National Dining Car Specials/New Menus (April '17)

[Dakota 400]

I prefer a rye whiskey with Canadian Club being my choice. Crown Royal is good, of course, but not one I would choose to order if both was available. (Never heard of Weiser's Rye, probably not available in Ohio, I'd guess.)

On my up-coming EB journey, I will ask if CC is stocked. If not, I may do an experiment to see how much Club Soda I need to add to make a scotch acceptable to my palate. Never had a Bloody Mary as a pre-dinner drink, but there is a first time for everything.

If all else fails, I can fall back on a white wine. But, there is a concern there: on my Sunset Limited trip, the Dining Car ran out of single serving bottles of white wine at dinner the first night after leaving New Orleans!

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Canadian Club and standard Crown Royal are Canadian Whiskeys but they are not Ryes and have not been for decades. Crown Royal makes a Rye, and it's decent. JP Weiser's is a Canadian company, they make several varieties, one of which is Rye. I can't find it in most NJ stores (Roger Wilco has it) but is readily available in better PA state stores- it is legal to import PA liquor into NJ, but not the other way around. No idea about Ohio.

 

[RSG]

Not that VIA is making money... But they are constantly pushing alcahol. The Steward comes by to take drink orders and offer his recommendations with the various entrees... The Park Car has happy hours... All things that Amtrak could do.

But no... An actual response ive heard in an Amtrak dining car-

Guest - "what kind of wines do You have?"

Server - "we have a red and a white"

Guest- "what kind of white wine is it?"

Server "you want the white wine?"

Guest "well im not sure, what kind of wine is it"

Server "do you want wine or not?"

This was a few years ago on the crescent.

I can see bean counter-types begin to hyperventilate at the suggestion of a happy hour onboard AMTK trains, though it raises the old sales conundrum of "do we make more from selling more at a lesser price or selling less at a higher price?" It's hard to convince even the most experienced accounting professionals to consider discounting something that they have spent considerable time projecting sales figures for at a certain price point. (For proof of this, look at the dustbin of shuttered retail establishments that convinced only themselves that paying extra for their product and alleged service and/or ambience was a worthwhile endeavor.)

As for the wine selections, I seriously believe that not even a merit pay increase would motivate some service staff to learn the difference between a Merlot and a Moscato and know a Cabernet from a Chardonnay. I've asked which wines are currently on board the train I'm riding on and on occasion the response I've gotten is indeed literally the above "we have a red and a white". I've even pressed a bit and asked "Just a red and a white? No White Zinfandel?" I have, once or twice, gotten a puzzled look in return as if the unexpressed thought is "What in the heck is an infidel wine?" As an experienced Amtrak traveler, I know that most everything is Woodbridge, save for the instances in which Sutter Home White Zin is carried, so I'm ahead of the game on that (where newbies might not), but it would still be nice for the staff to learn what has been stocked on board and to at least be able to mention the brand name. The attitude behind the dialogue above is sadly all too common. Do some OBS not understand that many people base gratuities on total value of what is served? (Hint: more sales can result in more gratuities.) Discouraging sales often results in the exact opposite.

 

[Lonestar648]

It is surprising how many servers don't want to put the effort in to sell the extras. This was a big thing when I owned my restaurant, finally I did a contest on how much add ons were sold. The Servers were shocked how their tips rose during the competition. For some reason they couldn't equate the additional items to a larger tip.

 

[Johanna]

Though not alcohol, I've definitely had dining car servers try to "upsell" me on extras, like convincing me to have dessert when I was wavering on whether I wanted it. On my most recent trip, they were really pushing the option to have guacamole on everything. I thought it was just because it was something new - it didn't occur to me that they might have been trying for bigger tips. (Though I'm not sure how well that would have worked. The reality of the situation, for me anyway, is that I board the train with a certain supply of small bills, and the dining car staff are probably going to get all of them over the course of the trip unless they do something really offensive.)

 

[Manny T]

Anyone who is really interested in wine, and is traveling Amtrak in a sleeper, will certainly bring a bottle of his or her preferred wine on board to uncork and drink at leisure. To expect Amtrak to have a "decent" selection, or any selection, and its personnel to have a grasp of wine beyond "red or white" is like going into a Boston Market or Applebee's with the same expectations.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

An actual response I've heard in an Amtrak dining car-

Guest - "what kind of wines do You have?"

Server - "we have a red and a white"

Guest- "what kind of white wine is it?"

Server "you want the white wine?"

Guest "well I'm not sure, what kind of wine is it"

Server "do you want wine or not?"

