Amtrak dining and cafe service

[b243923]

I am taking the Auto Train this Thursday and was wondering do the sleeper passengers eat in their rooms or is the dinning car open?

 

[Zack]

The Auto Train has traditional dining, so the dining car is open but you have the option of having it delivered to your room.

 

[b243923]

Is this current information or what is traditional.

 

[Zack]

Is this current information or what is traditional.

It's current information. "Traditional Dining" is the name for the full sit-down meals that are served on certain long-distance trains.

 

[b243923]

I am sitting on the Auto Train right now and waiting to leave Lorton for Sanford shortly.

After boarding the train the sleeper attendant took our orders for dinner and will bring the meal to us in our accommodations. There is no eating dinner in the dining car.

They said breakfast is grab and go and you can either bring the food back to your accommodations or eat in the lounge.

This is the latest information about eating dinner on the Auto Train

 

[me_little_me]

I am sitting on the Auto Train right now and waiting to leave Lorton for Sanford shortly.

After boarding the train the sleeper attendant took our orders for dinner and will bring the meal to us in our accommodations. There is no eating dinner in the dining car.

They said breakfast is grab and go and you can either bring the food back to your accommodations or eat in the lounge.

This is the latest information about eating dinner on the Auto Train

Is that just your train or will it change on tomorrow's train because that's what the crew decided was the "standard"? Our Cardinal westbound trip had the same dinner rule but on the outbound trip, we could eat in the "diner". There are no standards on Amtrak because the "Amtrak Standards Manual" appear to be only a suggestion based on my experiences.

 

[GAT]

I'll be riding the Cardinal eastbound in mid-April. Maybe things will have settled down by then (Ha!)

 

[ssbun]

I am sitting on the Auto Train right now and waiting to leave Lorton for Sanford shortly.

After boarding the train the sleeper attendant took our orders for dinner and will bring the meal to us in our accommodations. There is no eating dinner in the dining car.

They said breakfast is grab and go and you can either bring the food back to your accommodations or eat in the lounge.

This is the latest information about eating dinner on the Auto Train

Every day, dining options may be different. Amtrak in general has been having difficulties with staffing issues. Maybe the AT didn't have enough staff for the dining car. If that was the case, I feel sorry for the SCA's. JMHO

 

[b243923]

Every day, dining options may be different. Amtrak in general has been having difficulties with staffing issues. Maybe the AT didn't have enough staff for the dining car. If that was the case, I feel sorry for the SCA's. JMHO

Look at all the tips they should have made from the passengers. I know I tipped and always did in the dining car

 

[Maze]

How about for the passengers, they are paying first class prices and getting substandard service. The railroads used this tactic to drive away passengers in the 60s. Make the service bad enough and people will find another way to travel. Soon you can stop service.

 

[b243923]

How about for the passengers, they are paying first class prices and getting substandard service. The railroads used this tactic to drive away passengers in the 60s. Make the service bad enough and people will find another way to travel. Soon you can stop service.

I took it as a good thing not to have to sit in the dining car with total strangers and wonder who might infect me. Sitting in the waiting area at Lorton and having them announce "remove all your belongings off the seats as we have a full train and need the seating" bothered me to no end. I am not paranoid but do not take chances when it can be avoided.

 

[Amtrakfflyer]

If only they would serve first class Acela meals on one night trains in the diner. This four year quagmire would be done once and for all. Everyone would win management would get the labor savings they claim they need and passengers would get decent, enjoyable enough food. The definition of compromise. The Florida trains could have this next week if management wanted, the caterers are already in place on the route. Unfortunately I fear the truth is stated below management has no desire to increase ridership. This is too easy a fix to ignore.

How about for the passengers, they are paying first class prices and getting substandard service. The railroads used this tactic to drive away passengers in the 60s. Make the service bad enough and people will find another way to travel. Soon you can stop service.

 

[TheCrescent]

If only they would serve first class Acela meals on one night trains in the diner. This four year quagmire would be done once and for all. Everyone would win management would get the labor savings they claim they need and passengers would get decent, enjoyable enough food. The definition of compromise. The Florida trains could have this next week if management wanted, the caterers are already in place on the route. Unfortunately I fear the truth is stated below management has no desire to increase ridership. This is too easy a fix to ignore.

I agree with you 1,000%. Amtrak should just take the full Acela food and beverage offerings and offer them to sleeping car passengers on Eastern LD trains. The mixed drinks and other adult beverages that the Acela has are great, too.

I am told that this is not possible because the catering facilities for the Acela might differ from the catering facilities for LD trains, but nearly all contracts have termination dates so Amtrak should just shift to the Acela suppliers at some point.

I don't understand why Amtrak has so many different types of business class, so many different types of first class, etc.--surely it would be easier to have a consistent business class and a consistent first class, across the system (or at least a more consistent offering than currently).

