Amtrak dining and cafe service

[OBS]

When I rode the Zephyr last week, there was coffee in the sleeper cars.

The flex meals had the tin cover indicating oven heating, as described above. No lasagna as on the Coast Starlight but at lunch they offered options from the cafe car (burgers, hot dogs, pizza) plus just a couple of the flex meals. My car attendant explained it as not wanting to end up with too many leftover flex meals when they switch back to traditional dining next week.

They may also have some of the chefs riding (working) that were called back from layoff. They can take the time to "properly" heat and replate the meals for a little better quality.

 

[niemi24s]

They definitely appear to be using the oven on the superliner trains for flex dining as they usually are coming with a tin cover. My meals on the zephyr all had the tin over the top and seemed more like oven heated than nuked.

Hope you saved those tin covers. Tin is is currently worth about 12X Aluminum.

 

[user 14106]

Hope you saved those tin covers. Tin is is currently worth about 12X Aluminum.

They’re probably aluminum foil really.

 

[zephyr17]

Well, I think some people are going to be disappointed next week. The start of traditional dining is June 23rd, but it will be on trains departing from the crew base that day. That crew and trainset will have to turn before traditional dining is resumed on the trip going the opposite direction.

I just checked it through the Schedules tab, which will give services, and you can see the start of traditional dining by train there. So, according to Amtrak.com, traditional dining will return as follows:
1 June 26th
2 June 23rd

3 June 26th
4 June 23rd

5 June 23rd
6 June 26th

7 June 26th
8 June 23rd

11 June 25th corrected per Cal's post
14 June 23rd corrected per Cal's post

 

[Cal]

11 June 23rd
14 June 25th

I think you got this mixed up... Starlight crews are based out of LA

 

[zephyr17]

I think you got this mixed up... Starlight crews are based out of LA

That is true and, what's worse, I knew it. I will correct it.

 

[tim49424]

I’m glad I don’t have to worry about traditional dining on my next trip. I’m headed out to Seattle on August 20. What I’ll be curious about is whether community seating will be back or if they’ll be doing the social distancing setup. I’m looking forward to the linen tablecloths, real silverware and china returning and the updated menus.

 

[Cal]

I’m glad I don’t have to worry about traditional dining on my next trip. I’m headed out to Seattle on August 20. What I’ll be curious about is whether community seating will be back or if they’ll be doing the social distancing setup. I’m looking forward to the linen tablecloths, real silverware and china returning and the updated menus.

According to the website communal seating is returning this week

 

[tim49424]

According to the website communal seating is returning this week

However, the mask mandates are still effective until September (unless I missed something). I don’t trust the website on that one.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

What part of the mask mandate precludes communal dining?

 

[Dustyroad]

When I rode the Zephyr last week, there was coffee in the sleeper cars.

The flex meals had the tin cover indicating oven heating, as described above. No lasagna as on the Coast Starlight but at lunch they offered options from the cafe car (burgers, hot dogs, pizza) plus just a couple of the flex meals. My car attendant explained it as not wanting to end up with too many leftover flex meals when they switch back to traditional dining next week.

Thank you for the great info. I am starting to feel better about my upcoming trip already besides just being on the train having a wonderful vacation.

 

[Steve4031]

Please let us know if they have coffee in the sleeper cars on the CZ (if you are in one ). And I can't wait to see any pictures you might post. Have a great trip.

I will be doing a multi-day trip report in the trip report section. It will start 6/25. I’m flying to LA. But I think most of you will enjoy the reading all the details.

 

[drdumont]

The V2s do have a capacity issue. They removed six seats (a table and a half) for accessibility although a wheelchair passenger may never appear. Some kind of clever convertible seating there would be great if possible.

Also we all know that the "setup" table and the table that is used for the crew's personal stuff also needs to be addressed. The loss of these two tables and 8 seats is crazy.

A 48 seat diner becomes a 34 seat diner! That ain't good.

And don't forget at least two tables for the Operating Crew - Conductor, Trainmen, so they can sort paperwork and discuss how bad is working for AMTRAK.

I had a similar design issue involving ADA compliance. We have never had a wheelchair in our facility. I designed a compliant ramp and access system which could be set up in less than 5 minutes. Soundly rejected by the local inspector. So we have a lot of unusable space for a problem which may never arise.

 

[ScottR]

Well, good news for apple juice fans. It was available on both the EB and CL earlier this week. Flex dining still, but in the good news, bad news department, by the second night at dinner, four of the flex options were sold out. We were told that they aren't able to get enough to fully stock and Amtrak doesn't want to reship more to the West so they overstock the cafe hot dogs, cheeseburgers and mac and cheese. And that's what everyone ate on the final lunch.

Also in the good news department, they stocked tonic water for G and Ts, though it wasn't listed on the menu. I wondered how many passengers ordered gin neat.

