Amtrak dining and cafe service

[IndyLions]

… And for the 1000th time, it sucks - but until Covid is over, there will be no change. Even a small, simple change would require retraining their staff, which they would see as costing money. Therefore it won’t happen until after Covid.

The main law that forced them to cut dining services to the bone - which they have implemented very poorly irrespective of cost - has been taken off the books. But for the 1001st time, there’s not much we can do until the pandemic is over.

 

[Ferroequinologist]

I have ridden several times over the last year. There are quite a few people riding. I just got off the Texas Eagle. Walking through the Coaches every seat was occupied single travelers with two seats to themselves and families. At lunch in the dining car every table was full,even though there should have been spacing. On an Acela in November every seat pair was used and the sleepers seem full on the last few trains I was on. On the EB last week every roomette in my car was full. Only one bedroom was used. Could have been the outrageous price.




Three days on the Sunset/TE was tough with those flexible meals. I understand we are in this pedemic but there has to be better food,short of full dining to serve to passengers who pay a premium in first class. I had the shrimp in lobster sauce last night. The shrimp were almost inedible.I m now at Chicago Union Station. Having a sub at Jersey Mikes is better than anything on their flex menu.

Again it's called flexible dining. We had to make reservations for lunch and dinner..and it's hardly dining..
and how about something besides their "specialty" dessert..the brownie. Thanks to Anderson for foisting this crap on travelers. Never have I seen such a positive spin on a huge downgrade in food that has had such negative response.

You had to reserve a seat in the 'dining car' where you were potentially exposed to Covid due to lack of distancing? Did your attendant not offer room service?

 

[Ferroequinologist]

… And for the 1000th time, it sucks - but until Covid is over, there will be no change. Even a small, simple change would require retraining their staff, which they would see as costing money. Therefore it won’t happen until after Covid.

The main law that forced them to cut dining services to the bone - which they have implemented very poorly irrespective of cost - has been taken off the books. But for the 1001st time, there’s not much we can do until the pandemic is over.

Why would changing their food purveyor require retraining?

 

[IndyLions]

Why would changing their food purveyor require retraining?

For an entity as large as Amtrak, every change requires re-training. At least any change significant enough to make a difference.

Another problem with changing vendors now is that they have no volume to offer. There are probably not going to be too many companies who are anxious to start doing business with Amtrak when the volume is so low.

I think the best we can hope for during this Covid timeframe is for them to start designing a new, better food process they can deploy when the timing is right. Now that Mica has been eliminated and they have a more friendly administration, that should be their focus.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

Another problem with changing vendors now is that they have no volume to offer.

There is no need to change vendors. They just have to change the order from the current vendor.

 

[Sidney]

You had to reserve a seat in the 'dining car' where you were potentially exposed to Covid due to lack of distancing? Did your attendant not offer room service?

Yes..room service was offered but I ate in the dining room. Until that meal every other table was being used. This was the first time every table was occupied. I wonder when and if full service dining returns they will sit four to a table. Unless you are traveling with someone four people at the same table was a bit much. Two,across from each other should be the norm,unless you were traveling with someone

 

[me_little_me]

The excuses:

The staff would need more training - what to handle out a better meal? Sorry, I don't agree that train staff are ignorant.

Mica did it - No, Mica didn't say Amtrak had to pay only a buck for the meals instead of two bucks. Amtrak eliminated the cooks and rest of the dining staff (except for one person) along with their need for rooms (which could then be sold). That alone saved a bundle - far more than the extra buck or two.

Covid did it - No, the cutback was long before Covid was even known to the people in Wuhan. The "flex dining" was spread to the rest of the long distance trains because Amtrak management were too deadheaded to realize that a three day trip with the same 3-4 meals for both lunch and dinner along with the same single dessert was as idiotic an idea as one could come up with or they were determined to use Covid as an excuse to discourage, then dump, the LD trains. Covid also was not the deciding factor for requiring the exact same meals on a whole set of new trains when in fact, if the remaining employee had to be trained to "cook" then hand out food instead of just serving a real meal, they could have been taught how to hand out better food instead.

Amtrak Management is incompetent and uncaring of their customers and their employees - The right answer. How many executives were furloughed?

 

[IndyLions]

There is no need to change vendors. They just have to change the order from the current vendor.

How many times have they changed the specific food items with flex dining? I’m not 100% sure, but it is a bunch.

Do you seriously think that just changing to a different entrée from the same vendor is gonna make any of us any happier? No way. They’re either going to have to change the food they are providing more significantly than that, or change the way they are preparing it.

My bet is either of those changes would be more than they’re prepared to do during the pandemic.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

How many times have they changed the specific food items with flex dining? I’m not 100% sure, but it is a bunch.

Do you seriously think that just changing to a different entrée from the same vendor is gonna make any of us any happier? No way. They’re either going to have to change the food they are providing more significantly than that, or change the way they are preparing it.

