Amtrak dining and cafe service

[Steve's Wanderlust]

I'm accustomed to working in considerably understaffed service industry applications but one server and one cook sounds too stressful for me to professionally endure. Given the expanse of pax attitudes onboard, that type of job is likely going to be challenging to mitigate crew turnover if staffing remains low.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

I'm accustomed to working in considerably understaffed service industry applications but one server and one cook sounds too stressful for me to professionally endure. Given the expanse of pax attitudes onboard, that type of job is likely going to be challenging to mitigate crew turnover if staffing remains low.

It really depends on the crew. I was just on the Meteor and the Sleeping Car Attendants were helping serve the flex meals in the diner. For example, my sleeping car attendant brought my meal to my table in the diner. If the sleeping car attendants will help out the LSA with serving in the traditional dining car, then you have enough staff to handle everything.

 

[NYP2NFL01]

Looking forward to your review of the “pilot.”

I'll be on the Star April 30th. I will post pictures of the traditional meal along with my trip report!

 

[Acela150]

Now hear this, now hear this.

According to multiple sources aboard a recent run of Amtrak's City of New Orleans, the traditional dining pilot program (currently underway on the Silver Star) will be coming to The Crescent next, and subsequently the City of New Orleans.

This isn't true.

 

[City of Miami]

Now hear this, now hear this.


To facilitate traditional dining on the Crescent, a Viewliner II diner will be returning to the consist.

Today Crescent 20 had 3 coaches, 1 food service, 2 VLII, 1 bagdorm (which had customers in the windows) and 2 locos.

 

[A.H. Rudd]

This isn't true.

I'm simply relaying what my sleeping car attendant, the dining car LSA, a conductor, and an Amtrak supervisor told me when I asked about the return of traditional dining to East Coast routes during my CONO trip last week. I asked all 4 of them separately, and they all told me the same thing. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

 

[zephyr17]

I'm simply relaying what my sleeping car attendant, the dining car LSA, a conductor, and an Amtrak supervisor told me when I asked about the return of traditional dining to East Coast routes during my CONO trip last week. I asked all 4 of them separately, and they all told me the same thing. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

I have generally found that train crews are not a great source of information.

They appear to have a large and active rumor mill, but unfortunately one that does not have the best track record for accuracy.

 

[BarryATL]

Today Crescent 20 had 3 coaches, 1 food service, 2 VLII, 1 bagdorm (which had customers in the windows) and 2 locos.

I saw the same today in Atlanta. Everyday I pass the train while going up I-85 and always count the cars/types to see if there is a dining car. I am always disappointed.

 

[jis]

We will know more about it from the proverbial Horse’s mouth on Monday - both Chestler and the reps on the F&B Committee at the RPA meeting.

 

[dunktender]

In the spirit of the Amtrak informational policies, the crew are less informed than the patrons. After all, why tell the people who have to implement the changes?

 

[Palmland]

We will know more about it from the proverbial Horse’s mouth on Monday - both Chestler and the reps on the F&B Committee at the RPA meeting.

Good to hear. Looking forward to hearing a recap of the actual news not rumors.

 

[Rasputin]

In the spirit of the Amtrak informational policies, the crew are less informed than the patrons. After all, why tell the people who have to implement the changes?

In this instance, this proves the old adage (not always true): "Those closest to the scene of the action know the least of what is going on."

 

[jis]

In the spirit of the Amtrak informational policies, the crew are less informed than the patrons. After all, why tell the people who have to implement the changes?

In a way they are all correct in their conjectures to some extent considering that it is more than likely that all these trains will get traditional dining in some form over the next 12-18 months. All that is unknown is the exact timeline and sequence of which one gets it first.

Clearly someone in the filed is seldom aware of the big picture to make any truly well informed statement about which will be first. That does not fall within the scope of their operation. They are sometimes able to make well informed statement about when their specific train will get it as the Silver Service crew were able to do several months in advance. OTOH for an outsider it is impossible to differentiate between well informed statement and wishful boast.

 

[JWM]

The half BC/half Cafe makes a lot of sense and, therefore, it has little chance of being adopted by the myopic management.

 

[zephyr17]

The half BC/half Cafe makes a lot of sense and, therefore, it has little chance of being adopted by the myopic management.

Well, I do agree half cafe really was insufficient to handle a train the size of the Lake Shore, a full cafe was needed. But I also think both sections should have a cafe and one ought to be a half BC/half cafe.

