Lunch on #97, Silver Meteor (problem with chef)

[jimontheriver]

Was told at breakfast there would be one seating for lunch and it

was pizza.  Asked why, problems with the cook waitress says.  I will ask more questions then but really wanted to try  the baked chilaquiles.   Thinking won't they have lunch supplies going to waste.

 

[cpotisch]

Do you know if they’re talking about the microwaved frozen pizza they serve in the cafe car, or real pizza delivered to the train?

 

[pennyk]

Things happen.  If the chef got sick and no one else in the dining car crew is qualified to cook, then nothing will be cooked in the dining car.  I have been on a western train when there was a plumbing problem in the dining car.  The sleeping car passengers received vouchers for food in the cafe car.  It appears that they are handling this differently.  

Coby's question indicates that there is a possibility that "real" pizza may be delivered to the train.  My home station is Orlando.  A couple of times when 98 has been very late and sleeper passengers would be missing lunch, the Orlando station agents ordered pizza to serve to sleeping car passengers in the station.  It is possible they are ordering pizza for the sleeping car passengers on the train.

 

[cpotisch]

Things happen.  If the chef got sick and no one else in the dining car crew is qualified to cook, then nothing will be cooked in the dining car.  I have been on a western train when there was a plumbing problem in the dining car.  The sleeping car passengers received vouchers for food in the cafe car.  It appears that they are handling this differently.  

Coby's question indicates that there is a possibility that "real" pizza may be delivered to the train.  My home station is Orlando.  A couple of times when 98 has been very late and sleeper passengers would be missing lunch, the Orlando station agents ordered pizza to serve to sleeping car passengers in the station.  It is possible they are ordering pizza for the sleeping car passengers on the train.

When I was on a derailed 98 last year, they had just enough supplies left in the diner car to serve us sleeper pax lunch the second day, but were all out for dinner. So somewhere in Virginia they ordered 70 pizzas to the train, and served them for free to everyone onboard (coach and sleeper). We ended up arriving into NYP at 7:00 AM; exactly 20 hours late. So glad we had such a great crew on that train.

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

My home station is Orlando.  A couple of times when 98 has been very late and sleeper passengers would be missing lunch, the Orlando station agents ordered pizza to serve to sleeping car passengers in the station.  It is possible they are ordering pizza for the sleeping car passengers on the train.

Wow, I never had that type of service at Orlando, and there certainly have been times I had to sit there for many, many hours waiting for a very late Silver.

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

When I was on a derailed 98 last year, they had just enough supplies left in the diner car to serve us sleeper pax lunch the second day, but were all out for dinner. So somewhere in Virginia they ordered 70 pizzas to the train, and served them for free to everyone onboard (coach and sleeper). We ended up arriving into NYP at 7:00 AM; exactly 20 hours late. So glad we had such a great crew on that train.

Wow, things have improved.   I've been on a 24+ hour late Silver.   The LSA made sure that the Sleeper passengers were fed, and had enough supplies to make it thru (though the menu selections dwindled as time went on).   However, the coach passengers were simply left to fend for themselves, and also deal with degrading bathroom situation.

 

[pennyk]

Wow, I never had that type of service at Orlando, and there certainly have been times I had to sit there for many, many hours waiting for a very late Silver.

Pizza at the station has occured at least 3 times, if I remember correctly.  Years ago, when there was a cafe across the street from the station, sleeper passengers were given vouchers to purchase lunch at the cafe when the Meteor was considerably late.   I guess I have been lucky.

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

Pizza at the station has occured at least 3 times, if I remember correctly.  Years ago, when there was a cafe across the street from the station, sleeper passengers were given vouchers to purchase lunch at the cafe when the Meteor was considerably late.   I guess I have been lucky.

Never offered a voucher either. 

I guess I need to learn to cause a violent scene or something, in order to get some positive attention.

 

[Triley]

Wow, things have improved.   I've been on a 24+ hour late Silver.   The LSA made sure that the Sleeper passengers were fed, and had enough supplies to make it thru (though the menu selections dwindled as time went on).   However, the coach passengers were simply left to fend for themselves, and also deal with degrading bathroom situation.

When trains are that late, it's going to be up to management to decide how to handle the food situation. There may not have been a place that was able to accommodate a large order by the specified time.

 

[Anderson]

I've heard of outside food orders (and experienced them once...on a Starlight where there was a problem with the diner overheating one morning, we got donuts and pastries picked up somewhere for breakfast).

One time when the Crescent was late out of Atlanta (last September), boarding sleeper pax got sent to the cafe for dinner (a pleasant surprise...I'd grabbed a bite in Atlanta when the train fell off-schedule so I wasn't starving, but I did grab a salad) while a late SB Meteor has resulted in getting sent into the station at WAS with cash when boarding there.  So handling varies.

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

Wow, things have improved.   I've been on a 24+ hour late Silver.   The LSA made sure that the Sleeper passengers were fed, and had enough supplies to make it thru (though the menu selections dwindled as time went on).   However, the coach passengers were simply left to fend for themselves, and also deal with degrading bathroom situation.

When trains are that late, it's going to be up to management to decide how to handle the food situation. There may not have been a place that was able to accommodate a large order by the specified time.

You're being way too generous.    Management did nothing on those days than to prove just how down-right incompetent they were.

 

[Ryan]

Management did nothing

You know that based on direct observation, or are you just making stuff up to bolster your already-held belief?

 

[jimontheriver]

 So.  The northbound train had no cook so our cook jumped on the northbound train st Orlando. and both trains had pizza hut pizzas