I am on the Southwest Chief enroute Chicago. We are about 5 hours late…but who cares! We have tonic water but…no Gin. Fortunately we do have Vodka. We have all the flex meals available except the Shrimp and Lobster. Frankly I’d welcome a hot dog right now after 2 days of flex, but alas no vouchers from this crew.

 

[Railspike]

As the day is fast approaching for Traditional dining to return to the western LD trains, I'd be willing to bet nobody is happier than the onboard crews. Can you imagine having to eat flex meals, even periodically, for a year? Not to mention the hundreds of complaints they have had endure over the last year. Good riddance to Flex dining!!

 

[Cal]

As the day is fast approaching for Traditional dining to return to the western LD trains, I'd be willing to bet nobody is happier than the onboard crews. Can you imagine having to eat flex meals, even periodically, for a year?

I never saw any crews eat a flex meal, I usually see them eating a boxed salad or something similar.

 

[Bob Dylan]

As the day is fast approaching for Traditional dining to return to the western LD trains, I'd be willing to bet nobody is happier than the onboard crews. Can you imagine having to eat flex meals, even periodically, for a year? Not to mention the hundreds of complaints they have had endure over the last year. Good riddance to Flex dining!!

Most of the Crews didn't eat those "Meals" since they were supposed to pay for them, so they brought their own food aboard during their trips.

Can't say I blame them!

 

[ScottR]

I am on the Southwest Chief enroute Chicago. We are about 5 hours late…but who cares! We have tonic water but…no Gin. Fortunately we do have Vodka. We have all the flex meals available except the Shrimp and Lobster. Frankly I’d welcome a hot dog right now after 2 days of flex, but alas no vouchers from this crew.

Well I take it back! Didn’t make a lunch reservation because well…we were supposed to be in Chicago 40 minutes ago but they Did accommodate me with a hot dog. Paired with an Amtrak salad and a little Mayo, mustard and ketchup I have a quasi Chicago Dog as we cross the Mississippi here in Fort Madison. Even opened the door so I could touch Iowa…State #47 for me. Still need the three in the upper northeast! Loving the trip!

 

[Cal]

Even opened the door so I could touch Iowa…State #47 for me. Still need the three in the upper northeast! Loving the trip!

Nice! I've only been to 23 states so far. Most of the states I need to go are in the east, the only western states I haven't been to are Wyoming, South Dakota, Utah, Nebraska, and Hawaii!

 

[tim49424]

State #47 for me. Still need the three in the upper northeast! Loving the trip!

Amtrak only serves 46 and I've been to or through them all. Never been to Hawaii, Alaska, South Dakota or Wyoming, the ones they don't. I hope to someday do those by other modes of transportation, just to say I've done it, but am in no hurry. I'll probably drive to SD and WY, and take cruises to HI and AK.

 

[Dustyroad]

Well, good news for apple juice fans. It was available on both the EB and CL earlier this week. Flex dining still, but in the good news, bad news department, by the second night at dinner, four of the flex options were sold out. We were told that they aren't able to get enough to fully stock and Amtrak doesn't want to reship more to the West so they overstock the cafe hot dogs, cheeseburgers and mac and cheese. And that's what everyone ate on the final lunch.

Also in the good news department, they stocked tonic water for G and Ts, though it wasn't listed on the menu. I wondered how many passengers ordered gin neat.

I'm glad about the Apple juice. I can't drink the orange juice. Mack& cheese and a hot dog sounds good to me.

 

[Sidney]

Amtrak only serves 46 and I've been to or through them all. Never been to Hawaii, Alaska, South Dakota or Wyoming, the ones they don't. I hope to someday do those by other modes of transportation, just to say I've done it, but am in no hurry. I'll probably drive to SD and WY, and take cruises to HI and AK.

Only state I'm missing is Alaska. Been through all 46 Amtrak serves and did driving tours to South Dakota and Wyoming and went to Hawaii 40 years ago.

 

[zephyr17]

I am missing only Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont.

 

[tim49424]

Only state I'm missing is Alaska. Been through all 46 Amtrak serves and did driving tours to South Dakota and Wyoming and went to Hawaii 40 years ago.

I almost went to South Dakota with my mom back in 2012, but it turned out that the state was in the middle of a horrible heatwave. She never would've been able to survive that, so she decided the upper peninsula of Michigan was going to be our destination. Shortly after that she caught the train riding bug from me and we split our vacations between the U.P. and Amtrak. She rode four times until 2017 and passed in 2018. I accomplished a good chunk of my states thanks to her and had a handful of ones to visit after she was gone. I made it to Florida a year and a half ago, my final state yet to be visited by Amtrak.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Nice! I've only been to 23 states so far. Most of the states I need to go are in the east, the only western states I haven't been to are Wyoming, South Dakota, Utah, Nebraska, and Hawaii!

You'll knock out Nebraska and Utah on the Zephyr( and possibly even Wyoming if the Zephyr is detoured as happens occasionaly).