Amtrak dining and cafe service

[Sidney]

Unfair! I stayed at a Motel 6 recently. Discouraging. NOTHING but coffee. Also, a substandard sliver of soap and substandard towel. From now on, it's the luxurious Quality Inn for me!!

Motel 6 has always just offered coffee. Hopefully as things ease Wyndham and Choice Hotels will be offering decent breakfasts again.

 

[toddinde]

Especially when the tr

They way I recall pre-Amtrak times, was that each passenger would have a blank check in front of them with the menu, and there was a cup with some pencil stubs to write with. Nothing was pre-printed. No boxes to check. You actually printed out your menu choices. Then the waiter would come by, pick up your check, and review your selections, and clarify certain items, and ask "how would you like that steak?, etc.
It amazed me how they could read some rather illegible handwriting...

The main reason for having the passengers write their selections themselves, was to prevent waste, in case the passenger disputed what they had ordered.

After the meal, the steward came around with the totaled amount on each check, and collected...either in cash, or the rarely held, Rail Travel Credit Card.

I remember how the track back in the day was not always the best, and what a challenge it was to write those checks out with the pencils. Thanks for the memory!

 

[Bob Dylan]

Well before "flexible dining," CONO disappointed. They went to sandwiches and did not even include a muffaletta! No sense of place!

Sad, but at least the CONO serves 3 of the Best " Foodie" Cities in the US.( Chicago,Memphis and New Orleans)

 

[railiner]

Rail Travel Credit Card. Are any of those still around and/or are any good currently?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rail_Travel_Card

Long gone.
One of the first improvements made by Amtrak, was the widespread acceptance of the major credit cards, both in stations, and on board trains.
When I first started riding the rails, I did not have sufficient credit history to obtain a Rail Travel Card, so my father 'subscribed', and got a card for me.
I recall that whenever I paid my diner check, I was the only one in sight to have one of those cards...

 

[Cal]

It seems that the City of New Orleans will also retain flexible dining; not just the East coast. So, if you're going to New Orleans from Chicago, get ready to experience flexible dining. Hope that changes. Texas Eagle goes back to traditional.

CONO is an eastern train

 

[railiner]

CONO is an eastern train

Geographically, in the eastern half of the US, I agree...but when speaking of railroads, I believe the historic Illinois Central, was classified as a "Western" RR...

 

[Cal]

Geographically, in the eastern half of the US, I agree...but when speaking of railroads, I believe the historic Illinois Central, was classified as a "Western" RR...

Amtrak defines "eastern" as east of the Mississippi, last I checked anyway

 

[crescent-zephyr]

Amtrak defines "eastern" as east of the Mississippi, last I checked anyway

I usually consider all of the Superliner trains “western” trains... probably cause that’s how I grew up with them. (Anyone else remember riding in the vista dome on the city of New Orleans and Capitol? Those were the days!).

 

[railiner]

Amtrak defines "eastern" as east of the Mississippi, last I checked anyway

IIRC, back when Amtrak had the regional All Aboard Fares, the City of New Orleans divided the eastern and central zones, and it was included in both...

 

[jiml]

IIRC, back when Amtrak had the regional All Aboard Fares, the City of New Orleans divided the eastern and central zones, and it was included in both...

Yes, it could be combined with a regional ticket from either side.

 

[dlagrua]

According to the RPA, 7 day service will return between May 24th and June 7th . I take it to mean that regular dining service will return on the Western Trains but not on the Eastern Routes. The sad thing is that acceptable "contemporary dining" can be served on the Eastern routes. The original Cardinal menu might not have been terrific but sure better than those cheap high carb spaghetti meals that Amtrak is serving now to its highest paying customers.

 

[me_little_me]

According to the RPA, 7 day service will return between May 24th and June 7th . I take it to mean that regular dining service will return on the Western Trains but not on the Eastern Routes. The sad thing is that acceptable "contemporary dining" can be served on the Eastern routes. The original Cardinal menu might not have been terrific but sure better than those cheap high carb spaghetti meals that Amtrak is serving now to its highest paying customers.