My bet is either of those changes would be more than they’re prepared to do during the pandemic.

The vendor hasn’t changed since traditional dining has it?

Was it a different vendor for the salad boxes?

 

[tricia]

...
Do you seriously think that just changing to a different entrée from the same vendor is gonna make any of us any happier? No way. They’re either going to have to change the food they are providing more significantly than that, or change the way they are preparing it.
...

Honestly, I'd be much happier if they offered a good quality mac and cheese with the existing side salad, for example. NOT as happy as eating food freshly prepared, but they could do a heckuva lot better just stocking a better array of entrees. And stocking some breakfast possibilites that aren't either loaded with sugar or a greasy hockey puck of a breakfast sandwich.

None of this would be very costly (might not cost any more, actually--just require the folks choosing what to stock to exercise some competence), nor would it require additional OBS training.

 

[Eric in East County]

We will be traveling back to Ohio next summer and will be staying in a Drury Inn, which offers (or did offer) a buffet style hot breakfast and a picnic-style dinner along with the usual juices, hot beverages, soft drinks, etc. At this point, we have no idea if, next summer, Drury will be offering hot meals, served ether buffet style or brought to our table. Our room will have a microwave, a small two-cup coffee maker, and a small refrigerator. Faced with a choice of eating a cold complementary brownbag meal or preparing a hot meal in our room, we’ll prepare our own. Which brings us to the question we want to ask. What is Amtrak’s policy about preparing personal food in a sleeping car bedroom? (With the many changes which have been brought about by COVID, perhaps the sleeping car bedrooms of the future will each have its own microwave and coffeemaker.)

Eric & Pat

 

[IndyLions]

The vendor hasn’t changed since traditional dining has it?

Was it a different vendor for the salad boxes?

Don’t know for sure - but I’m betting there was training involved when they switched from the box system to the “tray” system.

Honestly, I'd be much happier if they offered a good quality mac and cheese with the existing side salad, for example. NOT as happy as eating food freshly prepared, but they could do a heckuva lot better just stocking a better array of entrees. And stocking some breakfast possibilites that aren't either loaded with sugar or a greasy hockey puck of a breakfast sandwich.

None of this would be very costly (might not cost any more, actually--just require the folks choosing what to stock to exercise some competence), nor would it require additional OBS training.

All I know is they’ve made lots of changes since the rollout, in many cases making changes that were very similar to what was suggested here - and the reviews here haven’t gotten any better.

 

[Sidney]

Pretty much all negative reviews of the flex dining offerings on this and every other forum. Obviously,there has been virtually no change since it's inception on the Capitol and Lake Shore Limited two and a half years ago.

As has been stated here,until this virus is under control and everybody has a vaccination nothing will change. I'm hoping May 21 will be the date full service dining returns. I won't book another journey until then.

 

[OBS]

Don’t know for sure - but I’m betting there was training involved when they switched from the box system to the “tray” system.



All I know is they’ve made lots of changes since the rollout, in many cases making changes that were very similar to what was suggested here - and the reviews here haven’t gotten any better.

Unfortunately, most of Amtrak's training, for these types of things, consists of a memo issued by corporate, which may or may not work its way down to the actual employees needing the info....

 

[flitcraft]

Small changes would make a big difference. Having boxed sandwiches would be an improvement at lunch. Having meal salads with chicken or cheese as a protein for a dinner option would be an improvement. Serving fresh fruit like apples or oranges as a dessert option would be an improvement. Heck, replacing the Fruit Loops with instant unsugared oatmeal would be an improvement and probably a cost savings! How many 6-year-olds are traveling on LD trains these days, anyway?

 

[user 14106]

determined to use Covid as an excuse to discourage, then dump, the LD trains.

I don’t see a conspiracy targeted at the long distance trains - who honestly are riding long distance trains for the experience right now. People are riding - I am still riding but I wouldn’t want to sit with four strangers in the dining car right now. Something like flex dining makes sense right now - no they aren’t the best prepackaged meals around and they could be better, but I just think Amtrak has far bigger fish to fry before they make any food changes namely getting the trains back to daily and reviving suspended corridors and getting the northeast corridor back into some semblance of sustainability - $70 million+ operating losses on the corridor is simply not sustainable and that’s bad news for the entire company. I think talking about F&B for purposes of planning for the post pandemic future makes sense but to expect them to overhaul the flex dining menu now I just think isn’t realistic - and they have made some recent changes adding an additional entree option that has yet to appear on any of the menus . Auto train is a different story because of the larger amount of people to feed at just a couple meal periods - too much work for just one person in the galley.