 

[Amtrakfflyer]

Agreed it doesn’t add up. Are Acela trains catered in NY? The Silver trains start in NY. It just seems like too easy a fix that in 4 years no one has tried. The same with the Capital in DC. Where are Acela meals prepared, at a airport facility and trucked to station?

Initially we saw info that flex dining meals cost Amtrak $35-40 a meal.

I haven’t seen the list that shows what airlines spend on first class meals per airline, per meal in a long time, with CoVid services the numbers would be skewed, suffice to say what Amtrak is serving now isn’t worth whatever they are paying for it and I hope it’s not $40 a meal.

 

[ssbun]

Look at all the tips they should have made from the passengers. I know I tipped and always did in the dining car

We always have our dinner brought to us. I have in issue with the stairs and sleep on the lower level. I always tip our SCA more due to the fact he/she has to deliver our food.

 

[TheCrescent]

Agreed it doesn’t add up. Are Acela trains catered in NY? The Silver trains start in NY. It just seems like too easy a fix that in 4 years no one has tried. The same with the Capital in DC. Where are Acela meals prepared, at a airport facility and trucked to station?

Initially we saw info that flex dining meals cost Amtrak $35-40 a meal.

I haven’t seen the list that shows what airlines spend on first class meals per airline, per meal in a long time, with CoVid services the numbers would be skewed, suffice to say what Amtrak is serving now isn’t worth whatever they are paying for it and I hope it’s not $40 a meal.

Maybe Amtrak had to pay some up-front costs for its suppliers to get geared up to provide Flexible Dining, but Amtrak could have saved money by just having an employee stop by Walmart on the way to the train station and get some frozen dinners there for the train.

I saw somewhere that Acela catering is in Queens, NY...near where Eastern LD trains originate.

 

[20th Century Rider]

As will being a Prisoner in your Room, since there is no Sightseer Lounge on the Eagle, and you won't be allowed to hang out in the CCC ( Combo Diner and Cafe)

I had the same experience when on the Eagle and then again on the Cardinal where the crew was complaining that every day felt like Monday. Bad attitudes and minimal resources make for a poor experience. Better funding and better management would put more smiles on more faces!

 

[20th Century Rider]

I so agree with you Jim... so where is management hiding???

 

[Sidney]

I took it as a good thing not to have to sit in the dining car with total strangers and wonder who might infect me. Sitting in the waiting area at Lorton and having them announce "remove all your belongings off the seats as we have a full train and need the seating" bothered me to no end. I am not paranoid but do not take chances when it can be avoided.

Not dining

I had the same experience when on the Eagle and then again on the Cardinal where the crew was complaining that every day felt like Monday. Bad attitudes and minimal resources make for a poor experience. Better funding and better management would put more smiles on more faces!

I was on the Crescent in December with the surliest sleeping car attendant I ever had. He grumbled when I asked him to put the bed down. I thanked him and he muttered. He never even put the seat up the next day. I dreaded seeing him. No tip.

 

[20th Century Rider]

Not dining
I was on the Crescent in December with the surliest sleeping car attendant I ever had. He grumbled when I asked him to put the bed down. I thanked him and he muttered. He never even put the seat up the next day. I dreaded seeing him. No tip.

Wow! Absolutely no tip for service like that! What is with this kind of attitude in a passenger service job???

 

[TheCrescent]

On one Eastern long distance train recently, with Flexible Dining, the menus were just printouts of the menu from the Amtrak website, on regular 8 1/2”x11” copier paper.

 

[20th Century Rider]

On one Eastern long distance train recently, with Flexible Dining, the menus were just printouts of the menu from the Amtrak website, on regular 8 1/2”x11” copier paper.

On a recent EB trip there was a printout of the EB schedule on ditto paper copied off the schedules they used to place in the rooms... and still mostly the same. This was courtesy of an exceptional SCA who made sure water bottles were replenished and etc. Served my meals on a large tray... with a smile! I gave this guy a very generous tip for his exceptional service

 

[niemi24s]

On one Eastern long distance train recently, with Flexible Dining, the menus were just printouts of the menu from the Amtrak website, on regular 8 1/2”x11” copier paper.

Those disposable menus are also standard in lots of restaurants as it avoids the need to disinfect them for Covid after each use.

 

[TheCrescent]

Those disposable menus are also standard in lots of restaurants as it avoids the need to disinfect them for Covid after each use.

Sure but usually they’re at least professionally printed on nice paper.

 

[me_little_me]

Sure but usually they’re at least professionally printed on nice paper.

Only in restaurants that serve decent food. and flex dining does NOT qualify as decent in any manner, shape or form IMHO. Cheap paper menus are perfect for cheap paper-tasting "food".