Disconnect between reality & amtrak marketing

[amamba]

So I noticed today that the folks at amtrak posted what - on its surface is - a fairly innocuous tweet.

But the burger isn't available for dinner, right?

If you click on the link in the tweet, it brings you to this page:

http://blog.amtrak.com/2014/04/tops-picks-long-distance-meals-amtrak/

That page - posted from April - then lists several items on the kids menu, including (and bolding) pizza & chicken tenders. Those are no longer available on many routes, right?

So I just wish that the folks in marketing would portray what are more realistic representations of what might happen in the diner. I just feel like it sets up amtrak for failure and the pax for disappointment (ie, being upset when these things aren't available that they see promoted in the marketing efforts).

 

[PerRock]

Stock photos.

peter

 

[amamba]

Stock photos.

peter

Yeah I get that they are stock photos. But perhaps they should use a photo of an entree that is served at dinner if the tweet refers to dinner.

 

[IHC]

Burgers are in fact indeed available for dinner in the dining car.

 

[Silver Star rider]

I responded to that tweet. Better off showing the steak than the hamburger, in my opinion.

Bruce-SSR

 

[The Hamburglar]

Burgers are now served at dinner time in the Dining Car. It is part of the recent changes handed down by the Bean Counters.

 

[KVG_DC]

Burgers are in fact indeed available for dinner in the dining car.

Except when they're not. My dad and I were told flat out that burgers were not on the Dinner menu when we rode the CL last. Despite the menu saying "available as a dinner option."

Which was sad, as a vegetarian it's pasta or bust from the Dinner menu and I sort of wanted some variation and try the veggie burger.

 

[Railroad Bill]

Of course, the writer may be referring to dinner as lunch. Here in the hinterlands of Ohio, my family always called lunch--dinner, and dinner was supper.

But if they meant dinner (supper) then the steak would have definitely been a better choice.

 

[KVG_DC]

Oh entirely. Indiana does the "supper" for evening meal too. Growing up, if it was light fare at noon, it was "lunch", but if it was a full sit down meal at noon, it was "dinner".

 

[Ispolkom]

Amtrak, though, calls the noon-time meal, when you can order a hamburger, "lunch," and the evening meal, when you can't, "dinner."

 

[user 1215]

Is Amtrak relying on tweeting tweens to advertise? Not that I'm against that - except can there be a real liabilty for false advertising, or perhaps (dum dum duuuuuum) fraud?

 

[montana mike]

Given the incredibly bad job that their marketing and operational teams have done recently on other aspects of the Amtrak Experience this isn't unexpected. I can just see it now: We removed almost all of the perks that made traveling "First Class" on a train fun, but that's OK, because we now have burgers available for dinner-unless they aren't!!! And, oh, yes, if you travel the Empire Builder this year, remember it's the length of the journey that counts, not whether you make it to your destination on time!

One has to get "creative" when you are dealt a hand like this......

 

[TraneMan]

You can have hamburger for your evening meal/dinner/supper. It was done both ways on our EB trip.

 

[neroden]

In some organizations, operational is subordinate to marketing; this is partly to prevent stuff like the operational teams stomping on marketing campaigns by eliminating the things being advertised. Apparently this is not the way it works at Amtrak, though.

Piles of plastic garbage coming out of the dining cars with their stripped-down, inadequate menus... but marketing doesn't seem to be able to do anything to change this, although it must be very bad for marketing, and it can't possibly save enough operationally to compensate.

 

[Shortline]

Why is no one commenting on the obvious problem here-Why is there Mayo on the hamburger? That's simply unacceptable. The mustard to burger ratio is also dangerously low.

 

[KVG_DC]

You can have hamburger for your evening meal/dinner/supper. It was done both ways on our EB trip.

Unless your server says they're "only available for lunch" though. Which was my experience on the CL. It would seem inconsistency is the rule being applied sometimes.

 

[lyke99]

Why is no one commenting on the obvious problem here-Why is there Mayo on the hamburger? That's simply unacceptable. The mustard to burger ratio is also dangerously low.

To each his own, my friend. The part I never include on a burger, fries, or anything is ketchup. Mustard and mayo are fine by me.

On a trip earlier this month on both the Empire Builder (ridden at the beginning and end of the trip) and the Lake Shore Limited offered the Angus burger AND the Veggie burger as options at dinner.

 

[SarahZ]

You can have hamburger for your evening meal/dinner/supper. It was done both ways on our EB trip.

Unless your server says they're "only available for lunch" though. Which was my experience on the CL. It would seem inconsistency is the rule being applied sometimes.

Or low stock.

 

[montana mike]

On our last trip on the EB the servers politely said "No Mas" on the burgers for dinner-stating they barely had enough for the next day's lunch! And they still ran out of burgers the following day. Sounds like a commissary supply issue on that run.

;-(

 

[user 1215]

On our last trip on the EB the servers politely said "No Mas" on the burgers for dinner-stating they barely had enough for the next day's lunch! And they still ran out of burgers the following day. Sounds like a commissary supply issue on that run.

;-(

There is a LOT of that throughout the system.

 

[printman2000]

On the SWC earlier this month, the crew had used a black marker to mark out the wording saying that hamburgers were also available for dinner. And this was with an EXCELLENT dining car crew.

I suspect, as someone else has said, it was to save them so they would have them to serve at lunch time instead of running out.

 

[crescent2]

I just got back from a (very successful! ) Crescent-Cap Ltd-Card-Crescent AGR trip, and my friend ordered the Angus burger at dinner, with choice of condiments in a basket on the table. She said her burger was very good, as has been my experience multiple times in the past. I don't recall ever being told they were out of burgers, but I don't doubt it can happen.

All our and our table mates' meals, except for those on the Cardinal which doesn't have a regular kitchen, were judged good, as was the dining service except for the Card.

There is nothing misleading about the photo of the burger, assuming it's available of course.

 

[PerRock]

Why is no one commenting on the obvious problem here-Why is there Mayo on the hamburger? That's simply unacceptable. The mustard to burger ratio is also dangerously low.

There seems to be a serious lack of quantity of mustard in this country in general. If I buy a sandwhich from the Caf here at my work It usually comes with two large mayo packets and maybe (they're really inconsistent here) one little half-empty mustard one. And if I ask for more mustard they're only allowed to give me one more packet.

That being mayo can be quite tasty on a burger, depending on the what else is on the burger.

peter