Amtrak dining and cafe service

Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum

Help Support Amtrak Unlimited Discussion Forum:

This site may earn a commission from merchant affiliate links, including eBay, Amazon, and others.
Status
Not open for further replies.
I’d add that I’m not necessarily saying I agree with that decision making rationale for non revenue cars as the best use of taxpayer funded cars. But it’s what they’ve said they’re doing per the equipment asset plan for this year. The only decision that has been made taking affect in FY23 is the return of traditional dining on the Meteor and Star.
 
I’d add that I’m not necessarily saying I agree with that decision making rationale for non revenue cars as the best use of taxpayer funded cars. But it’s what they’ve said they’re doing per the equipment asset plan for this year. The only decision that has been made taking affect in FY23 is the return of traditional dining on the Meteor and Star.
Did the start date get pushed back?
 
Actually yes, a number of Department Stores over the past year reduced their floor count, and thus have fewer escalators to maintain, and less strain on elevators. Stores from Bloomingdale's, to Boscov's, to Macy's, to Nordstrom, to Saks 5th Avenue, all have closed off entire floors in lower volume suburban locations with more than 1 floor. Speaking of Department Stores one reason why there are fewer and fewer restaurants in these stores is that while they were never expected to make money, they still had a budget to say within, and when the losses got out of hand, it was time to let them go.

Ken

And if there is an escalator, you may find it is often not functional and is instead being used as stairs. That happens in the Poughkeepsie Macy’s on a regular basis.
 
And if there is an escalator, you may find it is often not functional and is instead being used as stairs. That happens in the Poughkeepsie Macy’s on a regular basis.
I've been in malls and convention centers where the escalators were turned off during supposed "low traffic" hours; I prefer using an elevator then (esp. if I need to travel multiple floors, say from a parking garage to a skywalk). Haven't been on an Amtrak sleeping car since Slumbercoach days, however, so good question how often I'd want to deal with stairs in Superliner cars.
 
Again...if flexible dining is here to stay,and I'm afraid it is,why can't there be an improvement in what is being offered?
My personal opinion is Amtrak management is being disingenuous in their support of the long distance trains. They’re saying what they have to say to appease Congress. No organization can be this inept. Lucky for them other parts of the transportation system are having issues too. Time will tell but we need some results not just hollow words and promises. I feel like we just keep getting strung along. I will be very surprised if the Silvers get true dining car service back.
 
I feel like we just keep getting strung along. I will be very surprised if the Silvers get true dining car service back.
Are you saying you think they're doing nothing and sticking with flexible dining or that the upgrade will be disappointing? I would say the former is highly unlikely - the latter is certainly possible. I think the million dollar question is what the staffing will be and how much of what they're doing out west will they be able to do and how it will differ.

I don't think they're just stringing people along - it isn't a guarantee that what comes will satisfy all of us but surely some changes are coming. People said the same thing when they announced the return of traditional dining out west that it would never return, and then also said that daily service would never return etc...
 
I don't think they're just stringing people along - it isn't a guarantee that what comes will satisfy all of us but surely some changes are coming. People said the same thing when they announced the return of traditional dining out west that it would never return, and then also said that daily service would never return etc...
What good is traditional dining at intercontinental business class pricing? What good is a cheap ticket on a tiny Texas Eaglet? Unlike Amtrak's public relations team we tell it like it is because we do not benefit from muddying the water with endless platitudes and subterfuge.
 
Last edited:
What good is traditional dining at intercontinental business class pricing? What good is a cheap ticket on a tiny Texas Eaglet? Unlike Amtrak's public relations team we tell it like it is because we do not benefit from muddying the water with endless platitudes and manipulative subterfuge.
I think the reason some of us have lost confidence is that Amtrak's leaders of 2018-19 had the gall to claim that their "contemporary" and "flexible" food programs were actually an improvement, that this is what surveys showed customers wanted, that millennials would flock to trains because of this change, and so on.

If they had just said, "We're going to serve you slop from now on because the Mica amendment requires us to spend less on food service," that would at least have seemed plausible. Now, here we are nearly five years later, the Mica amendment has been gone for awhile, but we still have some variation of the Anderson food program on all but a handful of LD trains and only vague talk of some future improvement on anything other than the Florida trains.
 
"We're going to serve you slop from now on because the Mica amendment requires us to spend less on food service," that would at least have seemed plausible. Now, here we are nearly five years later, the Mica amendment has been gone for awhile, but we still have some variation of the Anderson food program on all but a handful of LD trains and only vague talk of some future improvement on anything other than the Florida trains.
There's also been some improvement of quality in the offerings in the cafe cars, too.
 
Are you saying you think they're doing nothing and sticking with flexible dining or that the upgrade will be disappointing? I would say the former is highly unlikely - the latter is certainly possible. I think the million dollar question is what the staffing will be and how much of what they're doing out west will they be able to do and how it will differ.

I don't think they're just stringing people along - it isn't a guarantee that what comes will satisfy all of us but surely some changes are coming. People said the same thing when they announced the return of traditional dining out west that it would never return, and then also said that daily service would never return etc...
I think it will return, but this years long delay is ridiculous, especially since they've acknowledged something has to be done about flex.

Kicking it to a committee, as they have, rather than management seeing a problem and taking action is a symptom of either incompetence or an actual desire to delay and stonewall. Neither explanation speaks well of Amtrak management.
 
I think it will return, but this years long delay is ridiculous, especially since they've acknowledged something has to be done about flex.

