It took years of practice for a dining car waiter to gracefully walk through a train of swaying cars while carefully balancing a heavily ladened food tray destined for some private bedroom or drawing room. When asked how he did it, one waiter responded, “You simply learn how, that’s all. I can’t tell you how it’s done.”
I did try to look in the kitchen door when leaving the diner car but couldn't see details of the results. 
A well-run hotel was the inspiration for the operation of many long-haul luxury trains in the extra-fare all-Pullman years. The people who rode those luxury trains were those who not only expected the best of everything but who could afford service in the same style they might have encountered at the Waldorf-Astoria or The Savoy in London. This is undoubtedly why the railroads had to have real China in their dining cars.
Most restaurants that charge $45 for dinner don't serve the dinner on disposable plastic plates. I don't think it's the end of the world, and I've always appreciated Amtrak making the plastic plates look like "dining car" china - back in the day I couldn't even tell the difference when I went through my photos - I'd have to look at the location of the photo and say "oh that was the Zephyr so it must have been plastic."
Two adults eating lunch at McDonalds can spend almost that much now a days.
Suffice it to say that the Amtrak waste is minuscule by an order of magnitude or two when compared to the general situation in the take out food business. This is really more of a societal problem, and Amtrak is just a small part of the current fashion. So we should probably shift back to discussing menus and food preparation and service quality instead of dwelling on this ad infinitum in this thread.
It would still be difficult to spend $90 for two adults at Micky D's for one meal even these days.
One would get a bit closer to that $90 amount at slightly more upscale fast-food places, such as Hardee's/Carl's Jr., Arby's, or especially someplace like Five Guys.
And when there were 6 waiters and a steward working in a standard 48 seat diner, the “choreography” of watching them pass by each other, as well as some passengers passing through was amazing..
We started with a set of the white-with-blue-rings Corelle, and supplemented with a set of the all-white as more of the old stoneware dishes broke. (With 5 in the family, we couldn't go all Corelle at a meal until we purchased that second set.)
I don't know what these two people are eating, but when my wife and I eat at McDonald's for lunch, it costs about $15, and that's because we buy the more expensive McCafe drinks.
Aren't plastic plates recyclable?
We also find the blue and white plastic Amtrak plates to be visually pleasing and don't mind eating from them.
The 3 course prix-fixe dinner at the Savoy Grill in London is 62 pounds Sterling, or about 80 US$. (a British pound is about US$1.30) Even then, they charge 8.50 pounds for sides. and a 25 pound supplement if you want Beef Wellington.)
OK. I ran the numbers. A typical meal at McDonald’s consisting of a Big Mac, Fries, a Chocolate Shake and an Apple Pie comes to $13.76 or $27.52 for two people. So you are correct. (A year or so ago, those meals were a lot less.)
No. Plastic producers like so say they could be recycled but in practice the only significant plastic that is recycled is plastic bottles (water, soda, milk).
I know back in the day they cooked more from scratch on board, so I understand more staff for the kitchen but I have no idea what 6 waiters were doing! That's 1 waiter for every 2 tables. 2 Waiters and a good Steward should easily be able to handle a diner.And when there were 6 waiters and a steward working in a standard 48 seat diner, the “choreography” of watching them pass by each other, as well as some passengers passing through was amazing..
Correct on the Superliner staffing... 3 servers for a very busy diner...otherwise 2 servers.
Some waiters were probably kept busy carrying food trays to private bedrooms and drawing rooms.
