't done. Of course, traditional dining is better, but properly prepared flex is not "slop" or "cat food" (which is an insult to cats, by the way.)
 
Acela First has 2 dedicated attendants for 20, maybe 30 passengers max. The whole point of flex is to serve maybe twice as many sleeper passengers with only 1 attendant.
The car seats 44 I believe. The point of flex was to serve sleeping car passengers with the help of the SCA's who were supposed to take the order and deliver the food.
 
The whole concept has kind of morphed over time as well. When it first started it was "fresh contemporary dining" and had cold boxed meals. Eventually then they added a hot choice (Which was the first "flex meal" as we know it today and gradually the hot meals took over.) While there were some that liked the salad and cold meat boxes they did at first better than what they're doing now, they were ultimately ridiculously unpopular and they moved over to the hot flex meals after a lot of blow back. Obviously the flex meals aren't particularly popular either but it at least stabilized the situation. Perhaps this plating of the meals on the Lake Shore is hinting at an eventual return to something like the "diner lite" that they were doing on some trains prior to flexible dining. I would note though that some of those diner lite menus were not universally liked and I saw more than one report where people stated that flexible dining was an improvement over what the CONO had previously. I never had it myself but it sounded like the diner lite on the CONO had gotten pretty bad.
 
I’ve been traveling a lot with a friend lately and have been lucky to be on Acela FC several times recently—much more than I’m used to!

I have two comments on what I found:

Presentation is nice but can be deceiving. The lobster Mac and cheese looked like mush—but was delicious! The best lunch/dinner meal I’ve had from the new menus.

As for what I’m an expert on (dessert 😊):

I’ve had a creme brûlée (exceptionally good), tiramisu (decent), and cheesecake. The cheesecake was a disappointment—perhaps because I had recently had a delicious slice from the Albany cafe fridge. Plus it seemed strange in a jar.

(I don’t get this whole eating out of a jar trend—to me, it makes the desserts look less appealing, not more.)
 
the "flex type" pasta dishes vary a LOT. If they're prepared right, they're not bad. But too often recently they've come out either gluey, or with crunchy overdone/dried out noodles on top.

It's just that the food is so disappointing. I mean, right after the pandemic I'd gotten so used to disappointment, and I was also excited to feel reasonably safe traveling again, I was OK with them (I also think they were better in late 2021-early 2022?). Now, it's like, well, okay, it's either this or eat a really early dinner (REALLY early if the train's on time) in the city I originate out of. Or go hungry, I guess.

I wish they'd go back to real meals, or at the very least, get some better supplier - I've had frozen dinners that were better than the flex meals, so it's possible to do. Or maybe it's understaffing and so things get undercooked or not heated properly....it just feels like no one cares about the poor old eastbound TE and I do wonder if this route is on the way to being decomissioned, given how little care it receives
 
When it first started it was "fresh contemporary dining" and had cold boxed meals. Eventually then they added a hot choice (Which was the first "flex meal" as we know it today and gradually the hot meals took over.) While there were some that liked the salad and cold meat boxes they did at first better than what they're doing now, they were ultimately ridiculously unpopular and they moved over to the hot flex meals after a lot of blow back. Obviously the flex meals aren't particularly popular either but it at least stabilized the situation.
I never experienced "fresh contemporary" but the items looked much better in quality and definitely sounded more appealing to me. I'm not sure if they were "ridiculously unpopular" compared to the current flex meals which are also "ridiculously unpopular" from what I can tell. I don't think the flex meals stabilized the situation as much as Amtrak just gave up. My personal thought obviously.

Perhaps this plating of the meals on the Lake Shore is hinting at an eventual return to something like the "diner lite" that they were doing on some trains prior to flexible dining. I would note though that some of those diner lite menus were not universally liked and I saw more than one report where people stated that flexible dining was an improvement over what the CONO had previously.
What I had during the "diner lite" days on the City was about the same as flex in quality. What I had during "Diner Lite" on the Cardinal was significantly better than flex.
 
I never experienced "fresh contemporary" but the items looked much better in quality and definitely sounded more appealing to me. I'm not sure if they were "ridiculously unpopular" compared to the current flex meals which are also "ridiculously unpopular" from what I can tell. I don't think the flex meals stabilized the situation as much as Amtrak just gave up. My personal thought obviously.
It stabilized the situation as far as Customer satisfaction index scores. The cold meals were very very unpopular and the most consistent feedback that they got was the lack of hot meals. The switch to the hot meals was largely the result of customer complaints and feedback. This was well documented at the time.
 
