Amtrak dining and cafe service

[MARC Rider]

I'd settle for a train that arrived at the time shown on the printed schedule

However, I do have to give credit to the return of decent dining service.

That should be a train that arrived on time and on the date shown on the ticket.

 

[flitcraft]

Or simply remove the dining car surcharge from sleeper fares, and give both coach and sleeping car passengers a pre-paid dining car option. That way, Amtrak would know how many people really want dining car meals, and it could stock and staff the dining cars appropriately.

I'm worried that they would keep sleeper prices as they are and then charge the pre-paid meal price anyway...

If I trusted Amtrak to actually lower sleeper prices by unbundling food, though, this would be a way to make the dining process more efficient for Amtrak and allow sleeper passengers to decide for themselves how much the dining car fare was worth to them.

 

[blueman271]

I'm worried that they would keep sleeper prices as they are and then charge the pre-paid meal price anyway...

If I trusted Amtrak to actually lower sleeper prices by unbundling food, though, this would be a way to make the dining process more efficient for Amtrak and allow sleeper passengers to decide for themselves how much the dining car fare was worth to them.

I feel like they would follow the airlines lead, which was to price basic economy at the regular economy price and then raise the fare for everything else. So Amtrak would offer an unbundled sleeper option at todays price and then offer a bundled option at a significantly higher price. As always the consumer ends up paying more for less.

 

[NYP2NFL01]

Any update regarding traditional dining’s return to the Silver Service trains? A return date of March 15th was one of several dates mentioned on this thread in the past.

 

[allanorn]

Really feels like Amtrak can’t get anything right with dining.

It's slowly getting better, but we're not at ÖBB level yet: quarterly seasonal menus by a well-established and very good food-service company, identified food allergens, pre-buy and pick-up for 2nd Class (coach), order-at-seat for 1st Class and above, and decent prices.

Obviously a high bar, and I don't ever see us moving back to the service standards of the 1950s. However, we should be aiming beyond restoration to Amtrak levels of service circa 2010.

 

[Skyline]

That would make sleeper fares more like the old Slumbercoach fares, where food (other than coffee/bottled water from the coffee station in the sleeper) was an extra charge (per meal back then).

Idk, I recall paying just a $15 upcharge for slumbercoach in the mid-to-late 1970s. That was on the Broadway Ltd, not a western train, but I think the per-night charge in the West was similar. I think roomettes were about $45 per night. With just an increase because of inflation, it's going to be much higher now.

I do miss the old days.

 

[SteveSFL]

Or simply remove the dining car surcharge from sleeper fares, and give both coach and sleeping car passengers a pre-paid dining car option. That way, Amtrak would know how many people really want dining car meals, and it could stock and staff the dining cars appropriately.

So if you had two people in a roomette on the Zephyr eastbound, that would be three lunches @ $25, two breakfasts @ $20, and two dinners @ $45 times two people makes $410 “dining car surcharge” if my math is right. That would make roomette not too much more than coach fare. Sign me up!

 

[Willbridge]

Idk, I recall paying just a $15 upcharge for slumbercoach in the mid-to-late 1970s. That was on the Broadway Ltd, not a western train, but I think the per-night charge in the West was similar. I think roomettes were about $45 per night. With just an increase because of inflation, it's going to be much higher now.

I do miss the old days.

Effective October 10, 1974 the flat charge for a single Slumbercoach room between Chicago and NYC and intermediate points was $8.25. A double was $15.00.

Slumbercoach fares on the Zephyr for singles scaled up from $7.75 for Chicago to Lincoln and $12.00 for Chicago to Denver. Doubles scaled from $14.00 to $21.00.

 

[MccfamschoolMom]

Effective October 10, 1974 the flat charge for a single Slumbercoach room between Chicago and NYC and intermediate points was $8.25. A double was $15.00.

Slumbercoach fares on the Zephyr for singles scaled up from $7.75 for Chicago to Lincoln and $12.00 for Chicago to Denver. Doubles scaled from $14.00 to $21.00.

It was about in 1980 when I rode Slumbercoach (I think NYC to Chicago, coming back from an academic conference at Yale). I don't remember exactly what the fare was, but I remember I upgraded to Slumbercoach at the last minute and thought it was pretty inexpensive, even being placed in a double instead of a single.

 

[user 14106]

Any update regarding traditional dining’s return to the Silver Service trains? A return date of March 15th was one of several dates mentioned on this thread in the past.

Per earlier reporting in another thread OBS staffing is not where it needs to be for the full rollout so they are launching a soft opening type pilot on the Star only on March 15. This will last about 90 days at which point it would be more formally announced and if all goes well rolled out on the Meteor as well.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

Just off the Silver Meteor - here’s photos of the food. Was a small improvement over the last flex meals I had when they were first introduced. Passengers asked about the chef and one of the attendants said they were starting on the Star today. The passengers said they missed the old dining car and were happy to hear the Chef was coming back.

 

[Palmland]

No doubt when Amtrak brings back full dining on the Star it will offer this for all passengers.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Just off the Silver Meteor - here’s photos of the food.

