Lunch dessert

[Greg]

I'm currently on empire builder number 7. Was just told that they do not serve dessert with lunch. It's been three or four years since I've ridden the train but is this a new phenomenon?

 

[pennyk]

I'm currently on empire builder number 7. Was just told that they do not serve dessert with lunch. It's been three or four years since I've ridden the train but is this a new phenomenon?

It may depend on the train, on the crew and how many desserts were loaded compared to the number of sleeper passengers. I was on the Silver Meteor for lunch on Saturday and I had dessert.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

Either the crew is making up rules to be lazy, or the diner wasn’t given enough so they are making up rules to help get through. Either is possible.

 

[chrsjrcj]

When I rode #28 last month, dessert was offered for lunch/dinner/lunch, although by the second day's lunch serving the dessert selections were limited.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I was on the Silver Meteor for lunch on Saturday and I had dessert.

About a week ago I received dessert with lunch on the Sunset Limited. Sounds like the crew either didn't want to bother or they were saving it for their own meals.

 

[yarrow]

sad.

 

[Sauve850]

I was on 8 heading east little over a week ago and we had dessert offered at lunch. I would think its perhaps an inventory issue rather than saving it for themselves but I certainly dont know for sure.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

I want to give them the benefit of the doubt but a good crew would explain the issue and say “I’m so sorry we aren’t able to serve dessert for the lunch services because they didn’t deliver our full inventory.”

 

[Dakota 400]

Dessert is part of the meal service for guests.

Another sign that Amtrak is missing the position of On-Board Guest Supervisor. With such a situation, at the time, what can a guest do?

 

[Bob Dylan]

Most of the time on the Western LD Trains, especially the 2 Night Ones and the ones that turn overnight outside of Chicago, they start running out of items after the First Day out, especially popular items like Steak and Deserts.

A few times I've been on Trains out of Chicago and they tell you they've "run out" of certain items @ the First Meal served which is Dinner out of the Windy City!

 

[andytiedye]

Last time we took the LSL, they were out of all hot meals by 7 PM. Only has cold Asian noodles left. But they did have some kind of dessert.

 

[bratkinson]

I'm very suspicious that the lack of lunch deserts is an Anderson dining car cut to save a buck here and there.

Excluding 2 weeks ago, this year as well as last year, the number of times I've been given or even offered a dinner roll and/or salad at dinner I can count on one hand. At least the Silver Meteor provided both without asking 2 weeks ago. They also offered a lunch desert. I'll be getting my last real meals in a Viewliner diner on the Crescent in 2 weeks. It'll be interesting to see if they still have/offer a roll and salad.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I think it's important to separate offering versus denial. In my view it's not that unusual that dessert isn't offered or acknowledged proactively, or that it comes with an extremely limited selection, but it is unusual that it's simply refused completely. Hopefully it's just one lazy/selfish crew and not part of a larger system-wide change on the horizon.

 

[OBS]

I think it's important to separate offering versus denial. In my view it's not that unusual that dessert isn't offered or acknowledged proactively, or that it comes with an extremely limited selection, but it is unusual that it's simply refused completely. Hopefully it's just one lazy/selfish crew and not part of a larger system-wide change on the horizon.

This would be my guess....

 

[railiner]

I had dessert with lunch the first day on the Meteor, 12 July, but not the second day, as that was an "added meal", very limited, offered due to our late running....

 

[Brian Battuello]

Bad customer! No cake for you!

 

[Dakota 400]

this year as well as last year, the number of times I've been given or even offered a dinner roll and/or salad at dinner I can count on one hand.

I wonder is this is a new "trend" in the restaurant industry of not offering or being given bread or a roll at lunch? A quality local seafood oriented restaurant associated with a national Restaurant company that operates many restaurants has stopped given bread during their lunch service. Sometimes the wait person will ask if the guest wants it; sometimes they don't.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

I wonder is this is a new "trend" in the restaurant industry of not offering or being given bread or a roll at lunch? A quality local seafood oriented restaurant associated with a national Restaurant company that operates many restaurants has stopped given bread during their lunch service. Sometimes the wait person will ask if the guest wants it; sometimes they don't.

