Amtrak dining and cafe service

[20th Century Rider]

I too was on the CONO this past week from Chicago to New Orleans and back in a bedroom (in the sleeper car).

We were supposed to have FLEX dining. Not only did we NOT have a dining car either way--there was NO Amtrak food loaded onto the trains before departure for the sleeper cars either southbound or northbound.

On Southbound trip : We were offered a breakfast sandwich or a muffin for breakfast from the cafe car. For lunch we received a boxed sub, chips, and cookie from a deli in Mississippi they brought in on a stop.

Northbound several days later we departed mid afternoon and flex dining menus were personally handed out to each room by an attendant going through the sleeper as we were departing NOLA.
Well that was an OOPS! Another attendant shortly thereafter came around and said SORRY-- NO supper was loaded onto the train so we will stop and get subs from the same Mississippi deli place as before. I asked for a glass of wine for dinner with my sub. Was told it wasn't available.
For breakfast it was the same muffin or breakfast sandwich offering--which we didn't even bother with.

That's not what I wanted or planned to eat.

I paid for flex dining with a menu --which was not provided. I will plan to contact customer service about this and request a refund for food and services not provided.

Has anyone had experience with this kind of situation?

Adding grief to misery! Flex is bad enough but now we're hearing more and more about food not getting boarded onto trains. The CONO and TE seem to be getting hit the most... and there's no excuse for food not being boarded in CHI which is a major Amtrak hub. What gives Amtrak???

I'm sure customer service is being inundated with complaints... and perhaps the 'service' part of customer service is declining as well.

Sleeper car passengers should now always be prepared for food service problems which are occurring more and more frequently. Will be on the CONO next Feb and will stock up on dinner and food items available around the station.

And as all this is going on, those fares just seem to be going up and up

 

[river]

I actually boarded the southbound CONO in Homewood at 8:45 pm (first stop after Chicago) so didn't expect supper. I didn't know there was no food for the sleepers until breakfast the next morning. The attendant said there was no supper last night for the sleeping cars, so don't know what they did for supper. And this was a sold out train.

















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[Sidney]

Totally unacceptable. Amtrak has hit a new low with this and other horror stories about pulling roomettes at the last minute and cancelling trains. Ask for a full refund.

 

[joelkfla]

It's time for letters to congressmen.

 

[20th Century Rider]

Totally unacceptable. Amtrak has hit a new low with this and other horror stories about pulling roomettes at the last minute and cancelling trains. Ask for a full refund.

It's time for letters to congressmen.

Environmental sustainability? There's Amtrak while it's still running.

After that, shall we walk or perhaps take a bike?

Is anyone in DC listening?

 

[PaTrainFan]

They pinch pennies on the one hand, yet what is the cost of the vouchers they constantly hand out for shoddy experiences? I vaguely recall an IG report a few years ago that spelled this out. And there is the huge cost of losing forever first time Amtrak riders. Of course, there is a large cohort of those who have no idea they can get recompense for poor service and they don't bother.

 

[river]

On our recent City of New Orleans round trip, I was traveling with 4 additional companions, so we had two roomettes and one bedroom. I paid for 3 round trip sleeping car rooms and none of us got the standard, expected meals with this trip.

Does anyone know the "worth" of the breakfast, lunch, and dinner of the flex dining menu when Amtrak determines the accomodation charge. For example I read that traditional dining for dinner is valued at $45. I assume the Flex Dining menu may be valued at a slightly lower rate.
I would like to do the math and see what the meals are worth according to Amtrak so I can determine at a minimum what I should be refunded. This issue of sleeping car meals not being loaded on to the CONO at 2 major Amtrak hubs (Chicago and New Orleans) diminished our enjoyment of our trip.

I will not go into the additional gross toilet problem that we had in our bedroom on this thread...we are talking food.
I will save that for my communication with Amtrak.

 

[trimetbusfan]

On our recent City of New Orleans round trip, I was traveling with 4 additional companions, so we had two roomettes and one bedroom. I paid for 3 round trip sleeping car rooms and none of us got the standard, expected meals with this trip.

