Amtrak dining and cafe service

[dlagrua]

My thoughts on making the flex meal better. Instead of giving you cheap overcooked macaroni, I suggest that they follow the formula of meats, vegetables, maybe a small bit of rice and totally eliminate the pasta. A meal needs to include main items like a Veal Cutlet, Marinated Chicken, Ham, Salisbury steak, Falafel (For the vegetarians) and sides of Potato Pancake(or rice), Mixed vegetables and a side salad. I would certainly welcome flex meals like this.

 

[A.H. Rudd]

@Acela150

What we learned from Chestler….They have every intention to formally launch on Silver Service as soon as they can and then follow up on the LSL and the Crescent. We did not get an opportunity to ask about the Eagle and CONO and the Card.

 

[joelkfla]

My thoughts on making the flex meal better. Instead of giving you cheap overcooked macaroni, I suggest that they follow the formula of meats, vegetables, maybe a small bit of rice and totally eliminate the pasta. A meal needs to include main items like a Veal Cutlet, Marinated Chicken, Ham, Salisbury steak, Falafel (For the vegetarians) and sides of Potato Pancake(or rice), Mixed vegetables and a side salad. I would certainly welcome flex meals like this.

I don't think they would be offering pasta if it weren't a popular choice.

Personally, I prefer mediocre pasta over cheap, poorly prepared red meat, or dry, tasteless chicken. It's a relatively safe choice.

 

[jiml]

I don't think they would be offering pasta if it weren't a popular choice.

Personally, I prefer mediocre pasta over cheap, poorly prepared red meat, or dry, tasteless chicken. It's a relatively safe choice.

This is something the airlines established long ago. Not too many flights without a pasta option - it's cheap, hard to mess up and is usually the vegetarian (not vegan) option.

 

[Amtrakfflyer]

The pasta with the plant based meat out west has been a hit with us, even the kids like it.

 

[crescent2]

... Of course, in an ideal world the entire dining car would be needed because coach passengers would be allowed to eat as well so…. Hoping for the future!
...

Yes, I would hope coach pax can also eat in the full service dining cars as in the past. There are long day trip segments on the LD trains that don't require sleeping accommodations but do require meals. Fully bring back the dining cars, please!

I've always enjoyed meals in the dining cars rather than in my compartment even when I've had sleeping accommodations. It's a big part of the experience and a pleasant one, imo.

 

[blueman271]

Now hear this, now hear this.

According to multiple sources aboard a recent run of Amtrak's City of New Orleans, the traditional dining pilot program (currently underway on the Silver Star) will be coming to The Crescent next, and subsequently the City of New Orleans.

To facilitate traditional dining on the Crescent, a Viewliner II diner will be returning to the consist.

I'm also happy to report that a Superliner diner has recently been added back to the regular consist of the CONO, allowing passengers to eat their flex meals in style once again.

@Acela150

What @jis said and what you claimed are not the same thing. The CONO was never mentioned by anyone except you, the Meteor is probably the next train to get traditional dining, and nothing is imminent on the Crescent.

 

[A.H. Rudd]

@blueman271 It's nice to get more info about traditional dining returning to 19/20 from another source. The train is New Orleans crew base. One would think that once the infrastructure is in place to bring traditional dining back, it could expand to the CONO relatively painlessly, if Amtrak wanted to. It's another step toward confirming what the New Orleans-based crew members shared with me recently. It's good news!

 

[jis]

@blueman271 It's nice to get more info about traditional dining returning to 19/20 from another source. The train is New Orleans crew base. One would think that once the infrastructure is in place to bring traditional dining back, it could expand to the CONO relatively painlessly, if Amtrak wanted to. It's another step toward confirming what the New Orleans-based crew members shared with me recently. It's good news!

So you would like a source other than Larry Chestler who literally is the person who decides the sequence, timing and funding of restoration of traditional dining, and which trains will get it in what order? Really?

Restoration will happen to all the trains but the first two are the Silvers, everything is after that.

 

[NYP2NFL01]

Did Amtrak do away with those brownies? That was one aspect of the Flex dining I will miss - they were really good! Personally, I can live without the Butter Cake!

 

[zephyr17]

So you would like a source other than Larry Chestler who literally is the person who decides the sequence, timing and funding of restoration of traditional dining, and which trains will get it in what order? Really?

Restoration will happen to all the trains but the first two are the Silvers, everything is after that.

Information on upcoming events from OBS crew members on has proven wholly reliable. The only superior sources are railfans.

Oops, I forgot the [sarcasm][/sarcasm] tags. My bad.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

Did Amtrak do away with those brownies? That was one aspect of the Flex dining I will miss - they were really good! Personally, I can live without the Butter Cake!