Absolutely correct. Unless Amtrak plans to upgrade the garbage (but hasn't said anything), there are few eastern trains for me. I'll be driving to Hinton, WV to avoid using the Crescent to WAS then CL to Chicago or Crescent to NOL then CONO to Chicago for my Colorado trip because of the crap meals. At least, there is only one dinner and one breakfast I have to stomach on the Cardinal so it's either pick up a meal prior to boarding (so only one dinner and one breakfast total) or try the kosher meals. Since I've never had them, I'll probably go for the latter for convenience.

 

[nferr]

The eastbound Lake Shore leaves Chicago at 9:30 at night, arrives in Albany at 2:30 the next afternoon (and often more like 4 p.m. if late), and Boston at 8-10 p.m. So that's multiple meal periods. There's no way I would book a family vacation using the Lake Shore or Capitol with the current meal service, and no way I'd recommend it to anyone else. A bedroom for two on the Lake Shore still costs about $750 a night at the lowest bucket that's ever available. I could imagine toughing it out if traveling alone in a roomette, but it really has zero appeal to me. The breakfast doesn't even meet the Motel 6 standard.

Yeah, but the eastbound Lake Shore doesn't serve dinner leaving Chicago. So you're still talking a breakfast and basically one meal. Eastbound Capital serves a dinner and breakfast. So I don't see the difference.

 

[fdaley]

Unless Amtrak plans to upgrade the garbage (but hasn't said anything), there are few eastern trains for me. I'll be driving to Hinton, WV to avoid using the Crescent

This is how I feel. From upstate New York, I'm looking at my options for driving to Illinois or Michigan (if more Wolverine service is restored) for a family trip out west next winter. The Lake Shore to me is just an abomination now. We could spend two nights in hotels each way, drive at a leisurely pace, have much better meals and still save money over the Amtrak sleeper price -- and maybe see a few sights along the way.

And for trips I used to take on the Crescent, there's the day train to Lynchburg or Roanoke, and a rental car for anything beyond.

 

[JC_620]

As far as the LSL goes, I understand that some westbound pax who arrive into Albany either from NYC or Boston are jumping off and grabbing something at a few of the local restaurants for a takeout type dinner in Albany before continuing to Chicago. That is what I would do myself. Makes sense if there is a layover and time allows anyways.

Why bring traditional dining service only to the western trains but not the eastern ones?

 

[tim49424]

Why bring traditional dining service only to the western trains but not the eastern ones?

Amtrak seems to be restoring things to pre-pandemic service. The traditional dining service on the eastern trains was discontinued in 2018, with the exception of the Auto train.

 

[fdaley]

As far as the LSL goes, I understand that some westbound pax who arrive into Albany either from NYC or Boston are jumping off and grabbing something at a few of the local restaurants for a takeout type dinner in Albany before continuing to Chicago. That is what I would do myself. Makes sense if there is a layover and time allows anyways.

Why bring traditional dining service only to the western trains but not the eastern ones?

Because of the Albany station location in Rensselaer, there really are only a couple of places within plausible walking distance, though perhaps one could get delivery from someplace across the river. The trip for me usually starts at Albany, so I suppose we could bring dinner aboard with us. But when three of us travel across country, we usually have two big roller bags, two backpacks, a couple of smaller bags, a walker, and my wife rides in a wheelchair. We get assistance from the station staff once we get inside, but I don't think I'd want to introduce a couple bags of dinner into that process -- especially if the dinner containers need to be kept upright. And really, for $700-plus per night, I don't see why I should have to go to that effort -- especially when the same price included a table-service, multi-course dinner until two years ago.

And then, of course, there's the issue of breakfast the next morning.

 

[Mailliw]

Amtrak seems to be restoring things to pre-pandemic service. The traditional dining service on the eastern trains was discontinued in 2018, with the exception of the Auto train.

