New dining options (flex dining) effective October 1, 2019

[tricia]

Don't know who the sea or .Lca are but there were a lot of staff hanging in the sleeper lounge on the meteor Wednesday. Do people normally tip the cabin attendant up front or at the end?

Some folks on this board do it one way, some another, and when the service is awful at least some of us don't tip at all. Personally, I think tipping in advance feels too much like a bribe, rather than a reward for exceptional service. All Amtrak staff are paid with a decent wage and benefits package and, although sleeping car attendants (SCAs) and dining car staff appreciate tips, they don't rely on tips to bring them up to minimum wage.

You'll find MANY threads on this site about tipping, a hot topic here with a wide range of opinion on it.

 

[OBS]

Confined working environment of a length of time covering several meal periods.

Amtrak will not provide meals under these conditions?

Ineffective union yes, but a Employer who does not care about the employees.

Our world not getting better.

Before everyone gets too excited, Per the OBS contract, if meals are not provided in the Dining Car, employees are paid a per diem reimbursement for each meal period they work and are not provided meals. Most employees, given the option of eating the same food over and over, week after week, would prefer the reimbursement and will plan their own meals accordingly.

 

[Dakota 400]

Worse than the "free" breakfast at low end motels, like econo lodge.

I have experienced that type of breakfast in the past. The first time, I thought it was a "one off" experience because of the general condition of the property. The second time (at a different brand, but the same chain), much the same type of breakfast. That's why I no longer patronize that entire chain of hotels.

 

[Dakota 400]

Probably an ignorant question on my part, but why ought a SCA be expected to assist a LSA in the Sleeper Lounge? Are job descriptions on Amtrak that flexible?

 

[Rail Freak]

Probably an ignorant question on my part, but why ought a SCA be expected to assist a LSA in the Sleeper Lounge? Are job descriptions on Amtrak that flexible?

I would think in a situation like that, if the SCA didnt help, the job wouldnt get done properly which affects the tips!?

 

[pennyk]

Before everyone gets too excited, Per the OBS contract, if meals are not provided in the Dining Car, employees are paid a per diem reimbursement for each meal period they work and are not provided meals. Most employees, given the option of eating the same food over and over, week after week, would prefer the reimbursement and will plan their own meals accordingly.

I was informed by more than one OBS that the per diem reimburement is considerably less than the amount it would cost to buy 3 flex meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner).

 

[OBS]

I was informed by more than one OBS that the per diem reimburement is considerably less than the amount it would cost to buy 3 flex meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner).

Absolutely true. However, if they were totally honest with you, they would, in most cases, prefer the cash and make their own arrangements for meals, trust me. It is no different than how it is currently handled on 91/92.

 

[Anderson]

I mean, if they could find a cooperative restaurant in Orlando or Jacksonville there's no reason the crew couldn't arrange a regular delivery schedule for themselves from a restaurant.

Reading the reviews above, breakfast sounds like the dumpster fire I was expecting to hear about (for that, I think I'll just go back to packing MREs or sleeping in; at least the MRE sausage patty is pretty good). Everything else was a mess, but at the Springhill Suites I spent Wednesday night at in Baltimore, grabbing some ham and havarti at the free breakfast setup was perfectly fine.

The lunch/dinner part of things seems passable.

Based on the "crew charge" of $25, it seems like Amtrak is going to be able to smile-and-nod breakfast and lunch charges from $10-15 up to $25 for those meals (dinner being more of a wash).

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

Worse than the "free" breakfast at low end motels, like econo lodge.

Just as I feared.

Maybe, instead of taking the train, I can start to look into intercity stage coaches.

 

[jebr]

Worse than the "free" breakfast at low end motels, like econo lodge.

I believe there's also a few other options not pictured, like a muffin, fruit cup, and sausage muffin sandwich. If it's similar to the contemporary dining back in March on the LSL, I'd consider it slightly better than an Econo Lodge or Super 8 breakfast (at least based on my stays there.) Definitely not as good as even a Hampton or Holiday Inn Express breakfast, though.