It stabilized the situation as far as Customer satisfaction index scores. The cold meals were very very unpopular and the most consistent feedback that they got was the lack of hot meals. The switch to the hot meals was largely the result of customer complaints and feedback. This was well documented at the time.
Are the customer satisfaction scores publicaly available? Would be interesting to see how they vary with Flex and Traditional Dining.

Contemporary Dining was only on the Lake Shore correct? Or maybe the Capitol too? It lasted for such a short time it doesn't seem much data could be gathered.

Either way, I know I would prefer a higher quality cold meal, then what they serve as flex. I doubt I'm the only one.
 
Are the customer satisfaction scores publicaly available? Would be interesting to see how they vary with Flex and Traditional Dining.

Contemporary Dining was only on the Lake Shore correct? Or maybe the Capitol too? It lasted for such a short time it doesn't seem much data could be gathered.

Either way, I know I would prefer a higher quality cold meal, then what they serve as flex. I doubt I'm the only one.

Not that I know of - but there was a lot of back and forth with RPA at the time. I’m recalling a rather lengthy Q/A RPA did with whoever was in charge of it at the time at Amtrak. Needless to say I recall RPA getting passenger feedback left and right with dissatisfaction over all cold meals - and there was a big push to add hot meal options. It was on the Lake Shore and Capitol Limited - the cap was the first time where there was an actual staffing cut as a result of it since of course the Lake Shore had the diner lite and no chefs. The second was the silver meteor and crescent (but of course the former has returned to traditional dining.) I suspect they would have stuck with the cold meals if they were popular - at first they tried mixing the added hot meal options with some of the cold options and gradually they went all hot. I recall trip reports where the hot option would quickly sell out so people had only the cold option.
 
I've been reading all the food convos with interest. I haven't had Amtrak food since summer 2021 on the Lake Shore Limited. If memory serves right, it was a vegan pasta something or other. It was not terrible, nor was it anything to write home about. I do remember thinking the presentation was...lacking, lol, but I chalked it up to pandemic chaos at the time. Over the years, traveling as a vegan has definitely become more manageable, but I prefer not to be caught hangry while traveling, so I plan, plan, and plan. Later this year I have a 4-night/3-train sleeper trip and then 3-nights/2-trains, so I'll definitely be bringing a small high-end cooler with as much food as I can fit into it!

I was thinking of starting a "vegan travel food" thread here as I didn't see anything like that when I searched. A place where those to whom that applies could share our favorite train-friendly vegan meals and snacks. I'm new to this forum, and I feel netiquette requires me to first inquire whether this has already existed in the past and if so, was there some kind of ugly uprising resulting in the thread being stomped out of existence, and no one wants a repeat? :) It's more of a niche thing, but I found it hard sifting through so many different threads and posts to find just a few vegan mentions scattered throughout. I wondered if a separate thread might be useful. I'm envisioning it having more to do with what we bring with us, not what Amtrak provides.

But that brings me to what Amtrak provides, and man was I disappointed to see these new menus! Choices for vegans are even further reduced. It's not the battle I choose to fight, but there is an element of disappointment all the same to pay for a sleeper car that advertises "meals included" knowing that there's a good chance I'll either have to eat the exact same thing for lunch and dinner every day, or else bring a heck of a lot of food. (Doesn't seem like Amtrak ever offered any vegan breakfast unless purchased in the cafe car, but I could be wrong. Definitely, no dessert for the vegans! LOL)

I would be bringing a fair amount of food anyway, because I can't be certain that any given train will even have the vegan meals on hand, or that I won't end up with a bustituted segment or a missed connection, etc. But originally I was thinking of that more as an emergency backup, whereas after seeing the new menus I now feel like I need to bring the majority of my meals with me. I'll be on the Coast Starlight, the Zephyr, the Lake Shore Limited, and the Empire Builder. Me and my cooler and my shelf-stable eats, lol.
 
