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

[CAQuail]

At $40 for a boxed meal I would be expecting something more along these lines

https://www.heathrow.com/file_source/Heathrow/Static/PDF/Shopsandrestaurants/Restaurants/F&M-hamperling-menu-T5.pdf

But then I have expensive tastes.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

bratkinson--

The breakfast that I chose (and you had a choice) on the Portland section of the Empire Builder was a cold ham and cheese sandwich, cut-up fruit, a normal yogurt (not that Greek stuff that we're all supposed to take to immediately because it's "healthier"), and a truly delicious blueberry crumble. Even though it was in a box, it looked and tasted delicious.

I wouldn't object at all if the breakfast quality on the CL and LSL were that good.

(Of course it did not hurt that I got to eat it while riding along a lovely river....

)

When I rode the empire builder we got the same box you described, but there was no choice. I don't think there is a choice for breakfast?

The pictures of the breakfast box on the capitol and lake shore look higher quality to me. Not saying I'm a fan of either but if I had to choose I would choose the CL/ LSL option.

 

[FreeskierInVT]

bratkinson--

The breakfast that I chose (and you had a choice) on the Portland section of the Empire Builder was a cold ham and cheese sandwich, cut-up fruit, a normal yogurt (not that Greek stuff that we're all supposed to take to immediately because it's "healthier"), and a truly delicious blueberry crumble. Even though it was in a box, it looked and tasted delicious.

I wouldn't object at all if the breakfast quality on the CL and LSL were that good.

(Of course it did not hurt that I got to eat it while riding along a lovely river....

)

When I rode the empire builder we got the same box you described, but there was no choice. I don't think there is a choice for breakfast?

The pictures of the breakfast box on the capitol and lake shore look higher quality to me. Not saying I'm a fan of either but if I had to choose I would choose the CL/ LSL option.

A few weeks ago I had the option of a "vegetarian" box, or one of two boxes with different cold cuts. I took the "vegetarian" box which had a serving of ham and cheese packaged up, with a croissant, a very small serving of yogurt, a small slice of blueberry crumble and 4 or 5 chunks of fresh fruit. A label on the box marked it with "HAV" and the date, so I'm thinking the box was loaded/made in Havre, MT?

 

[crescent-zephyr]

The vegetarian box had a ham and cheese croissant?

The box you described is exactly what I was served years ago when there was no choice.

 

[Anderson]

If you were to price out a boxed meal of that quality, add in the delivery fee (commercial driver has to drive a commercial refrigerated truck to the rail yard and have it loaded on the train) plus paying the LSA to "handle" the boxes you would probably end up close to $40 per box.

Oh, great...the frakkers are probably going to use this transfer to "dress up" the new service financially. I'd pay that for a decent steak dinner in the diner, but the idea of billing that for the breakfast in question is absurd. I'd dare say it borders on fraud even compared to the worst such "games" played with the diners.

 

[cpotisch]

Hey! BTW! Welcome back! Good to see you back!

Thank you. Took me a day or so to collect myself and figure out what was really the best choice. Glad to be back, though I guess I was only away for about 20 hours.

 

[RichieRich]

@cpotisch: "The Auto Train doesn't have full meal service? I would have sworn that it offered meals at least as good as any other Superliner LD train."



Has "full meal service", table clothes, waiters...you can see a sample menu on amtrak.com. No charge, included with fare. Just a disconnect between the description and what's dropped on the table in front of you! I always order the "meat by-product" as I refer to it. Comes by many names, but basically - meat-in-a-crock-pot! Didn't used to be that way - they actually cooked many years ago. Breakfast has never changed - they call it "a Continental". I say...continents are getting smaller every year! LOL I don't wake up for cold cereal and pre-packaged bagels/Croissants . I lived thru the Great Amtrak Banana Famine!!! Yes, they discontinued bananas for breakfast to save money. (Lasted a few months). They used to serve free wine with dinner too. They "used" to do a LOT of things. But it's not like it's "free"!!! I've spent $3,500 r/t for the two of us. I'm on it A LOT!! The Guest Rewards Card does shoot me an occasional free trip.