That food looks like a long haul economy flight meal (but larger). Glad to hear the chef is returning.

 

[BoulderCO]

Where can I get me one of them "Zephyrettes" ?

 

[Seaboarder3023]

https://www.trains.com/trn/news-rev...aunches-silver-star-traditional-dining-pilot/It’s official!

 

[joelkfla]

The bigger question to me is how individual crews are going enforce the limit of 16 coach passengers per mealtime. If I'm going in coach, I'd like to know for certain whether I'm going to be able to buy dinner en route or not, and this sounds like it will basically be a coin toss on many trips.

I was on SWC 3/9-3/11. It was simply first come, first served. After walking the sleepers, the LSA made an announcement for any sleeper passengers who had been missed to come to the diner to make reservations (she did not check the SSL for sleeper passengers.) A little while later, she made an announcement for any coach passengers wanting diner meals to come to the diner immediately to make a reservation for a VERY LIMITED number of available slots.

I spent all of my time in the SSL, and on one meal I went to the diner to make my reservation, and before I left, a coach passenger came in and asked for 3 dinner reservations. The LSA said, "OK, that's it then, I have no more available." So apparently, it wasn't a hard number 16, but whatever was left after sleepers, in this case just 3.

 

[JoshP]

I was on SWC 3/9-3/11. It was simply first come, first served. After walking the sleepers, the LSA made an announcement for any sleeper passengers who had been missed to come to the diner to make reservations (she did not check the SSL for sleeper passengers.) A little while later, she made an announcement for any coach passengers wanting diner meals to come to the diner immediately to make a reservation for a VERY LIMITED number of available slots.

I spent all of my time in the SSL, and on one meal I went to the diner to make my reservation, and before I left, a coach passenger came in and asked for 3 dinner reservations. The LSA said, "OK, that's it then, I have no more available." So apparently, it wasn't a hard number 16, but whatever was left after sleepers, in this case just 3.

I guess the LSA is too lazy and don't want to do 16, but instead 3. Go figures. LSA just lost remaining for revenue. Maybe Amtrak should add add-on options when you purchase ticket online or in app so that way they can track in real time 16 slots can easy fill up and they can be able to prepare exactly meals for everyone including sleepers.

I guess they are too lazy, it's like oh a coach passengers want 3 reservation and thinks it's too much for that LSA and decide to give up and close the dining car just because LSA wants to but Amtrak made it clear, 16 passengers can but not 3. Okay.

Something is wrong here.

 

[railiner]

Where can I get me one of them "Zephyrettes" ?

In your dreams

 

[NYP2NFL01]

https://www.trains.com/trn/news-rev...aunches-silver-star-traditional-dining-pilot/It’s official!

Great news! Looking forward to reading reviews from those who get to experience the change firsthand!

 

[jis]

Great news! Looking forward to reading reviews from those who get to experience the change firsthand!

I will experience it in 8 days when I head out to Alexandria for the RPA Spring Meeting.

 

[AmtrakFlyer]

16 customers sounds like one full seating, in essence 45 mins of extra work for the crew. From what I’ve observed over the last few years each dinner time, 5:15pm, 6:00pm, 6:45pm etc is for about 4 tables (16 customers). So if the crew doesn’t want to do a 4th seating the 16 coach customers are out of luck. I’m sure some bad apple crews might just fill in coach passengers in the seats left after sleepers have got their times and keep it at 3 seatings. This is Amtrak anything’s possible.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Where can I get me one of them "Zephyrettes" ?

If by "get" you mean attended to as if you were a valuable revenue-generating customer rather than a nuisance for staff then Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, & Evergreen Airways. If you mean "get" as in date/marry you might need a time machine.

 

[joelkfla]

https://www.trains.com/trn/news-rev...aunches-silver-star-traditional-dining-pilot/It’s official!

I have a 5/22 trip on the southbound Meteor booked with points. I checked with AGR, and it would cost additional points with a value of about $88 to switch to the Star, and that would be for 1 dinner + 1 bfst. I'll just stick with Flex.

I don't think it's a dining-related fare increase, but just a higher bucket as we're closer to the travel date.

 

[BoulderCO]

If by "get" you mean attended to as if you were a valuable revenue-generating customer rather than a nuisance for staff then Singapore Airlines, Cathay Pacific, Japan Airlines, All Nippon Airways, & Evergreen Airways. If you mean "get" as in date/marry you might need a time machine.

Neither, actually. I was just making a joking reference to the dated job title - similar to the old "Stewardess". A lot of things have changed in our lifetimes!

 

[Cal]

I guess the LSA is too lazy and don't want to do 16, but instead 3. Go figures. LSA just lost remaining for revenue. Maybe Amtrak should add add-on options when you purchase ticket online or in app so that way they can track in real time 16 slots can easy fill up and they can be able to prepare exactly meals for everyone including sleepers.

How did you come up with that? What if the OP was right, and it is just the amount of leftover reservations available? I feel like this is speculation purely on one person's account, which seems like a great way to start false rumors.