As long as they don't do anything really stupid with the VII diners there's still hope traditional dining or something close to it is eventually restored in the East.

 

[zephyr17]

As long as they don't do anything really stupid with the VII diners there's still hope traditional dining or something close to it is eventually restored in the East.

Agree on that. I understand there actually was a plan to do something stupid, rip out much of the galley equipment and replace it with banks of convection ovens to improve throughput of heating up the heat and serve "flexible dining" sh*t.

Amtrak usually is kind of slow pulling the trigger on such brainstorms, so hopefully they didn't get started on that yet.

 

[Sidney]

Because of the Albany station location in Rensselaer, there really are only a couple of places within plausible walking distance, though perhaps one could get delivery from someplace across the river. The trip for me usually starts at Albany, so I suppose we could bring dinner aboard with us. But when three of us travel across country, we usually have two big roller bags, two backpacks, a couple of smaller bags, a walker, and my wife rides in a wheelchair. We get assistance from the station staff once we get inside, but I don't think I'd want to introduce a couple bags of dinner into that process -- especially if the dinner containers need to be kept upright. And really, for $700-plus per night, I don't see why I should have to go to that effort -- especially when the same price included a table-service, multi-course dinner until two years ago.

And then, of course, there's the issue of breakfast the next morning.

 

[Sidney]

You nailed it. It's nice traditional dining is returning to the Western trains,but the flex crap continues everywhere else. Biggest complaint is the continued sky high sleeper prices and the substandard food. I always cite the Silver trains as the most outrageous. Low bucket one person roomette is close to $500. Bedrooms can well be over $1000. For that kind of money,you would expect first class dining.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

The traditional dining service on the eastern trains was discontinued in 2018, with the exception of the Auto train.

October 2019 for the Meteor and Crescent.

 

[tim49424]

October 2019 for the Meteor and Crescent.

Come to think about it, I rode the Crescent around Christmas 2018 and had traditional dining, I do know I was correct about the Capitol Limited as I rode that train a mere two weeks before the changeover in May 2018. My apologies.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

Come to think about it, I rode the Crescent around Christmas 2018 and had traditional dining, I do know I was correct about the Capitol Limited as I rode that train a mere two weeks before the changeover in May 2018. My apologies.

It’s hard to keep it all straight. I remember the date because I was headed up to Strasburg on the Meteor right after flex dining began!

The Lake Shore and Capitol were the first to get “Contemporary Dining” - the salad boxes. And then they morphed into the current “flex dining.”

 

[tim49424]

It’s hard to keep it all straight. I remember the date because I was headed up to Strasburg on the Meteor right after flex dining began!

The Lake Shore and Capitol were the first to get “Contemporary Dining” - the salad boxes. And then they morphed into the current “flex dining.”

Ive not been on either train since flex started, except for a round trip to see my aunt just south of Syracuse, boarding in Chicago. Got breakfast to and from. it wasn’t too bad. But I didn’t know what I was setting myself up for when I did a round trip to Jacksonville a few months later (Nov/Dec ‘19) via the Cardinal and Meteor. Whomever was in charge of the ordering did a horrible job on both trains and they ran out o certain flex meals very quickly. On the Cardinal headed to WAS, there was a young lady training to work the sleeper lounge and she was permitting coach pax to eat in there. I was seated with one of the couples that weren’t supposed to be served and the trainee had to phone her supervisor because she had no idea how much to charge. The couple was livid when they found out they had to pay $50 for the two flex meals and a bottle of wine. They called passenger services, at my recommendation and I don’t know what the conclusion of the issue was, but on my return trip, which she worked as a SCA, I found out from the LSA that she wasn’t long for the job as the return trip to NYC would be her last. It seems that the food ordering was in her hands as well. I don’t remember what the issue on the Meteor was but there was a shortage right after I boarded in DC. The return trips were fully stocked and no problems except the food was substandard.