Amtrak's New "Fresh Choices" Dining on CL & LSL

[Thirdrail7]

I'd personally rather have the half bottle of wine than a coloring book.

I don"t think the food offerings are plentiful enough to absorb the alcohol! A half bottle might do me in!

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

That another issue. Size of the meals. How big are the salads, trays, and wrap? Only time will tell.

It already been noted there is a e-mail available for feedback so I am sure that it will be flooded with customer issues. People with empty stomach and time available not the best combination.

 

[iplaybass]

There's better bakeries an Uber away. I have a 6 hour layover, so... Au Bon Pain is just in walking distance.

OMG!!! Gotta try that!

It's not anything particularly special (in my experience).

 

[TinCan782]

From the back page ...

"We want to make sure you have a great experience riding Amtrak. If you have ideas on how we can improve our service to you, please share them directly with our Vice President of Customer Experience at [email protected]."

Give them a piece of your mind!

 

[Steve4031]

From the back page ...

"We want to make sure you have a great experience riding Amtrak. If you have ideas on how we can improve our service to you, please share them directly with our Vice President of Customer Experience at [email protected]."

Give them a piece of your mind!

I sent my concerns and suggestions. The big one was allowing sleeping car passengers the alternative of one sandwich and snack item from the lounge car in lieu of the complimentary item provided for sleeping car passengers. IMHO any unconsumed meals could be sold to coach passengers as planned or suggested in previous posts.

This would not address all concerns but I would enjoy sitting in the viewliner diner noshing on a breakfast sandwich while looking out the window. Lol. At dinner and lunch it would be a sandwich or pizza.

 

[bratkinson]

After finally getting a look at the new menu a few minutes ago, I just cancelled my July 448/449 trip to Chicago in a roomette. I booked it using AGR points and have no remorse about the 10% hit for cancellation.

I'll have to rethink a number of planned trips to/through the Windy City using the Cardinal and its 3/week schedule. It'll cost a big chunk of $ more than the Lakeshore or Capitol Limited from Massachusetts, but I'm willing to pay it for hot meals. Maybe if they offered free meals in the lounge car in lieu of their cold meals in your room I'd be a taker.

Perhaps they should simply convert to the Silver Star model and sell off all the new diners!

edit: I just sent the VP customer experience staff a brief note of my cancelling my trip and why. I closed with my name and AGR number, Select Plus status.

 

[CHvision]

I don't mean to go off-topic with this but hearing that chefs won't be onboard the Lake Shore and Capitol Limiteds, I know the New Orleans has no chef on-board makes me wonder, does the Texas Eagle have a chef on-board the train?

 

[tommylicious]

Well done! Hear Hear! Cheers bratkinson! We were going to do a family trip on Amtrak this fall CL, LSL and flying instead after this news. Just not worth it by any reasonable stretch anymore.

After finally getting a look at the new menu a few minutes ago, I just cancelled my July 448/449 trip to Chicago in a roomette. I booked it using AGR points and have no remorse about the 10% hit for cancellation.

I'll have to rethink a number of planned trips to/through the Windy City using the Cardinal and its 3/week schedule. It'll cost a big chunk of $ more than the Lakeshore or Capitol Limited from Massachusetts, but I'm willing to pay it for hot meals. Maybe if they offered free meals in the lounge car in lieu of their cold meals in your room I'd be a taker.

Perhaps they should simply convert to the Silver Star model and sell off all the new diners!

edit: I just sent the VP customer experience staff a brief note of my cancelling my trip and why. I closed with my name and AGR number, Select Plus status.

 

[Philly Amtrak Fan]

After finally getting a look at the new menu a few minutes ago, I just cancelled my July 448/449 trip to Chicago in a roomette. I booked it using AGR points and have no remorse about the 10% hit for cancellation.

I'll have to rethink a number of planned trips to/through the Windy City using the Cardinal and its 3/week schedule. It'll cost a big chunk of $ more than the Lakeshore or Capitol Limited from Massachusetts, but I'm willing to pay it for hot meals. Maybe if they offered free meals in the lounge car in lieu of their cold meals in your room I'd be a taker.

If it costs you a big chunk more $, why not just buy the hot meals in the lounge car and save money and time (and if you're from Massachusetts the transfer)? I'm sure it will be cheaper.

Hopefully there won't be too many people who boycott the LSL/CL because of this and Amtrak doesn't cancel both trains. I'd hate to see an Amtrak where the only way to get from the East Coast to Chicago is Byrd Crap.

 

[Palmetto]

United Airlines had to re-instate tomato juice onboard. Why? Too many customer complaints about its removal. Question is: will Amtrak re-instate anything due to too many customer complaints?