You'd think that Amtrak could at least offer something on par with a $100ish/night hotel room for breakfast, instead of skimping out to the $50-$60/night hotel room level...

 

[user 14106]

I wonder what gets better reviews, the current continental model or the original sugar box?

 

[jis]

I believe there's also a few other options not pictured, like a muffin, fruit cup, and sausage muffin sandwich. If it's similar to the contemporary dining back in March on the LSL, I'd consider it slightly better than an Econo Lodge or Super 8 breakfast (at least based on my stays there.) Definitely not as good as even a Hampton or Holiday Inn Express breakfast, though.

You'd think that Amtrak could at least offer something on par with a $100ish/night hotel room for breakfast, instead of skimping out to the $50-$60/night hotel room level...

I can see why they may shy away from serving scrambled eggs and bacon strips. But they could make up for it by including something like a breakfast burrito to deliver a scrambled egg and bacon option. Similarly reheatd waffles, while not as good as the freshly made ones, are usually not all that bad, and many use it at home too. So I think significant improvements can be made to the breakfast even within the constraints of staffing and delivery method chosen.

Of course ideally, they could follow the airline First Class example and include a couple of plated items delivered like dinner items are delivered. The current breakfast setup is more akin to how for purchase items are delivered for Coach snack setup in US domestic carriers

 

[Notelvis]

Worse than the "free" breakfast at low end motels, like econo lodge.

YES! I have said this several times - Even a mediocre Quality Inn puts out a breakfast spread with two or three hot options though I do suppose it is not a good idea for half awake people to try using a waffle iron on a moving train.

 

[neroden]

The current "breakfast" is flatly unacceptable. It has the same problem as before: every single item is sugar loaded, even the bread in the reheated sandwich, even the oatmeal. They even stopped carrying the eggs. I am temporarily on a sugar restricted diet. There was nothing edible. Nobody with diabetes can eat anything.

I had a better breakfast at an extremely plain Choice Hotels buffet. Plain instant oatmeal and hard boiled eggs from a package. I will start carrying my own instant oatmeal and see if I can get hot water in the cafe.

This is pretty much a recipe for lowering ridership and revenue, and the ridership and financial damage is already visible. A conspiracy theorist would suggest that the Eastern long distance trains were too successful, too popular, too profitable, and someone had told Mr Anderson to trash service, Penn Central style, to drive away customers. Because if your intention was to drive away customers and reduce revenue, this is what you would do. Amtrak could provide a better selection of real food more cheaply than the candided garbage they are supplying.

 

[neroden]

I mean, if they could find a cooperative restaurant in Orlando or Jacksonville there's no reason the crew couldn't arrange a regular delivery schedule for themselves from a restaurant.

Reading the reviews above, breakfast sounds like the dumpster fire I was expecting to hear about (for that, I think I'll just go back to packing MREs or sleeping in; at least the MRE sausage patty is pretty good). Everything else was a mess, but at the Springhill Suites I spent Wednesday night at in Baltimore, grabbing some ham and havarti at the free breakfast setup was perfectly fine.

The lunch/dinner part of things seems passable.

Based on the "crew charge" of $25, it seems like Amtrak is going to be able to smile-and-nod breakfast and lunch charges from $10-15 up to $25 for those meals (dinner being more of a wash).

Sounds like accounting fraud to me. With the old system, Amtrak assigned the price of what the sleeper passenger actually bought to the F&B line. With the sugarbomb buffet "breakfast", they are apparently no longer tracking whether anyone actually takes the meals -- no ticket tracking what food I took. If they assign part of my ticket price to the meals which I don't eat, that is just fraudulent accounting. If that's how Anderson plans to make F&B "profitable" he might as well supply us with decent food, since he can fraudulently assign arbitrary amounts of ticket revenue to it.