The Meteor had a choice of brownie, butter cake, and no-sugar pudding when I rode a couple of weeks ago.

I’m pretty sure the starlight had those brownies in the cafe as well when I rode earlier in the year.

 

[printman2000]

So with Flex Dining, how do you get your free unlimited soft drinks? Do you go to the dining car? Is bottled water an option?

 

[joelkfla]

So with Flex Dining, how do you get your free unlimited soft drinks? Do you go to the dining car? Is bottled water an option?

You can get additional bottles of water from your SCA, although it's room temperature.

Unlimited soft drinks are only "during meal periods." I think they would be from the diner, unless the diner LSA tells you to ask your SCA. Things work differently on different trains and with different crews.

 

[printman2000]

You can get additional bottles of water from your SCA, although it's room temperature.

Unlimited soft drinks are only "during meal periods." I think they would be from the diner, unless the diner LSA tells you to ask your SCA. Things work differently on different trains and with different crews.

Guess I assumed with the wording above it was unlimited any time you wanted.

 

[pennyk]

Did Amtrak do away with those brownies? That was one aspect of the Flex dining I will miss - they were really good! Personally, I can live without the Butter Cake!

I was served a brownie for dessert with my traditional dining lunch on Silver Star 92 last week; but brownies were not available for dessert with my traditional dining dinner on Silver Star 91 last week.

 

[Bob Dylan]

The Meteor had a choice of brownie, butter cake, and no-sugar pudding when I rode a couple of weeks ago.

I’m pretty sure the starlight had those brownies in the cafe as well when I rode earlier in the year.

I Love Brownies( and anything Chocolate) but don't care for the packaged ones currently served in Amtrak Diners.( the Blondies I like even Less).

My all time favorite Deserts on Amtrak were the Bourbon Pecan Pie on the City of New Orleans, and the New York Style Cheesecake served in the early 2000s on LD Trains! YMMV

 

[joelkfla]

I was served a brownie for dessert with my traditional dining lunch on Silver Star 92 last week; but brownies were not available for dessert with my traditional dining dinner on Silver Star 91 last week.

I can imagine 3 possibilities:

1. They're using up the existing inventory.
2. They're using them as a backup when they run out of "traditional" desserts.
3. They're using them at lunch and saving the "traditional" desserts for dinner.

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

I can imagine 3 possibilities:

1. They're using up the existing inventory.
2. They're using them as a backup when they run out of "traditional" desserts.
3. They're using them at lunch and saving the "traditional" desserts for dinner.

I’m going with possibility number 1.

“Hey, we’ve got just enough time to serve those brownies to the passengers before they go stale! And they’ll think they’re getting an extra treat that we planned carefully just for them!”

 

[crescent-zephyr]

I Love Brownies( and anything Chocolate) but don't care for the packaged ones currently served in Amtrak Diners.( the Blondies I like even Less).

My all time favorite Deserts on Amtrak were the Bourbon Pecan Pie on the City of New Orleans, and the New York Style Cheesecake served in the early 2000s on LD Trains! YMMV

I never understood the appeal of those packaged brownies either. I thought the butter cake was a nice addition to the flex dining.

I remember the cheesecake from that era... it was a very traditional cheesecake often served with a fruit topping. Around that time they also had a really good chocolate mousse that I just loved!

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

I never understood the appeal of those packaged brownies either. I thought the butter cake was a nice addition to the flex dining.

I remember the cheesecake from that era... it was a very traditional cheesecake often served with a fruit topping. Around that time they also had a really good chocolate mousse that I just loved!

I loved that chocolate mousse, too! And a pumpkin something or other — can’t remember if that was a pie or pudding or mousse — but I love anything pumpkin. That butter cake lasted me through three meals! I had a third on the train, and another third each after my next two restaurant meals. Saved me a nice bit of money on restaurant dessert charges!

 

[Gary Moline]

The Meteor had a choice of brownie, butter cake, and no-sugar pudding when I rode a couple of weeks ago.

I’m pretty sure the starlight had those brownies in the cafe as well when I rode earlier in the year.

I had the sugar-free pudding last night aboard the TE.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I don't think they would be offering pasta if it weren't a popular choice.

That makes sense since Flex meals were all about assessing customer desires and meeting expectations.

 

[user 14106]

I was served a brownie for dessert with my traditional dining lunch on Silver Star 92 last week; but brownies were not available for dessert with my traditional dining dinner on Silver Star 91 last week.

Was the choice brownie or butter cake for lunch like with flexible dining?

 

[crescent-zephyr]

Was the choice brownie or butter cake for lunch like with flexible dining?

Yes, at least in my most recent experience on the meteor.