Dining On the Empire Builder

[Memphisdoug]

I will be taking the westbound Empire Builder soon leaving from Chicago. Do they serve any lunch when leaving Chicago or should we plan to find something prior to boarding? We are in a bedroom.

 

[Sidney]

I will be taking the westbound Empire Builder soon leaving from Chicago. Do they serve any lunch when leaving Chicago or should we plan to find something prior to boarding? We are in a bedroom.

No lunch. Dinner is the first meal

 

[niemi24s]

Same sort of subject, but how about dinner on the CONO heading South out of CHI at 8:05pm?

Sounds possible based on what's said at the bottom of this...Amtrak Flexible Dining...

Dinner: Available: 5:00 - 9:30 pm; board by 8:30 pm

but even if you board the train at about 7:45pm could this be one of those crew discretion thingies?

 

[BlackDiamond]

Same sort of subject, but how about dinner on the CONO heading South out of CHI at 8:05pm?

Sounds possible based on what's said at the bottom of this...Amtrak Flexible Dining...but even if you board the train at about 7:45pm could this be one of those crew discretion thingies?

I wouldn't count on it. Given that it is flex dining anyway I would avail myself of one of the many fine restaurants in downtown Chicago before boarding.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Same sort of subject, but how about dinner on the CONO heading South out of CHI at 8:05pm?

Sounds possible based on what's said at the bottom of this...Amtrak Flexible Dining...but even if you board the train at about 7:45pm could this be one of those crew discretion thingies?

The "board by" refers to meals that started at their regularly scheduled time (eg dinner started at 5 pm)

 

[SubwayNut]

The last time I road the CONO (and only the time the full legth leaving Chicago), they served a 'light dinner' of Sandwiches and dessert leaving Chicago, that was at the end of 2016, no idea whats going on today.

 

[chubbycat]

Same sort of subject, but how about dinner on the CONO heading South out of CHI at 8:05pm?

Sounds possible based on what's said at the bottom of this...Amtrak Flexible Dining...but even if you board the train at about 7:45pm could this be one of those crew discretion thingies?

Dinner was offered when I took CONO in Sept.

 

[Bob Dylan]

The last time I road the CONO (and only the time the full legth leaving Chicago), they served a 'light dinner' of Sandwiches and dessert leaving Chicago, that was at the end of 2016, no idea whats going on today.

It's Heat and Eat Flex Meals in the CCC, this Train hasn't had Traditional Dining in Years!

 

[user 14106]

From what’s been said around here CONO had been a bust for food for a long time and that even flex dining may have been an improvement over what it had before.

 

[me_little_me]

From what’s been said around here CONO had been a bust for food for a long time and that even flex dining may have been an improvement over what it had before.

Nah!

 

[niemi24s]

While this sounds highly reasonable...

The "board by" refers to meals that started at their regularly scheduled time (eg dinner started at 5 pm)

...there's also this...

Dinner was offered when I took CONO in Sept.

...which makes it a toss-up.

 

[flitcraft]

While this sounds highly reasonable...[no meal at that time] ...there's also this..[got a meal at that time]. ...which makes it a toss-up.

Reminds me of the TSA's claim that if they were consistent in their policies, the bad guys would be able to take advantage of them!

 

[user 14106]

Nah!

Ok Having not had what they had before I can’t say for sure - but regardless it’s a train that has had a dumbed down food service for a while - I think predating even Anderson.

 

[JP1822]

I'm almost a bit surprised Amtrak hasn't tried to make the CONO into a train that departs Chicago at 6 am, and arrives into New Orleans at 12 midnight - thus making it a coach/cafe train over a "costly" overnight train with sleepers and some sort of special sleeper car passenger food service. The CONO once had this type of schedule. Not saying that this is the best plan or schedule, just saying.

 

[BlackDiamond]

I'm almost a bit surprised Amtrak hasn't tried to make the CONO into a train that departs Chicago at 6 am, and arrives into New Orleans at 12 midnight - thus making it a coach/cafe train over a "costly" overnight train with sleepers and some sort of special sleeper car passenger food service. The CONO once had this type of schedule. Not saying that this is the best plan or schedule, just saying.

Problem with making it a day train is you lose the possibility of connections instead requiring an overnight stay on Chicago. The current evening departure allows for these connections.

 

[CCC1007]

Problem with making it a day train is you lose the possibility of connections instead requiring an overnight stay on Chicago. The current evening departure allows for these connections.

This is assuming the current schedule with a pair of "Banks," one in each direction, for Long Distance trains...

In the future I want to see, there would be more than 2 "Banks" of trains at Chicago on the LD network.