Kicking it to a committee, as they have, rather than management seeing a problem and taking action is a symptom of either incompetence or an actual desire to delay and stonewall. Neither explanation speaks well of Amtrak management.
I think the real problem is that the Amtrak Board is a bunch of potted plants who cannot make any decision that might upset any of their "water providers" or even Ammanagement whom they are supposed to be managing, and when in doubt they like to sit on their thumbs. This is something that they could fix if they would make any decision about any operational matter and enforce it with Amtrak Executives to act on it instead of sitting around rubber stamping whatever comes to them from Ammanagement. But I am getting off topic here. This is not the first time that a weak and ineffectual Board has caused a company to be run ineffectively.
 
The operation of the diners is also an issue, they are not operated to maximize profits. Here are a few ways to maximize profits a

1- longer hours for meal service. Most restaurants don’t close between breakfast, lunch and dinner - they operate all day and never turn away customers.

2- advertise “room service” for sleeping car passengers so that more ask for it - that frees up space in the diner allowing more coach passengers to eat.

3- “at your seat” meals for coach passengers delivered by coach attendants. These were tested and proved successful.

4- encourage upsells. You want guests to order more drinks etc. give them time and encourage “another drink?”
All great ideas to make dining a more profitable aspect of LD trains. As for the suggestion regarding upsells, I recall from my days waiting tables that a tab should never be considered final till the customer walked out the door! Of course, that means that Number 4 is conditioned on Suggestion Nos 1 and 2 being acted on. Encouraging dawdling over an extra drink works best if the table can continued to be turned for other passengers, which might well mean that dining seats and dining hours need to be expanded for it to work.
 
All great ideas to make dining a more profitable aspect of LD trains. As for the suggestion regarding upsells, I recall from my days waiting tables that a tab should never be considered final till the customer walked out the door! Of course, that means that Number 4 is conditioned on Suggestion Nos 1 and 2 being acted on. Encouraging dawdling over an extra drink works best if the table can continued to be turned for other passengers, which might well mean that dining seats and dining hours need to be expanded for it to work.
Yes very true. But even with needing to turn tables beginning the service with the suggestion of an upsell (would you like any beer or wine to get started? Perhaps a mixed drink?) and then asking if anyone “wants another” during the meal can go a long way.

there’s another idea…. Paid wine tastings in between lunch and dinner, or a special happy hour where appetizers are offered.
 
Kicking it to a committee, as they have, rather than management seeing a problem and taking action is a symptom of either incompetence or an actual desire to delay and stonewall. Neither explanation speaks well of Amtrak management.
If you're referring to the food and beverage committee that was a congressional decision - and hasn't yet completed its deliverables I don't believe. I believe the decision to bring dining back to the Silvers this fiscal year was made in FY22 as they appeared to begin hiring for it then. There had been rumors about them sending a diner down to New Orleans for training recently but if they're really thinking about that route they aren't saying it at this point (Larry Chestler said only the Silvers are part of current plans) and it wouldn't be this fiscal year. Harris had said in an interview that after they finish with implementing the changes on the Star and Meteor that they will turn attention to the remaining flexible dining routes but it sounds like it's very early and they may wait until the committee makes recommendations before making any other changes - I think the only reason they're moving ahead with the Silvers is because the decision was made before that committee started.
 
If you’re going to pick and choose silver trains definitely make the most sense. Those trains are typically full with many passengers traveling from the NE to Florida - meaning vacationers / snow birds riding over multiple meal periods.

The crescent and lake shore are a bit different but of course historically speaking the lake shore had more coach passengers using the diner than other trains I believe?
 
If you're referring to the food and beverage committee that was a congressional decision - and hasn't yet completed its deliverables I don't believe.
Maybe if Amtrak management would have acted to improve their woeful F&B, Congress would not have had to step in with a directive.

That's two levels of failure before it gets to Congress. Amtrak executive management and Amtrak's Board.

I don't think it is too much to ask that Amtrak management actually make decisions within a timeframe of years without Congressional directives. But it seems like it is.

As @jis said, "potted plants".

As to the "committee deliverables", to quote Robert Heinlein, "A committee is the only known form of life with 10 stomachs and no brain."

Committees, congressionally directed or no, are no substitute for competent, knowledgeable, and decisive management. They are wonderful for poor management to hide behind, though.
 
Last edited:
Yes very true. But even with needing to turn tables beginning the service with the suggestion of an upsell (would you like any beer or wine to get started? Perhaps a mixed drink?) and then asking if anyone “wants another” during the meal can go a long way.

there’s another idea…. Paid wine tastings in between lunch and dinner, or a special happy hour where appetizers are offered.
There used to be such things on the Coast Starlight and the Empire Builder, and even the Lake Shore out of Chicago had a Wine and Cheese Reception in the Diner for Sleeper Passengers beford the 930pm Departure..
 
There used to be such things on the Coast Starlight and the Empire Builder, and even the Lake Shore out of Chicago had a Wine and Cheese Reception in the Diner for Sleeper Passengers beford the 930pm Departure..
That was before John Mica decided that Amtrak serving wine was the underlying cause of the federal deficit.
 
There used to be such things on the Coast Starlight and the Empire Builder, and even the Lake Shore out of Chicago had a Wine and Cheese Reception in the Diner for Sleeper Passengers beford the 930pm Departure..
I remember them all and loved them. But to be fair, I was suggesting that type of service for purchase as a way to earn revenue.
 
I remember them all and loved them. But to be fair, I was suggesting that type of service for purchase as a way to earn revenue.
I agree, but as I remember passengers did purchase lots of the Wines and the Cheeses that were served on the Starlight (from California,Oregon and Washington State) after attending the tastings in the Parlour Car.( another Sadly missed Enhancement!🥺)
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top