Amtrak dining and cafe service

[BlackDiamond]

What are the odds of The Eagle or the Cardinal getting traditional dining by April 9th? lol

You didn't say April of what year . I expect that after the Silvers get traditional dining sometime this year, the next candidate would be the LSL, after that who knows, maybe CONO? The Eagle and Cardinal are pretty far down in the Amtrak pecking order.

 

[MARC Rider]

You didn't say April of what year . I expect that after the Silvers get traditional dining sometime this year, the next candidate would be the LSL, after that who knows, maybe CONO? The Eagle and Cardinal are pretty far down in the Amtrak pecking order.

Don't forget the Crescent and the Capitol Limited. I think the Crescent might be the worst of the bunch, because everything is served out of the cafe car, and they apparently don't let people actually eat in the cafe car. At least on the Cardinal, they let you eat at a table and even hang out a bit, and the Capitol and Eagle have a cross country cafe which has more tables than an Amfleet cafe car, and where you're supposed to be allowed to east and hang out. So the first thing I would do would be to get a VL2 diner back in service on the Crescent, properly staffed, even if only for flex meals. Then I'd work on properly staffing the Capitol and Texas Eagle and getting the sightseer lounges back in service so that people could consistently be able to have both dining and a lounge.

 

[cassie225]

So sad for the Crescent. Do sleeper passengers have to eat in their rooms.

 

[Rasputin]

When I was growing up, I was discouraged from eating in my room. We did not allow our kids to eat in their rooms. It made the house much easier to keep clean. But on some Amtrak trains you have to eat in your room and I wonder if this has resulted in more unclean rooms and more vermin.

 

[Mailliw]

I refuse to eat in a room with a toilet.

 

[BlackDiamond]

Don't forget the Crescent and the Capitol Limited. I think the Crescent might be the worst of the bunch, because everything is served out of the cafe car, and they apparently don't let people actually eat in the cafe car. At least on the Cardinal, they let you eat at a table and even hang out a bit, and the Capitol and Eagle have a cross country cafe which has more tables than an Amfleet cafe car, and where you're supposed to be allowed to east and hang out. So the first thing I would do would be to get a VL2 diner back in service on the Crescent, properly staffed, even if only for flex meals. Then I'd work on properly staffing the Capitol and Texas Eagle and getting the sightseer lounges back in service so that people could consistently be able to have both dining and a lounge.

I agree that the Crescent and Capitol deserve better dining, but I was thinking of which ones are more likely to get Traditional Dining and that would be based on how Amtrak currently considers these trains. Given that the dining on these trains is fairly minimal i.e. the CCC I expect they would be low on Amtraks priority list.

 

[joelkfla]

I refuse to eat in a room with a toilet.

Might come in handy if you're eating Flex Food.

 

[Bob Dylan]

I refuse to eat in a room with a toilet.

Good thing you're not in Prison!

 

[niemi24s]

Or a member of a Minuteman Missile Launch Crew!

 

[jis]

MODERATOR'S NOTE: Back to Amtrak Dining please!

 

[baseballfan]

I rode the Starlight most recently from Los Angeles to Oakland in September 2022. At the time, the Dining Car was available to Sleepers (included, of course) and Business Class (paid separately) -- but there was no option for standard Coach passengers.

Thanks. They have currently suspended Business Class for the winter and I had heard differing reports as to what the current situation is. The train tomorrow is full so they may decide they cannot cope if everyone wanted to dine. We shall wait and see.

 

[BlackDiamond]

Was going through my timetable collection looking for something else and came across this. I believe it is a menu from one of the club cars that used to run on the NEC what we would call today Regional trains. You had meal and beverage service served at your seat. Appears to be from December 1980. Probably a holiday trip to/from Philadelphia to Boston to see my parents.

 

[Trollopian]

Is it significant that only "Chablis" has an X beside it?! (Our friend Bob Dylan would approvingly call it an "Adult Beverage.")

 

[BlackDiamond]

Is it significant that only "Chablis" has an X beside it?! (Our friend Bob Dylan would approvingly call it an "Adult Beverage.")

I guess I must have ordered a drink. If I was coming home from a parental visit I probably needed it

 

[MccfamschoolMom]

Was going through my timetable collection looking for something else and came across this. I believe it is a menu from one of the club cars that used to run on the NEC what we would call today Regional trains. You had meal and beverage service served at your seat. Appears to be from December 1980. Probably a holiday trip to/from Philadelphia to Boston to see my parents.
View attachment 31467

That doesn't sound too terribly different (at least "within shouting distance") of the lunch menus I remember as a coach passenger on the Empire Builder back in the mid to late '70s. (Except these entrees look even nicer, and not so much emphasis on potato chips as a universal side with the meal.)

 

[Bob Dylan]

Is it significant that only "Chablis" has an X beside it?! (Our friend Bob Dylan would approvingly call it an "Adult Beverage.")

I fondly remember riding in the Club Car during my trips to New York City on the New Haven RR, and enjoying a couple of "Adult Beverages" and Snacks served by the Attendant!