 

[AmtrakLKL]

United Airlines had to re-instate tomato juice onboard. Why? Too many customer complaints about its removal. Question is: will Amtrak re-instate anything due to too many customer complaints?

I still hear complaints to this day about the lack of a dining car on the Silver Star. Yet here we are.

 

[chrsjrcj]

I suppose customer complaints matter on the NEC, not much elsewhere.

 

[cpotisch]

I don't mean to go off-topic with this but hearing that chefs won't be onboard the Lake Shore and Capitol Limiteds, I know the New Orleans has no chef on-board makes me wonder, does the Texas Eagle have a chef on-board the train?

The Texas Eagle prepares meals the exact same way as any other Superliner train with full service dining. There is a chef, LSA, waiters, etc. Food quality is identical to any of the "flagship" western routes.

 

[cpotisch]

I'd personally rather have the half bottle of wine than a coloring book.

Just draw yourself a half bottle of wine!

 

[Lonestar648]

Customer comments by letter, email, or phone seem only to get the cursory "Thank You" for your comments. Maybe there are so many they don't know how to handle them. I used to get a letter/email back with a couple lines of detail so you know that someone had taken the time to read what you sent. Now you get a Thank You and all comments are forwarded, a standard computer response.

 

[jis]

So what is the new tipping protocol going to be for meal service on these trains. Afterall, that is always one of the hot subject on AU.

 

[tricia]

So what is the new tipping protocol going to be for meal service on these trains. Afterall, that is always one of the hot subject on AU.

Time to make a batch of popcorn.....

 

[Steve4031]

Add butter and salt.

 

[cpotisch]

So what is the new tipping protocol going to be for meal service on these trains. Afterall, that is always one of the hot subject on AU.

As I understand it with "contemporary dining" passengers either have their meals delivered to their rooms by the SCA, or pick it up personally from the Sleeper Lounge. If that's correct, then I would use (my) standard tipping procedure for the former, which is to tip the SCA as I would in the dining car or a restaurant, 15-20% or the listed prices. But since the new menu doesn't list the prices, I'm not sure how someone would even figure that out...

 

[Devil's Advocate]

So what is the new tipping protocol going to be for meal service on these trains. Afterall, that is always one of the hot subject on AU.

As I understand it with "contemporary dining" passengers either have their meals delivered to their rooms by the SCA, or pick it up personally from the Sleeper Lounge. If that's correct, then I would use (my) standard tipping procedure for the former, which is to tip the SCA as I would in the dining car or a restaurant, 15-20% or the listed prices. But since the new menu doesn't list the prices, I'm not sure how someone would even figure that out...

This new contemporary boxed meal dining option sounds more like being served on an airline than in a restaurant. If airline staff aren't tipped for delivering a meal is there a reason why train staff should be?

 

[cpotisch]

So what is the new tipping protocol going to be for meal service on these trains. Afterall, that is always one of the hot subject on AU.

As I understand it with "contemporary dining" passengers either have their meals delivered to their rooms by the SCA, or pick it up personally from the Sleeper Lounge. If that's correct, then I would use (my) standard tipping procedure for the former, which is to tip the SCA as I would in the dining car or a restaurant, 15-20% or the listed prices. But since the new menu doesn't list the prices, I'm not sure how someone would even figure that out...

This new contemporary boxed meal dining option sounds more like being served on an airline than in a restaurant. If airline staff aren't tipped for delivering a meal is there a reason why train staff should be?

More precedent than anything else. But bear in mind that the SCA would be bringing individual meals to passengers from another car. Which is a bit more time consuming than just having a cart on a plane.

 

[jis]

DA perish the thought of trying to argue against tipping on Amtrak at AU. You will get drawn and quartered before you know it.

 

[cpotisch]

I feel like until we actually see "contemporary dining" in action, it will be hard to get a sense of what kind of service we actually see in practice. If it really seems like customers are doing the vast majority of the work themselves, and the layout just doesn't work, then I probably won't tip. If it seems like the crew is working hard and providing good service, I will tip. It's up to the individual and the service/system actually offered.

 

[pennyk]

This new contemporary boxed meal dining option sounds more like being served on an airline than in a restaurant. If airline staff aren't tipped for delivering a meal is there a reason why train staff should be?

Do passengers generally tip the attendant when getting their boxed meals on the Portland section of the Empire Builder? I have traveled both ways only once and I do not remember. This meal service may be similar if the passenger chooses to eat in the sleeper lounge as opposed to having the meal brought to her or his room.

 

[chrsjrcj]

If I decided to have my meal in my room, I’d probably tip my SCA more than I would on a typical trip.

If I had my meals in the lounge (more likely), I may tip a ~$j1 if the attendant is friendly and attentive. Comparable to what I might tip the attendant in the cafe car.