Does anyone know the "worth" of the breakfast, lunch, and dinner of the flex dining menu when Amtrak determines the accomodation charge. For example I read that traditional dining for dinner is valued at $45. I assume the Flex Dining menu may be valued at a slightly lower rate.
I would like to do the math and see what the meals are worth according to Amtrak so I can determine at a minimum what I should be refunded. This issue of sleeping car meals not being loaded on to the CONO at 2 major Amtrak hubs (Chicago and New Orleans) diminished our enjoyment of our trip.

I will not go into the additional gross toilet problem that we had in our bedroom on this thread...we are talking food.
I will save that for my communication with Amtrak.

I would expect a couple of hundred dollars in compensation at least. Especially considering you had multiple rooms and multiple issues.

 

[20th Century Rider]

On our recent City of New Orleans round trip, I was traveling with 4 additional companions, so we had two roomettes and one bedroom. I paid for 3 round trip sleeping car rooms and none of us got the standard, expected meals with this trip.

Does anyone know the "worth" of the breakfast, lunch, and dinner of the flex dining menu when Amtrak determines the accomodation charge. For example I read that traditional dining for dinner is valued at $45. I assume the Flex Dining menu may be valued at a slightly lower rate.
I would like to do the math and see what the meals are worth according to Amtrak so I can determine at a minimum what I should be refunded. This issue of sleeping car meals not being loaded on to the CONO at 2 major Amtrak hubs (Chicago and New Orleans) diminished our enjoyment of our trip.

I will not go into the additional gross toilet problem that we had in our bedroom on this thread...we are talking food.
I will save that for my communication with Amtrak.

I've been told by car attendants that those flex meals are available to Amtrak staff for $25 [HAHA!] They aren't worth it. However your refund should be reflective of the inconvenience and overall poor customer service... They should give you a travel credit voucher of a few hundred dollars for inconvenience and poor customer service. Best of luck to you.

 

[Cal]

I too was on the CONO this past week from Chicago to New Orleans and back in a bedroom (in the sleeper car).

We were supposed to have FLEX dining. Not only did we NOT have a dining car either way--there was NO Amtrak food loaded onto the trains before departure for the sleeper cars either southbound or northbound.

On Southbound trip : We were offered a breakfast sandwich or a muffin for breakfast from the cafe car. For lunch we received a boxed sub, chips, and cookie from a deli in Mississippi they brought in on a stop.

Northbound several days later we departed mid afternoon and flex dining menus were personally handed out to each room by an attendant going through the sleeper as we were departing NOLA.
Well that was an OOPS! Another attendant shortly thereafter came around and said SORRY-- NO supper was loaded onto the train so we will stop and get subs from the same Mississippi deli place as before. I asked for a glass of wine for dinner with my sub. Was told it wasn't available.
For breakfast it was the same muffin or breakfast sandwich offering--which we didn't even bother with.

That's not what I wanted or planned to eat.

I paid for flex dining with a menu --which was not provided. I will plan to contact customer service about this and request a refund for food and services not provided.

Has anyone had experience with this kind of situation?

You know it’s bad when we’re disappointed we didn’t get flex…

 

[20th Century Rider]

They pinch pennies on the one hand, yet what is the cost of the vouchers they constantly hand out for shoddy experiences? I vaguely recall an IG report a few years ago that spelled this out. And there is the huge cost of losing forever first time Amtrak riders. Of course, there is a large cohort of those who have no idea they can get recompense for poor service and they don't bother.

Makes no sense! Or $cents!

 

[20th Century Rider]

You know it’s bad when we’re disappointed we didn’t get flex…

For some reason the CONO has problems boarding meals... that shouldn't be especially in Chicago from which departs at around 8 LD depending on the day.