 

[Brian Battuello]

I commuted from Stamford CT to NYC for about six months, and made a vow to stay out of the club car. The last thing I needed was two drinks before I even got home.

When I gave two weeks notice, I suspended the rule.

 

[TaseMeBro]

Hope this is an appropriate thread to post a menu and meal from the City of New Orleans (Northbound) on 2/21.

Menu is photocopy found in room. Meal is the Roasted Sweet Potato found on the dinner menu.

All meals served by delivery to sleeper rooms, with orders being taken very shortly after departure and all meals served between roughly 5:30 and 6:00 pm. Main course served with drink and the packaged brownie I'm sure we've all seen.

I enjoyed the flavor of the Roasted Sweet Potato meal, though as you can see from the picture, the presentation wasn't particularly special. The rice was cooked into a bit of a monolithic block, which just broke into chunks when "forked".

Two others in group had the pork tenderloin. Afraid I don't have photos, but both said it was "fine".

Leaving from New Orleans during Mardi Gras, we brought a King Cake on board and enjoyed it in the lounge car much later that night.

 

[JWM]

What are the odds of The Eagle or the Cardinal getting traditional dining by April 9th? lol

I'd say about the same time "traditional dining" emulates the late, lamented Santa Fe "Super Chief".

 

[Rasputin]

Leaving from New Orleans during Mardi Gras, we brought a King Cake on board and enjoyed it in the lounge car much later that night.

There is so much wonderful food in New Orleans. It is too bad that it doesn't seem to influence the food on the City of New Orleans.

 

[Bob Dylan]

There is so much wonderful food in New Orleans. It is too bad that it doesn't seem to influence the food on the City of New Orleans.

Back in the 90s and early 2000s the City did have Cajun influenced items in the Diner, including Bourbon Chocolate Pecan Pie that,while made in Chicago, was absolutely the Best Desert I've ever had on an Amtrak Train.

It's a disgrace what they've done to the Food on this Train ( and the Texas Eaglette)but at least it still has a Sightseer Lounge unlike several other LD Trains!

 

[Steve's Wanderlust]

The dining options back in '09 & '10 on the CONO included shrimp etoufee & the well travelled crab cakes in the dining car. One of our trips northbound in the latter year had a CCC that offered much better quality meals than flex dining is capable of.

As a service industry employee I empathize with the current crews' working scenarios across the network. A good dining team will work through management induced setbacks but flex is wearing down the experience beyond what many LD routes have to offer for the overall experience. It must be greatly taxing on the good staffs to make up for mediocre food offerings with their own personality and service over several uneasy years.

Though I will admit the cafe stromboli has stolen my cheap heart. Ridiculously satisfying to my cheesy midwest soul. My wife appreciates the Hippeas for her digestive sensitivities. She actually is open to just getting Dinty Moore, for it is GF, but being as she can't put down a whole industrial can we're not going to ask a crew to go to the last resort for her sake. We make a Walmart run prior to our trips for her main courses and I get her would-be flex items while she goes simple in the diner.

Somewhere in Amtrak's culinary team is the will to revive it as part of the journey but that doesn't seem to translate via spreadsheets to those handling the purse strings. Until then we tip above appropriately at meals, treat our crew well and make the most of what is still a unique travel option.

 

[jis]

Rumors are now flying fast and furious, all apparently sourced from various Silver Service crew members that Traditional Dining is likely to be reinstated on Silver Service around the middle of March. So we shall see how that goes.

If that happens then those of us that are traveling to Alexandria later in the month for the RPA Council Meeting and Day on the Hill will get to experience it.

 

[TaseMeBro]

There is so much wonderful food in New Orleans. It is too bad that it doesn't seem to influence the food on the City of New Orleans.

Prior to leaving, we picked up hot plates (Bourbon Chicken, Mac n Cheese, a pizza, and some other goodies).

If anyone has a departure planned from New Orleans, there's a Rouses Market at 701 Baronne St, an easy walk (maybe half a mile) from the train station. In addition to grocery items, they also have a pretty good hot bar.

We brought two lightweight insulated bags; one for the hot foods, and one for drinks, which we got ice onboard for.

 

[user 14106]

I enjoyed the flavor of the Roasted Sweet Potato meal, though as you can see from the picture, the presentation wasn't particularly special. The rice was cooked into a bit of a monolithic block, which just broke into chunks when "forked".

The current dinner meals on the CONO are, literally, microwave frozen TV dinners that any consumer can buy from a company called Torn Apron. The reason for this is because right now the Sightseer Lounge is the only food service car on the train it lost its diner a little bit ago and the cafe car section of the Sightseers is only equipped with a microwave - no oven of any kind. The normal flexible meals are prepared by an outsourced kitchen vendor in New York and are essentially airline meals and they are supposed to be heated in an oven they are not intended for microwave preparation and microwave heating results in an unfavorable outcome. Due to the CONO only having a microwave at the moment they're using this different product for the dinners which is microwave friendly and for breakfast and lunch its a selection from the cafe menu.