Once again I don’t see a conspiracy I see reducing F&B costs during a pandemic due to lower ridership. I feel like I’m beating a dead horse but Amtrak has cut F&B and eliminated meal options across the board and has cut frequencies on several services (some state supported routes have been 100% suspended since March and look at VIA rail who has suspended their long distance trains outright during the pandemic - would we rather Amtrak take VIA’s approach?) F&B on the favorite northeast corridor has been cut to the bone including the Acela - this is not just singling out of the long distance trains. Yes meals are more important on long distance but who is really riding for the experience right now - yes I’m sure there’s a few but it can’t be that many.

 

[user 14106]

Small changes would make a big difference. Having boxed sandwiches would be an improvement at lunch. Having meal salads with chicken or cheese as a protein for a dinner option would be an improvement. Serving fresh fruit like apples or oranges as a dessert option would be an improvement. Heck, replacing the Fruit Loops with instant unsugared oatmeal would be an improvement and probably a cost savings! How many 6-year-olds are traveling on LD trains these days, anyway?

I think this is a good idea post pandemic. I think a big improvement to flex dining would be a sandwich or salad choice at lunch and some better thought to breakfast. Won’t happen with the pandemic still raging as they’ve pretty much cut fresh sandwiches and salads across the board (can’t get them in any of the cafes right now either) but I wish they’d consider this post pandemic.

 

[Ferroequinologist]

I think this is a good idea post pandemic. I think a big improvement to flex dining would be a sandwich or salad choice at lunch and some better thought to breakfast. Won’t happen with the pandemic still raging as they’ve pretty much cut fresh sandwiches and salads across the board (can’t get them in any of the cafes right now either) but I wish they’d consider this post pandemic.

The pandemic is being used as an excuse for a lot of things, not just by Amtrak. Sometimes it's valid but other times it's an excuse. Sorry, but I simply fail to see how Amtrak management is SO busy that they can't make some improvements NOW rather than when the pandemic is over - that could be a long time from now. As for the return of full-service dining, I don't think it will happen ever. Also I don't think a lot of people care these days. Many dislike sitting with strangers anyway. Improve the quality of room service meals as well as improve cafe car offerings.

 

[joelkfla]

I think this is a good idea post pandemic. I think a big improvement to flex dining would be a sandwich or salad choice at lunch and some better thought to breakfast. Won’t happen with the pandemic still raging as they’ve pretty much cut fresh sandwiches and salads across the board (can’t get them in any of the cafes right now either) but I wish they’d consider this post pandemic.

Sandwiches don't have to be prepared fresh. There are lots of vending machines in lots of break rooms that have sandwiches prepared and packaged in a catering kitchen. I believe they have a shelf life of several days.

Certainly a pre-made, packaged sandwich is not as desirable as a fresh-made one, but it might be a welcome change for lunch on the train.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

Sandwiches don't have to be prepared fresh. There are lots of vending machines in lots of break rooms that have sandwiches prepared and packaged in a catering kitchen. I believe they have a shelf life of several days.

Certainly a pre-made, packaged sandwich is not as desirable as a fresh-made one, but it might be a welcome change for lunch on the train.

The sandwiches on Amtrak are never really fresh. Lol.

The “fresh” salads and sandwiches were cut from the cafe menu during the pandemic. Most likely because of the shelf life.

 

[user 14106]

The sandwiches on Amtrak are never really fresh. Lol.

The “fresh” salads and sandwiches were cut from the cafe menu during the pandemic. Most likely because of the shelf life.

Why am I not surprised to hear that? That part of the menu always said “fresh selections” or something to that effect but not surprised if they aren’t actually that fresh. Maybe fresh compared to the microwave “hot favorites” or whatever they call it.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

Why am I not surprised to hear that? That part of the menu always said “fresh selections” or something to that effect but not surprised if they aren’t actually that fresh. Maybe fresh compared to the microwave “hot favorites” or whatever they call it.

They were fresh compared to the frozen cheeseburgers and pizzas!

 

[Bob Dylan]

They were fresh compared to the frozen cheeseburgers and pizzas!

I remember on the Cardinal when the LSA that served as Chef,Server and Bottle Washer for Sleeper passengers, would assemble Sandwiches @ Lunch using Cold cuts,Cheese, and Lettuce and Sliced Tomatoes with your Choice of Mayo or Mustard on Good tasting Bread.

Best tasting Sandwiches I've had on an Amtrak Train, even during the Specially Trained Chef days!

 

[user 14106]

My favorite in the regional cafes was the Vermont cheddar Mac and cheese. Sadly cut of course during the pandemic.

 

[jiml]

I remember on the Cardinal when the LSA that served as Chef,Server and Bottle Washer for Sleeper passengers, would assemble Sandwiches @ Lunch using Cold cuts,Cheese, and Lettuce and Sliced Tomatoes with your Choice of Mayo or Mustard on Good tasting Bread.

Best tasting Sandwiches I've had on an Amtrak Train, even during the Specially Trained Chef days!

It was my experience, after several Cardinal trips, that their cafe attendants often "made lemonade when given lemons", since that train had inferior food long before the rest of the system.