 

[Old MM]

Well if it's any consolation... we're not missing much as far as those Flex meals. I'm eyeing a circle trip of sorts for the fall, Wolv to Chicago and then CONO (first time) to NOL for an overnight and then the Crescent up to Durham, NC (involves transfer at Greensboro). Not going to count on any decent food (but please have those fabulous brownies or cakes) on either of the LD trains.
CONO departs Chicago late, 8 pm. I don't eat dinner that late so no issues there. If I can get coffee in the morning can hold off on getting a meal until later. I'll bring snacks. Interestingly, it's proving to be difficult finding a train with rooms available, they must book up way in advance. For all of our complaints about Amtrak food, those trains are selling out. I can only surmise, not much incentive to improve anything when they continue to sell out.

 

[20th Century Rider]

Well if it's any consolation... we're not missing much as far as those Flex meals. I'm eyeing a circle trip of sorts for the fall, Wolv to Chicago and then CONO (first time) to NOL for an overnight and then the Crescent up to Durham, NC (involves transfer at Greensboro). Not going to count on any decent food (but please have those fabulous brownies or cakes) on either of the LD trains.
CONO departs Chicago late, 8 pm. I don't eat dinner that late so no issues there. If I can get coffee in the morning can hold off on getting a meal until later. I'll bring snacks. Interestingly, it's proving to be difficult finding a train with rooms available, they must book up way in advance. For all of our complaints about Amtrak food, those trains are selling out. I can only surmise, not much incentive to improve anything when they continue to sell out.

Hi Michigan Mom! Just booked the CONO for February both to and from Chicago... was able to get a mid bucket rate on a room; and always order the kosher meals which seem to offer a little more than the flex; are average quality but they do fill me up; and like you I enjoy bringing my own snacks and drinks along.

BTW the CONO does serve dinner immediately upon departure from CHI so you do have something if you do decide on a late eve supper.

Looks like you are planning a scenic and enjoyable trip to view those fall colors!

 

[tricia]

... Interestingly, it's proving to be difficult finding a train with rooms available, they must book up way in advance. For all of our complaints about Amtrak food, those trains are selling out. I can only surmise, not much incentive to improve anything when they continue to sell out.

Depending on the route you're looking at, some of those "sold out" trains might have had one or more of their usual sleeping cars removed. See other thread currently buzzing with accounts of this.

 

[20th Century Rider]

Depending on the route you're looking at, some of those "sold out" trains might have had one or more of their usual sleeping cars removed. See other thread currently buzzing with accounts of this.

It is indeed very hard to find rooms... was able to organize some extensive trips... but couldn't find anything until just after Thanksgiving... and in the mid bucket range. 1st trip is in late Nov to mid Dec... EUG to NYP. A second trip is planned for late January... trans con, and another from EUG to NOL.

Each itinerary took several hours of calling res until I got a good agent... and as most know... its best to call back if the agent doesn't seem to be able to handle a complex itinerary... or who constantly has to check with a supervisor.

It's doable with patience patience patience... and a lot of flexibility.

 

[river]

Well, I wrote and sent my refund request email to Amtrak this afternoon. I explained that we did not receive the 20 flex meals we were entitled to (5 passengers x 4 missed meals =20 meals.) which I understand are valued at $25 each--because Amtrak staff did not load the meals onto the trains. Perhaps there were none to load, but that's not acceptable. These trains were sold out.
I also mentioned the bedroom toilet issue (but I suspect they've heard a lot about plumbing issues and may unfortunately be hardened over that).
We'll see what response I get. I will report back when I hear back--which may be awhile.

 

[20th Century Rider]

Well, I wrote and sent my refund request email to Amtrak this afternoon. I explained that we did not receive the 20 flex meals we were entitled to (5 passengers x 4 missed meals =20 meals.) which I understand are valued at $25 each--because Amtrak staff did not load the meals onto the trains. Perhaps there were none to load, but that's not acceptable. These trains were sold out.
I also mentioned the bedroom toilet issue (but I suspect they've heard a lot about plumbing issues and may unfortunately be hardened over that).
We'll see what response I get. I will report back when I hear back--which may be awhile.