I've been reading all the food convos with interest. I haven't had Amtrak food since summer 2021 on the Lake Shore Limited. If memory serves right, it was a vegan pasta something or other. It was not terrible, nor was it anything to write home about. I do remember thinking the presentation was...lacking, lol, but I chalked it up to pandemic chaos at the time. Over the years, traveling as a vegan has definitely become more manageable, but I prefer not to be caught hangry while traveling, so I plan, plan, and plan. Later this year I have a 4-night/3-train sleeper trip and then 3-nights/2-trains, so I'll definitely be bringing a small high-end cooler with as much food as I can fit into it!

I was thinking of starting a "vegan travel food" thread here as I didn't see anything like that when I searched. A place where those to whom that applies could share our favorite train-friendly vegan meals and snacks. I'm new to this forum, and I feel netiquette requires me to first inquire whether this has already existed in the past and if so, was there some kind of ugly uprising resulting in the thread being stomped out of existence, and no one wants a repeat? :) It's more of a niche thing, but I found it hard sifting through so many different threads and posts to find just a few vegan mentions scattered throughout. I wondered if a separate thread might be useful. I'm envisioning it having more to do with what we bring with us, not what Amtrak provides.

But that brings me to what Amtrak provides, and man was I disappointed to see these new menus! Choices for vegans are even further reduced. It's not the battle I choose to fight, but there is an element of disappointment all the same to pay for a sleeper car that advertises "meals included" knowing that there's a good chance I'll either have to eat the exact same thing for lunch and dinner every day, or else bring a heck of a lot of food. (Doesn't seem like Amtrak ever offered any vegan breakfast unless purchased in the cafe car, but I could be wrong. Definitely, no dessert for the vegans! LOL)

I would be bringing a fair amount of food anyway, because I can't be certain that any given train will even have the vegan meals on hand, or that I won't end up with a bustituted segment or a missed connection, etc. But originally I was thinking of that more as an emergency backup, whereas after seeing the new menus I now feel like I need to bring the majority of my meals with me. I'll be on the Coast Starlight, the Zephyr, the Lake Shore Limited, and the Empire Builder. Me and my cooler and my shelf-stable eats, lol.
I'm not vegan - I'm kind of what they call "flexitarian" (usually eat lacto-ovo vegetarian but will eat meat). But I would happily eat vegan meals if (a) they didn't contain any of my food-intolerance or allergy foods (peanuts, but I also have bad reactions to carrots and celery if eat them in more than small quantities, and same with soy) and (b) were good (all too often I've seen vegan meals made unpleasantly spicy because the cook assumes vegan = bland). I have several vegan recipes I make from time to time and make to bring to potlucks if I think someone there might be vegan.

There are lots of good bean dishes out there, and beans usually hold over well! I don't know why Amtrak doesn't do more, like, mixed-bean combinations with rice or something, those could easily be made vegan. There are also big salads/lightly cooked dishes with more "interesting" vegetables (e.g., cabbage) than iceberg lettuce.

I suppose "cost of the ingredients" is maybe part of a factor; though I'm not sure fresh cabbage is that much more (at least in some seasons) than iceberg.
 
The Acela First Classs meal is a flex meal that is plated and served more fancy. Mind you, a last minute Acela first class ticket between WAS and NYP can be as high as $485 - no reason why better food cannot be served. Oddly, some items from the cafe car are better.
That has not been my experience with Acela First Class meals.

They are more akin to an airlines First Class meals than a Flex meal which seems a big step down from either an airline First Class meal or an Acela First Class
 
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Are these plain grits, or do they have butter or cheese? I am troubled by the abundance of dairy products. I have a severe dairy allergy.
As I recall, Amtrak grits are plain grits but are often served with a big glob of butter in the middle of them which I like since I fortunately don't have allergies to butter. I assume you can request grits with no butter added. Hopefully some of the grits experts in this group can provide more information.
 
As I recall, Amtrak grits are plain grits but are often served with a big glob of butter in the middle of them which I like since I fortunately don't have allergies to butter. I assume you can request grits with no butter added. Hopefully some of the grits experts in this group can provide more information.
Butter and Syrup/ Molasses are the proper way to eat Grits!😁
 
Butter and Syrup/ Molasses are the proper way to eat Grits!😁
as someone whose adopted home is in the South......well, no, this is bait, I ain't taking it.


On topic: every time I used to get grits they either came plain, or already had butter on them. Most often they were plain and you added butter/salt/pepper to taste (though as I remember, they were ALREADY pretty salty)
 
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