 

[Anderson]

Sounds like accounting fraud to me. With the old system, Amtrak assigned the price of what the sleeper passenger actually bought to the F&B line. With the sugarbomb buffet "breakfast", they are apparently no longer tracking whether anyone actually takes the meals -- no ticket tracking what food I took. If they assign part of my ticket price to the meals which I don't eat, that is just fraudulent accounting. If that's how Anderson plans to make F&B "profitable" he might as well supply us with decent food, since he can fraudulently assign arbitrary amounts of ticket revenue to it.

Oh, ot sounds pretty close to that to me as well. I think this is a case of "malicious compliance" by structurally defeating existing controls. I'm not going to lie, I can NOT blame Anderson for that much.

 

[Anderson]

The current "breakfast" is flatly unacceptable. It has the same problem as before: every single item is sugar loaded, even the bread in the reheated sandwich, even the oatmeal. They even stopped carrying the eggs. I am temporarily on a sugar restricted diet. There was nothing edible. Nobody with diabetes can eat anything.

I had a better breakfast at an extremely plain Choice Hotels buffet. Plain instant oatmeal and hard boiled eggs from a package. I will start carrying my own instant oatmeal and see if I can get hot water in the cafe.

This is pretty much a recipe for lowering ridership and revenue, and the ridership and financial damage is already visible. A conspiracy theorist would suggest that the Eastern long distance trains were too successful, too popular, too profitable, and someone had told Mr Anderson to trash service, Penn Central style, to drive away customers. Because if your intention was to drive away customers and reduce revenue, this is what you would do. Amtrak could provide a better selection of real food more cheaply than the candided garbage they are supplying.

Honestly, I'd like to see a bunch of us on the platform at JAX one morning heating MREs. The optics would be classic.

 

[ehbowen]

Honestly, I'd like to see a bunch of us on the platform at JAX one morning heating MREs. The optics would be classic.

Maybe AmtrakUnlimited ought to solicit advertising from MRE Depot....

 

[jiml]

I do suppose it is not a good idea for half awake people to try using a waffle iron on a moving train.

Based on how that often goes at a Hampton/Fairfield/Drury, etc., you're right!

 

[Anderson]

Maybe AmtrakUnlimited ought to solicit advertising from MRE Depot....

It would beat all these stupid "Should Trump fight big pharma to release [blah]? Yes/Don't Know" ads that keep popping up.

 

[AUAdmin]

It would beat all these stupid "Should Trump fight big pharma to release [blah]? Yes/Don't Know" ads that keep popping up.

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[OBS]

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Wonderful, thanks!

 

[Anderson]

Done.

 

[seat38a]

Last Fall when I rode the Lake Shore and the Cap when they started serving Version One the " New and Contemporary" Boxed Meals, the LSAs and SCAs told us they weren't allowed to eat them, so the Crew had to either bring their food and Drink or else Pay for the Gas Station style stuff Sold in the Cafe.

That sounds pretty bad for those who spend their working life aboard Long Distance Trains, where's the Union on this??

Probably better for their health and waistline to bring their own.

Confined working environment of a length of time covering several meal periods.

Amtrak will not provide meals under these conditions?

Ineffective union yes, but a Employer who does not care about the employees.

Our world not getting better.

Even airlines like Lufthansa in a country with pretty good union representation do not get free meals. They have to order it and pay for it if they want meals provided.

 

[jis]

Over and over again I find that American Union requirements are often way more onerous than those in countries that are supposed to be hamstrung by Unions. This strange contradiction has fascinated me for a while.

Indian Railways for example, which is as unionized with a very militant Union (AIRF) as can be, seems to have relatively little problem contracting out OBS on select trains. Part of the reason may be historical, in the sense that OBS was never considered to be a core competence of the railways anyway. They provided it on some prestige trains, and they shed it as fast as they could into a subsidiary.