Same here and it's been that way for many years now. Rather than Amtrak training their staff to have some pride in their work the staff have simply trained the customers to lower their expectations.

 

[Johanna]

I expect the personnel in any establishment to have at least a rudimentary understanding of the products they're trying to sell - and if they're asked for information about their products that they don't immediately know, they should be willing to go and check, rather than making stuff up or insulting the customer for asking. In a restaurant that doesn't serve wine, the staff doesn't need to know anything about wine. But Amtrak does serve wine, so the dining car staff should be aware, at the very very least, that there are types of wine other than "red and white," and that passengers might want to know what kind they're getting. It's not like the dining car menu is so extensive that this kind of basic information should take that long to learn.

I watched a similar exchange a couple of years ago on the SWC. One of my tablemates at dinner was trying to get a cup of herbal tea for after her meal. She asked our server for "chamomile or something similar." The server said "Oh, so how about Earl Grey?" She cringed, and so did I. I don't expect Amtrak staff to have an extensive knowledge of Darjeelings, matchas, and formosa oolongs, let alone offer them, but is it too much to expect them to know that there's a difference between black tea and herbal tea, and that a customer who specifically asks for one is almost certainly not going to be happy with the other?

 

[Manny T]

Yes, it is imho. As an herbal tea drinker who has been offered Lipton's black tea 100,000 times too many, I always bring a couple of my favorite herbal tea bags with me on any Amtrak journey, and ask for hot water.

The problem is relying too much on an unreliable, poorly trained, staff that provides inconsistent service across the whole of Amtrak. You will be disappointed from time to time. I hope they get the big things right (safety, transportation, on time performance, courtesy). To expect them to get the little amenities right is stretching things imho.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

Manny... I'm confused by your post? Are you suggesting that it's unreasonable to want Amtrak to provide better service?

 

[fillyjonk]

Yes, it is imho. As an herbal tea drinker who has been offered Lipton's black tea 100,000 times too many, I always bring a couple of my favorite herbal tea bags with me on any Amtrak journey, and ask for hot water.

The problem is relying too much on an unreliable, poorly trained, staff that provides inconsistent service across the whole of Amtrak. You will be disappointed from time to time. I hope they get the big things right (safety, transportation, on time performance, courtesy). To expect them to get the little amenities right is stretching things imho.

Speaking of inconsistency: I am OK with Lipton's (though should really get into the habit of carrying my own bags of a preferred brand) but several times when I've requested hot tea with breakfast, they bring out a little cup of herbal bags, all of which contain chamomile - which I cannot have (allergies). Which then I have to send back. It's never been the case that "oops, we're out of real tea," it's more like they neglect to bring it as a choice.

If I specify "tea," I mean Camellia sinensis. If I wanted herb tea, I'd SAY "herbal tea" or carry my own.

It's also always a crapshoot whether they bring a lemon wedge with it or not. I don't bother to ask if they don't because they're usually busy at breakfast and sometimes they don't even HAVE lemon wedges....also with the oatmeal, sometimes you get brown sugar and raisins, sometimes just brown sugar, sometimes nothing.

 

[Johanna]

I guess I don't "expect" the dining car servers to know their way around the menu any more than I "expect" staff to be courteous or the trains to run on time, but I also think it's a goshdarn shame that they've let our "expectations" sink so low. (I also don't understand why it's a priori unreasonable to expect safety, transportation, punctuality, and competent food service, since in most cases it's a different set of people responsible for each of those things.)

Whenever I travel anywhere, I bring a stash of teabags in varieties I like. Though they're mostly for using with hotel coffee makers, it's probably not a bad idea to start bringing a few with me to the dining car.

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

Guest - "what kind of wines do You have?"

Server - "we have a red and a white"

Guest- "what kind of white wine is it?"

Server "you want the white wine?"

Guest "well im not sure, what kind of wine is it"

Server "do you want wine or not?"

Reminds me of one time a bunch of us went out to dinner...

My friend - "what kind of sodas do you have?"

Server - "we have coke, sprite, rootbeer, ginger ale..."

My friend - "ginger ale, do you know were they grew the ginger?"

Server - "you want the ginger ale?"

My friend - "I am not sure without knowing more about it."

 

[crescent-zephyr]

An actual response I've heard in an Amtrak dining car-

Guest - "what kind of wines do You have?"

Server - "we have a red and a white"

Guest- "what kind of white wine is it?"

Server "you want the white wine?"

Guest "well I'm not sure, what kind of wine is it"

Server "do you want wine or not?"

Same here and it's been that way for many years now. Rather than Amtrak training their staff to have some pride in their work the staff have simply trained the customers to lower their expectations.

