Amtrak dining and cafe service

[20th Century Rider]

Just found the Acela 1st class menu... it is posted on Amtrak's website... and seems to be improved above and beyond the previous COVID cutbacks. Looking forward to seeing what happens when full service dining is supposed to go into effect in May.

https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/...utes/Acela-First-Class-Food-Beverage-Menu.pdf

 

[Bob Dylan]

The Jimmy Dean Breakfast Sandwich doesnt belong on the Acela First Class Menu, for that matter it doesnt belong on any Amtrak Train IMO.

 

[Sidney]

Why can't they add sandwiches and soup and something other than a brownie for dessert? I don't think Amtrak listens to any customer feedback.

 

[PaTrainFan]

Fine, improvement is needed but until "full meal service" returns I will not be placated.

 

[user 14106]

Just found the Acela 1st class menu... it is posted on Amtrak's website... and seems to be improved above and beyond the previous COVID cutbacks. Looking forward to seeing what happens when full service dining is supposed to go into effect in May.

https://www.amtrak.com/content/dam/...utes/Acela-First-Class-Food-Beverage-Menu.pdf

Yes the omelette meal is the same that will now be available on flex dining. The enchiladas meal also appears to be the same and the short ribs sounds similar to the braised beef on the flex meals.

 

[user 14106]

For me the breakfast is a huge improvement if the omelette is decent. My two biggest complaints have been breakfast and the lack of lighter lunch choices - with those two I can live with flex dining in the East. While I know some don’t like the dinner entrees I am ok with the ones I have had (though the enchiladas don’t look appetizing and I haven’t tried the braised beef one.) They are allowing a cafe car choice on Acela first - if they brought that to flex dining as well that would help with lunch. On the trains with VL2 diners you just stock some of the cafe car items in the VL2 galley - should be doable.

 

[Mailliw]

Agreed they need dessert options other than a brownie or blonde even if it's something as simple as a packaged yogurt parfait or fruit cocktail.

 

[Cal]

Yes the omelette meal is the same that will now be available on flex dining. The enchiladas meal also appears to be the same and the short ribs sounds similar to the braised beef on the flex meals.

From a picture posted from the youtuber "Simply_Railway" on his Instagram story, it looks to be all identical to flex dining. There are three flex dining meals shown in the post, I'm guessing they are the ribs, teriyaki, and the enchiladas.

 

[Cal]

Agreed they need dessert options other than a brownie or blonde even if it's something as simple as a packaged yogurt parfait or fruit cocktail.

I do agree, but when I had the Blondie, it was NOT bad! I enjoyed them.

 

[user 14106]

From a picture posted from the youtuber "Simply_Railway" on his Instagram story, it looks to be all identical to flex dining. There are three flex dining meals shown in the post, I'm guessing they are the ribs, teriyaki, and the enchiladas.

They will have the ribs which are very similar to flex dining, the same enchiladas, and a salmon option. Same tray and same black Plastic container - clearly they are standardizing on this vendor.

 

[user 14106]

Photo of the new short ribs entree on Acela - clearly same vendor as flex dining...... with the blondee in the salad holder!

 

[user 14106]

I do agree, but when I had the Blondie, it was NOT bad! I enjoyed them.

I actually like the blondes/brownies they serve, and I confess I actually like the jimmy dean sandwiches in the morning. Although my favorite is the brown sugar cake that’s on the auto train in the mornings.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

I do agree, but when I had the Blondie, it was NOT bad! I enjoyed them.

I mean the Cheerios I had weren’t bad either...

 

[Cal]

I actually like the blondes/brownies they serve, and I confess I actually like the jimmy dean sandwiches in the morning. Although my favorite is the brown sugar cake that’s on the auto train in the mornings.

Never bee on the Auto Train, would love to!

 

[Cal]

I mean the Cheerios I had weren’t bad either...

I mean how do you mess up Cheerios?

 

[20th Century Rider]

The Jimmy Dean Breakfast Sandwich doesn't belong on the Acela First Class Menu, for that matter it doesnt belong on any Amtrak Train IMO.

I had the Jimmy Dean breakfast bowl on the EB coming into PDX. It was fatty and salty and after eating just a little bit of it my tummy told me 'no more of this!'

"This is the stuff of Flex Meals!"