Do call and ask to be switched to a customer service agent; unfortunately getting through may take a grrrrrrreat deal of time and patience. But once you actually get through and explain all, you may get a full refund. Not only were you not given what you paid for, but you suffered duress which hurt your journey/vacation. I think many AU'ers would agree and estimate you will get a full refund... and if not that, travel credit vouchers that could be used by each individual member of your travel party... which would far exceed the 5 pax x four meals = 20 meals, or $500.

When you call you'll get more compensation if you show empathy for these customer service agents who deal with angry passengers every day. Please let us know how you do!

 

[trimetbusfan]

Well, I wrote and sent my refund request email to Amtrak this afternoon. I explained that we did not receive the 20 flex meals we were entitled to (5 passengers x 4 missed meals =20 meals.) which I understand are valued at $25 each--because Amtrak staff did not load the meals onto the trains. Perhaps there were none to load, but that's not acceptable. These trains were sold out.
I also mentioned the bedroom toilet issue (but I suspect they've heard a lot about plumbing issues and may unfortunately be hardened over that).
We'll see what response I get. I will report back when I hear back--which may be awhile.

Be aware it might take quite a while (weeks, if not longer) to get a response by email. When you call, you will be usually be given compensation once your connected and explain the situation. Of course, the downside to that is not being able to explain the full situation of your trip.

 

[river]

The thing is, the trip was fine with the exception of the food and the bedroom toilet malfunction. The rooms otherwise were fine and the attendants were all great. I just want to be fairly compensated for what we weren't provided. I have traveled on a lot of Amtrak long distance trains and I know exactly what good and expected service is and that's what I consistently received on them. This CONO trip really missed the mark.

 

[20th Century Rider]

The thing is, the trip was fine with the exception of the food and the bedroom toilet malfunction. The rooms otherwise were fine and the attendants were all great. I just want to be fairly compensated for what we weren't provided. I have traveled on a lot of Amtrak long distance trains and I know exactly what good and expected service is and that's what I consistently received on them. This CONO trip really missed the mark.

Yes... but frankly I would be quite miffed if there was no food boarded for an overnight trip of that doesn't arrive til 3pm the next day. Did they at least allow you food from the cafe car??? That would certainly be a big factor!

 

[river]

Yes they gave us a submarine, chip, and cookie lunch box from a deli in Jackson MS -twice. SB is was for lunch and NB is was for dinner. They also said we could have a breakfast sandwich/muffin from the cafe both mornings.
But I didn't want that--I wanted the Sleeper car menu and food that I choose. I wanted a glass of wine. (Attendant said there wasn't any.) It wasn't what we paid for. And I paid a LOT--for our sleeper accomodations.
And I do know flex dining is mediocre at best. We had such a great experience on the SW Chief with their traditional dining. Getting subs from a deli isn't my definition of the dining experience we paid for--even though it was flex dining.

 

[20th Century Rider]

Yes they gave us a submarine, chip, and cookie lunch box from a deli in Jackson MS -twice. SB is was for lunch and NB is was for dinner. They also said we could have a breakfast sandwich/muffin from the cafe both mornings.
But I didn't want that--I wanted the Sleeper car menu and food that I choose. I wanted a glass of wine. (Attendant said there wasn't any.) It's wasn't what we paid for. We paid for flex dining.

They should have given you wine which they usually have at the cafe car. No doubt you've been wronged; when the Attendant said there wasn't any wine, they may have not considered the cafe?

Anyway you were wronged and should anticipate the compensation will be far greater than the lack of meal service. Again, let us know how you do with customer service... and know two things:

1] contact by phone brings quicker resolution

2] empathy for their having to deal with so many upset customers who have had Amtrak mishaps and your kindness towards them will yield more compensation. Take my word for it... they know how you feel!

 

[zephyr17]

The thing is, the trip was fine with the exception of the food and the bedroom toilet malfunction. (Italics added)

"Aside from that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?"

You are a more forgiving person than I am.

 

[20th Century Rider]

"Aside from that, Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?"

You are a more forgiving person than I am.

Wow... you said that really well... and I so do agree with you!

BTW where in WA State are you from; that is if u care to share?
I'm just to the south on the OR coast. Kind-a fun to locate other AU'ers in the area