To be fair... I rode the empire builder last November and the server new about the different wines and which ones were "dry" when asked by a table mate of mine.

And when riding the sunset earlier this year, I asked about the different white wines and she told me the different types and which ones came in by the glass and by the half bottle.

 

[Lonestar648]

Unfortunately, some of the servers, like some workers around the USA, are just there for their paycheck, unhappy they are required to do tasks during the hours on duty, so they do the absolutely minimum. At Amtrak, most of these people are protected, so they earn a good wage over $20/hr, caring little about the passengers eating in the DC. Then there are others who take pride in their work no matter what they are paid, doing their best to be knowledgeable about all the products in the DC. These are the folks that don't get paid enough for the pleasure they bring everyone they serve.

 

[Manny T]

Manny... I'm confused by your post? Are you suggesting that it's unreasonable to want Amtrak to provide better service?

CZ, it's a question of expectations. Amtrak can certainly provide better service, and should. But I doubt Amtrak can ever provide "first class" service, the way staff in the first class or business class section of an airplane can. First class and business class flight attendants can tell you all about the wine selection on board, let you taste everything, and discuss it with you. I would never expect that on Amtrak. If they can do better than "red or white," I'd be happy. As it is, I try to go with the flow and keep my expectations low.

 

[tommylicious]

Well...as long as you're not comparing Amtrak to United "Polaris". I flew Polaris back from Europe in April and the flight attendants were absolutely terrible.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Amtrak can certainly provide better service, and should. But I doubt Amtrak can ever provide "first class" service, the way staff in the first class or business class section of an airplane can. First class and business class flight attendants can tell you all about the wine selection on board, let you taste everything, and discuss it with you. I would never expect that on Amtrak.

Why not? Amtrak sleeper tickets often cost as much or even more than first class airfare. Amtrak trains have the benefit of more room and more load bearing capacity compared to even the largest widebody aircraft, let alone the tiny region jets that have taken over much of our domestic network. What logical reason does Amtrak have for charging more and giving less? If anything a train should be able to exceed the service levels of the best airlines.

Well...as long as you're not comparing Amtrak to United "Polaris". I flew Polaris back from Europe in April and the flight attendants were absolutely terrible.

Oddly enough there seems to be some sort of correlation between Amtrak fans and United loyalists. I'm curious to know more but the details are sketchy and defensive. :lol:

 

[Lonestar648]

I found the PCC Attendants quite knowledgeable on the wines they had for the wine tasting. May be they have a good attitude, why they have the PCC, thus must have guides they read or view to be up on the wines they are serving.

 

[ehbowen]

I found the PCC Attendants quite knowledgeable on the wines they had for the wine tasting. May be they have a good attitude, why they have the PCC, thus must have guides they read or view to be up on the wines they are serving.

PCC Car:



PPC Car:

 

[Lonestar648]

Sorry Typo, meant PPC.

 

[Dakota 400]

Well...as long as you're not comparing Amtrak to United "Polaris". I flew Polaris back from Europe in April and the flight attendants were absolutely terrible.

I have flown Singapore Airlines from Singapore to SFO in Business Class. While the service and amenities were somewhat better than U.S. airlines international flights that I have flown, my experience failed to meet my expectations after all of the hype I had learned about Singapore Airlines. For example, a Rib-Eye Steak that was too well done, thus tough/flavorless. (Amtrak's steaks that I have ordered have been better.)

 

[BoulderCO]

Also keep in mind that most first class flights are only a few hours long with one meal. LD trains can be 2 or 3 days with many meals. So the incremental cost structure for AmTrak in terms of food, labor and amortized cost of the space you take up on a trip is higher than for the airlines.

I don't mean this as a total apology for AmTrak. I get sticker shock when I look at the typical sleeper ticket, given the quality of the "room", food, and often surly service provided.

 

[Dakota 400]

Also keep in mind that most first class flights are only a few hours long with one meal. LD trains can be 2 or 3 days with many meals. So the incremental cost structure for AmTrak in terms of food, labor and amortized cost of the space you take up on a trip is higher than for the airlines.

I don't mean this as a total apology for AmTrak. I get sticker shock when I look at the typical sleeper ticket, given the quality of the "room", food, and often surly service provided.

Slightly off topic (please forgive), but I got sticker shock when I checked the cost of booking my Roomette on the Empire Builder in July as compared with what I paid a few months ago. The price increased by more than $400!

Booking as early as one can surely paid off for me!

 

[snvboy]

Heck, I don't care if they don't know their red from their right. Some trips I'm just thankful they remembered that I ordered any wine at all!