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

bratkinson--

The breakfast that I chose (and you had a choice) on the Portland section of the Empire Builder was a cold ham and cheese sandwich, cut-up fruit, a normal yogurt (not that Greek stuff that we're all supposed to take to immediately because it's "healthier"), and a truly delicious blueberry crumble. Even though it was in a box, it looked and tasted delicious.

I wouldn't object at all if the breakfast quality on the CL and LSL were that good.

(Of course it did not hurt that I got to eat it while riding along a lovely river....

)

When I rode the empire builder we got the same box you described, but there was no choice. I don't think there is a choice for breakfast?

The pictures of the breakfast box on the capitol and lake shore look higher quality to me. Not saying I'm a fan of either but if I had to choose I would choose the CL/ LSL option.

The difference is that the EB breakfast had protein (ham and cheese, even if no egg), which is, in my mind, crucial in a breakfast.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

Im in the "at least put some hard boiled eggs in that box" camp, but that ham and cheese croissant probably has less protein then a be kind bar. Neither really counts as a "full" breakfast in my mind.

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

Truck stops sell hard boiled eggs. You can get a cup of eggs from a much larger jar, prepared by local staff. Or you can find a two pack of eggs. The two pack is packaged at the factory, self ready product.

Multi option, you just need the will to do so.

 

[me_little_me]

If you were to price out a boxed meal of that quality, add in the delivery fee (commercial driver has to drive a commercial refrigerated truck to the rail yard and have it loaded on the train) plus paying the LSA to "handle" the boxes you would probably end up close to $40 per box.

No way! My guess the price includes the amenity kit, one free alcohol, unlimited soft drinks, etc as it would be a big effort to figure out who in the sleepers is not entitled to the other things.

Sore, it would be expensive to drive a meal over to the train but that's not what happens. They drive all the meals to the train so the cost is spread over all of them. And if Amtrak can obtain, load, store, cook and serve a steak dinner for less than the cost of one boxed meal, then they need to rethink their concept of saving money. So it has to be more than just a meal.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

They can't serve a steak dinner for the price posted on the menu, that's why we are in this situation.

No one seems to understand that things cost money. Call a catering company and get some prices for box lunches with these types of items. It won't be cheap.

The catering company has to have a commercial kitchen and commisary, which they pay rent, insurrance etc. On. They have to pay people to prepare the food and assemble the boxes. They have to own a cdl certified refrigerated truck and pay a cdl driver to make the delivery to the Amtrak train (that's a major expense vs. a restaurant that can have 1 or 2 deliveries per week, each amtrak train has to be delivered to on a daily basis), and then Amtrak needs to cover the cost of having an LSA handle the food on board. Oh yeah, and then there is that actual cost of the food and packaging, which is a tiny fraction of the cost. and sure throw in a can of Pepsi while you're at it. I can easily see how that approaches $40 per box. What is your estimation for those expenses?

 

[dlagrua]

They can't serve a steak dinner for the price posted on the menu, that's why we are in this situation.

No one seems to understand that things cost money. Call a catering company and get some prices for box lunches with these types of items. It won't be cheap.

The catering company has to have a commercial kitchen and commissary, which they pay rent, insurance etc. On. They have to pay people to prepare the food and assemble the boxes. They have to own a cdl certified refrigerated truck and pay a cdl driver to make the delivery to the Amtrak train (that's a major expense vs. a restaurant that can have 1 or 2 deliveries per week, each amtrak train has to be delivered to on a daily basis), and then Amtrak needs to cover the cost of having an LSA handle the food on board. Oh yeah, and then there is that actual cost of the food and packaging, which is a tiny fraction of the cost. and sure throw in a can of Pepsi while you're at it. I can easily see how that approaches $40 per box. What is your estimation for those expenses?

As you pointed out, a labor factor has to be included in the cost of a high salt box lunch The catering company has to buy, inventory, pack and deliver all the items in a package.in a refrigerated truck. Then they must be loaded on the train, distributed and someone must then take out the garbage. The dining car becomes the lounge so where is the terrific savings that will bring the cars to profitability? Amtrak just gets to reassign and/or put 3 or 4 people out on the street and that's about it..