 

[20th Century Rider]

Photo of the new short ribs entree on Acela - clearly same vendor as flex dining...... with the blondee in the salad holder!

Very disappointing... anything that mimics the flex flop is to me disgusting. But at least in the photo it's not floating around in the salty liquid 'chemically enhanced food extender.'

But please please please... !!! Spare me from another 3" salad and brownie! They are so so so nothing! ☹

 

[Cal]

I had the Jimmy Dean breakfast bowl on the EB coming into PDX. It was fatty and salty and after eating just a little bit of it my tummy told me 'no more of this!'

"This is the stuff of Flex Meals!"

View attachment 20827

View attachment 20828

I don't hate them

 

[Sidney]

The Jimmy Dean Breakfast Sandwich makes the Egg McMuffin,Burger King Crossanwiches,Hardees and Wendy's breakfast sandwiches taste like gourmet meals. It's that microwaved factor.

 

[20th Century Rider]

The Jimmy Dean Breakfast Sandwich makes the Egg McMuffin,Burger King Crossanwiches,Hardees and Wendy's breakfast sandwiches taste like gourmet meals. It's that microwaved factor.

And all the fat and sodium included there within. It's all about that congealed glutinous oily and salty fat that destroys your arteries. Uh Huh!

 

[fdaley]

Some of the stuff on the new Acela menu seems a bit downmarket for First Class (e.g. the Jimmy Dean sandwich), and if it's presented the same way it is on the LD trains, it will all seem below par. Really, if you're a well-dressed business traveler, which a lot of people in Acela First are, do you really want to be trying to manage a super greasy breakfast sandwich while the train is hurtling along at 120? It also goes back to value for the price paid. If you book a room at a Hilton or Hyatt, you'd expect breakfast options that would be somewhat better than McDonald's food still in its takeout wrapper.

In terms of the LD trains, if the flex menu will now include an omelette for breakfast, I'd definitely consider that an improvement over the current offerings. But it's the kind of improvement that maybe makes it 10 percent more likely (vs. 0 percent now) that I'd consider taking a 12- or 15-hour trip on one of these trains if I really needed to get somewhere. The whole flex concept and presentation is still just a real turnoff to me. There's no way I'd plan a cross-country family vacation with that same menu for lunch and dinner day after day.

 

[20th Century Rider]

Some of the stuff on the new Acela menu seems a bit downmarket for First Class (e.g. the Jimmy Dean sandwich), and if it's presented the same way it is on the LD trains, it will all seem below par. Really, if you're a well-dressed business traveler, which a lot of people in Acela First are, do you really want to be trying to manage a super greasy breakfast sandwich while the train is hurtling along at 120? It also goes back to value for the price paid. If you book a room at a Hilton or Hyatt, you'd expect breakfast options that would be somewhat better than McDonald's food still in its takeout wrapper.

In terms of the LD trains, if the flex menu will now include an omelette for breakfast, I'd definitely consider that an improvement over the current offerings. But it's the kind of improvement that maybe makes it 10 percent more likely (vs. 0 percent now) that I'd consider taking a 12- or 15-hour trip on one of these trains if I really needed to get somewhere. The whole flex concept and presentation is still just a real turnoff to me. There's no way I'd plan a cross-country family vacation with that same menu for lunch and dinner day after day.

A band aid on the tummy to fix a ruptured spleen is probably a good comparable. So sorry... but those little 5" plastic dinner plates that coat the food with carcinogenic melted plastic, the 3" salad cups with three lettuce leaves and a small cherry tomato [the shaved carrot slivers were eliminated to cut costs] just have me in a place where at my advanced age don't want to waste my minutes or my money on this cheepo dorito misquito stuff ... not interested. Will find another way to spend my points... then just relegate to car trips where I have some control over the quality of the experience.

An omelet for breakfast? Followed by those 5" 5 oz disgust mini trays of chemically induced food product. No.



No.

 

[fdaley]

On the plus side, at least they have Ketel One.

 

[Mailliw]

This wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I said long distance trains should serve the same quality food as First Class on the Acela.

 

[Cal]

This wasn't exactly what I had in mind when I said long distance trains should serve the same quality food as First Class on the Acela.

Well, that's on you for not being specific! But hey, at least they used your suggestion...