Does anyone know where I can see a sample menu with prices for the snack bar. For my next trip I will be going coach on the Coast Starlight before going first class on the Empire Builder. With dining car prices for coach passengers $10-$25 I thought I would give the snack bar a try.
Snack Bar Menu
- Thread starter denmarks
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Here's the snack menu, thanks to On-Track-On-Line.com. That menu is from December 2002.
If you decide beforehand that you're not going to eat in the diner, purchase some snacks at a grocery store before you board. It will save you a bunch. Last day trip I got two snacks and two soft drinks and it was over eight bucks. If you want to buy on board, breakfast and lunch are pretty reasonable in the diner, generally, at least if you compare it to buying in the lounge car, and the ambience is sure loads better...
trainboy325
Service Attendant
You better add about 15% to the prices listed on the link in the post above. I would follow AmtrakWPK's advice, if you know you aren't going to eat in the diner, bring along what you like from a grocery store.
G
Guest
Guest
The prices and items on that link certainly are outdated. All liquor is $7.00, now. Surprising we can sell any! White Castles gone. Gardenburger is still around. Many changes since 2002 it seems. If you'd like any specifics on items and prices, let me know. I have a menu here they handed out during training. I have not been able to memorize it all, yet. This would be for trains out of Chicago, though. I'm not at all familiar with other areas. I figure it's the same, but I can't say for sure.
Windy City LSA
Service Attendant
I'm the author of the above posting. I forgot to log in!! 
AmtrakFan
Conductor
We all do that one time or another so don't worry... :lol:Windy City LSA said:I'm the author of the above posting. I forgot to log in!!
I think that I will try to bring my own food for the first day and maybe the last on my way home. Going I will need breakfast, lunch, and dinner. Coming home only dinner. I'll have a few hours between trains coming home so I should be able to find something in Portland.
trainboy325's right: add about 15% to those prices.
For instance: a Cheeseburger (comparable to a Hardee's or Carl Jr.'s Thickburger; going price $3.00+) went for $5.25 on #42/43. Soft drinks and coffee were $1.75 per 12 ounce (say about 330 ml) serving. Pretzels and chips were $1.75 for the "Big Grab" size bag you find for $0.99 in the C-store. Oh, yes, the souvenir playing cards were $4.00. The attendent attempted to hit me for $5.00 per deck. I pointed out his menu said $4.00, and he honored that price.
On my recent daytrip on #42/43, we took our own snacks, but still improved Amtrak's Food Service numbers by purchasing their Cheeseburgers in the Cafe/Lounge car for lunch. I had the presence of mind to bring a thermos of coffee. One of the smarter things we did was to bring several bottles of water plus the new drink packets made for a bottle of water. We therefore avoided the cost of soft drinks.
I also splurged on a 375 ml bottle of wine at $12.00 to share with my wife. She was having a great time riding an intercity passenger train for the first time, and insisted. Imagine my surprise when I picked up that day's copy of the Greensburg Tribune-Review, and saw an article by their wine critic stating the wine we had on #43 was a best buy at $16.00 for a 1.5 liter bottle!
Oh well. It was a very nice wine.
For instance: a Cheeseburger (comparable to a Hardee's or Carl Jr.'s Thickburger; going price $3.00+) went for $5.25 on #42/43. Soft drinks and coffee were $1.75 per 12 ounce (say about 330 ml) serving. Pretzels and chips were $1.75 for the "Big Grab" size bag you find for $0.99 in the C-store. Oh, yes, the souvenir playing cards were $4.00. The attendent attempted to hit me for $5.00 per deck. I pointed out his menu said $4.00, and he honored that price.
On my recent daytrip on #42/43, we took our own snacks, but still improved Amtrak's Food Service numbers by purchasing their Cheeseburgers in the Cafe/Lounge car for lunch. I had the presence of mind to bring a thermos of coffee. One of the smarter things we did was to bring several bottles of water plus the new drink packets made for a bottle of water. We therefore avoided the cost of soft drinks.
I also splurged on a 375 ml bottle of wine at $12.00 to share with my wife. She was having a great time riding an intercity passenger train for the first time, and insisted. Imagine my surprise when I picked up that day's copy of the Greensburg Tribune-Review, and saw an article by their wine critic stating the wine we had on #43 was a best buy at $16.00 for a 1.5 liter bottle!
Oh well. It was a very nice wine.
cbender
Service Attendant
That's exacty the price you'd pay for that wine in a resturant, so I'm not sure why you expect it to be any cheaper on Amtrak?
There are 4 375ml bottles per 1.5l bottle
At $16 for 1.5l, thats $4 for 375ml
Standard resturant markup on alcohol is 3x... $4x3=$12, which is what you paid.
Yah, yah, I know. Many prices in the snack car are what one might expect to pay if trapped in an airport waiting for flights. And the whole food service cost discussion has been going on for decades.cbender said:
I just felt like splurging, and couldn't get over seeing the wine review in the paper that same night. Which is why I mentioned it.
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