 

[Thirdrail7]

The dining car becomes the lounge so where is the terrific savings that will bring the cars to profitability? Amtrak just gets to reassign and/or put 3 or 4 people out on the street and that's about it..

That is nothing to sneeze at when you look at the cost of those three or four people....per train...per trip. It is a savings or redirecting of their salaries, benefits, training and lodging costs. Additionally, a lot of the costs are now borne by the catering company.

 

[Lonestar648]

Looks like a cost shuffling by the accounting staff from F&B to Revenue Sleeper Costs. So if the meals are $40 per person maybe the Sleeper is adding as much as $1600, maybe more to the operating costs of the revenue sleepers, So what is the actual labor savings, plus the cost of the food no longer prepared on the train, or pre-prepared in a commissary kitchen? Bet that is more than the $40 per meal/per person.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

People are now talking of up to $40 per unit for the cost of the packaged meals, yet you can go into just about any decent grocery and get a damn good prepared meal, including heat-at-home, for well under $10. With that in mind, I do not see a $30 per unit hauling cost to get these trainside and into pax hands unless several folks in the logistics chain are on the strong pad.....

 

[user 14106]

At least it sounds like the boxed meals are high quality. And if They are really serious about reintroducing hot meals this could not be the end of the world everyone thought it would be. I do feel for the folks that lost their Jobs though - in this day when good paying jobs seem harder and harder to come by. Has anyone that has seen the new program eaten in the ViewDiner? Do they do anything to make it inviting like table cloths or anything? So now what hot meals does everyone think they’ll do? I guess the key thing will be figuring out a few things the catering company can prepare that is easy for the ViewDiner staff member to heat up in the kitchen. They have a convection oven in there right?

 

[crescent-zephyr]

It's not $30 per for the delivery. It's $30 for the delivery, the LSA and all costs associated with the LSA, and possibly some of that is for the physical "sleeper lounge" itself which has yearly maintenance etc.

I'm not saying that's what it costs, I'm just saying its not an unreasonable amount when all possible costs are considered. The box lunch doesn't magically appear on the train.

 

[Thirdrail7]

People are now talking of up to $40 per unit for the cost of the packaged meals, yet you can go into just about any decent grocery and get a damn good prepared meal, including heat-at-home, for well under $10. With that in mind, I do not see a $30 per unit hauling cost to get these trainside and into pax hands unless several folks in the logistics chain are on the strong pad.....

There are a lot of steps taken to get the food to the train...and back. It is when you combine ALL of them, that you come up with this sort of figure. It is how Sen Mica came up with the (insert high number) hamburger cost.

 

[chrsjrcj]

If coach passengers were lining up to buy a $30 steak, I can only imagine the demand for a $40 boxed breakfast.

 

[tommylicious]

If coach passengers were lining up to buy a $30 steak, I can only imagine the demand for a $40 boxed breakfast.

 

[neroden]

Truck stops sell hard boiled eggs. You can get a cup of eggs from a much larger jar, prepared by local staff. Or you can find a two pack of eggs. The two pack is packaged at the factory, self ready product.

Multi option, you just need the will to do so.

This ten thousand times.

I was optimistic for Anderson when he first came in, but he's proven himself to be more incompetent than every Amtrak CEO with the exception of Downs. He should be fired immediately. I could, personally, do a better job while working half time. I am not kidding.

 

[cpotisch]

Has anyone that has seen the new program eaten in the ViewDiner? Do they do anything to make it inviting like table cloths or anything?

PVD has, and he posted all about it a couple pages back. He didn't mention if there were tablecloths or not, but if you look at a photo Train_Freak took of the sleeper lounge from the outside, you can see through the window that the tables are bare.

 

[PVD]

No tablecloths on my train

 

[cpotisch]

No tablecloths on my train

I've gotta say, that really gets on my nerves. I just feel like they're pulling out all the stops to make the experience less nice. They're getting rid of full table service, hot meals, etc, and they can't even bother keeping the ambience the same while they're at it.