I live in Oklahoma and it is ESSENTIAL to have a soppin' roll or bread with a meal as gravy is usually involved and it is a crime to let good gravy (or for that matter pot liquor) go to waste.

 

[Sauve850]

I'm very suspicious that the lack of lunch deserts is an Anderson dining car cut to save a buck here and there.

Excluding 2 weeks ago, this year as well as last year, the number of times I've been given or even offered a dinner roll and/or salad at dinner I can count on one hand. At least the Silver Meteor provided both without asking 2 weeks ago. They also offered a lunch desert. I'll be getting my last real meals in a Viewliner diner on the Crescent in 2 weeks. It'll be interesting to see if they still have/offer a roll and salad.

I would seriously doubt Anderson has a clue about this. This is lower level stuff. As I wrote the other day in a travel report number 8 from Sea to Chi had everything for every meal. Rolls always there so its no trend. No requests from anyone at the table as everything was offered. Would you like a salad with that steak? We have some wonderful desserts, etc. I bet I could have gotten dessert at breakfast it was that good. I have no explanation other than this was a great crew and the train was fully stocked.

 

[MARC Rider]

I wonder is this is a new "trend" in the restaurant industry of not offering or being given bread or a roll at lunch? A quality local seafood oriented restaurant associated with a national Restaurant company that operates many restaurants has stopped given bread during their lunch service. Sometimes the wait person will ask if the guest wants it; sometimes they don't.

Actually, maybe you really don't want the bread, as I've heard that it's a common practice to reserve uneaten bread.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

I bet I could have gotten dessert at breakfast it was that good.

This reminded me... does anyone remember a waitress named Desiree' that worked the Crescent and Lake Shore Limited. She was the best!!! She would always ask "and you want cheesecake or ice cream after you finish your eggs" I laughed and said I'll take cheesecake! and sure enough she brought it to me in a to-go cup (back then they still served real slices of cheesecake... it wasn't just the pre-packaged round ones like they have now).

 

[Steve4031]

This happened to me on the EB when I rode it in fall if 2018. If it’s explained that they ran out that’s one thing. But when crew rations it then I’m not happy. I was flatly told no dessert at lunch. My incentive to tip was also removed with the same abruptness.

 

[chakk]

This happened to me on the EB when I rode it in fall if 2018. If it’s explained that they ran out that’s one thing. But when crew rations it then I’m not happy. I was flatly told no dessert at lunch. My incentive to tip was also removed with the same abruptness.

I have always been offered dessert during lunch in the diner on all western LD trains, covering about 50 lunches in the diner over the past 3 decades.

 

[dogbert617]

I'm currently on empire builder number 7. Was just told that they do not serve dessert with lunch. It's been three or four years since I've ridden the train but is this a new phenomenon?

I'm wondering, where along the EB route did you eat lunch, when you were told by the dining crew that dessert won't be served during lunch? And was the lunch meal where you were told no desserts would be served, was the one going westbound through Montana after Minot and Williston, ND? Weird, since when I upgraded to a sleeper on 8/28 going back from Glacier National Park, the dining crew was very nice, and I was able to get dessert for both the lunch and dinner going through Montana and North Dakota, respectively. The next day for lunch going through Wisconsin, the crew was at least very nice in telling me, they had ran out of all dessert selections, so I respected that.

I do wonder if for the EB, the crew had ran out of desserts by the time you had that lunch meal going through Montana and right after passing through North Dakota? Or if that's a quiet Anderson cutback, by not stocking as many desserts as they used to for the dining car? My trip was in early July this year on the EB, and I was coming back from visiting Glacier National Park btw.

 

[Barb Stout]

On one recent trip on the SWC, I was told no dessert for lunch, but on other SWC trips, they did offer dessert for lunch. I did notice that the train seemed fuller on the no-dessert lunch than on the dessert lunch. Also, I think I may have been traveling coach on the no-dessert lunch (but I don't remember for sure) whereas I was in a roomette on this latest yes-dessert-lunch. Could it be a coach vs sleeper issue?