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

The half BC/half Cafe makes a lot of sense and, therefore, it has little chance of being adopted by the myopic management.

Talking of making sense, I’ve always wondered why the cafe car isn’t put next to Business Class on the Regionals.

Essentially, to get your free cup of coffee, you are paying extra to sit at least two cars away from the cafe car and having to walk back with your coffee through a moving train, trying to carry that box and not drop it or bump into anyone.

I loved the split BC/cafe car the couple of times I was lucky enough to be in one. Walk a few steps without having to move between cars, get your coffee, and walk a few steps back to your seat.

 

[jis]

Talking of making sense, I’ve always wondered why the cafe car isn’t put next to Business Class on the Regionals.

It is placed in the middle of the train to make it easy to access with minimal walk for most travelers on the train.

The primary purpose of the Cafe is to serve most passengers most effectively so as to get as much business as they can, and not to just make convenient for BC folks to get complementary drinks

 

[OBS]

Talking of making sense, I’ve always wondered why the cafe car isn’t put next to Business Class on the Regionals.

Essentially, to get your free cup of coffee, you are paying extra to sit at least two cars away from the cafe car and having to walk back with your coffee through a moving train, trying to carry that box and not drop it or bump into anyone.

I loved the split BC/cafe car the couple of times I was lucky enough to be in one. Walk a few steps without having to move between cars, get your coffee, and walk a few steps back to your seat.

That reason is because the cafe will do incredibly more business being located in the center of the train rather than being in car 7 of an eight car train.

 

[Mailliw]

If there are concerns over the distance BC passengers have to walk to get to the cafe the appropriate solution is to have an attendant servic BC customers at their seats.

 

[jis]

If there are concerns over the distance BC passengers have to walk to get to the cafe the appropriate solution is to have an attendant servic BC customers at their seats.

I suppose they could do a cart service in BC like Brightline does in Premium for the complementary stuff.. They have talked about such things off and on.

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

If there are concerns over the distance BC passengers have to walk to get to the cafe the appropriate solution is to have an attendant servic BC customers at their seats.

Years ago, the Carolinian did have that, and it was wonderful. The cafe car was next to the BC car, and the attendant would come through with a cold drinks cart but would also get you coffee if you wanted.

I haven’t been on the Carolinian for a while, but I’m sure that service is long gone.

By the way, it isn’t the distance that’s a problem for me—I routinely walk about 8,000 steps a day on ground that isn’t moving—it’s the wobbliness and trying to carry hot coffee and keep my balance, especially where there’s no seat back to hold on to easily (like that open space where the luggage goes).

I also don’t want to sound like a spoiled prima donna—I don’t mind a walk through two cars—I am simply just terrified of stumbling and spilling coffee on someone. I’ve stopped bothering with the free coffee for now—it’s not worth the stress.

 

[Brian Battuello]

I ride the Downeaster quite often, and love the BC/Cafe car combination. Especially since BC is often just a few dollars more, and you get free non-alcoholic beverages. But I understand the situation on the LSL and the need to serve the entire train.

 

[fdaley]

It would be nice to have cafe service on both branches, but there is a real question as to whether you could staff it and not take a beating cost wise. You are talking about adding an additional LSA, since the current ones have their own responsibilities and inventories to manage.

It would really just be restoring the level of service that the train had for most of its existence under Amtrak. The diner-only food service on the New York leg is a comparatively recent cutback.

When I was riding it nearly every week back in the late '80s, and into the first half of the '90s, the Lake Shore regularly had a full lounge that ran through to/from Boston plus a lounge and a local coach (sometimes two in the GCT days) that originated at New York and were removed at Albany. In later years I can recall 48 running with a through lounge car for New York, next to the diner, that was staffed only from ALB to NYP, while the Boston lounge was staffed throughout the trip.

Of course, before about 2007, Amtrak had cafe service on all of the Albany-based trains, so the Lake Shore's New York lounge could probably be staffed out of that pool.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

That reason is because the cafe will do incredibly more business being located in the center of the train rather than being in car 7 of an eight car train.

It would be interesting to see the data on this. The Illinois and Michigan trains regularly operate with the cafe on the end, because it is a split cafe. Do they do "incredibly less business" compared to the regionals with the cafe in the center?

 

[OBS]

It would be interesting to see the data on this. The Illinois and Michigan trains regularly operate with the cafe on the end, because it is a split cafe. Do they do "incredibly less business" compared to the regionals with the cafe in the center?

The Michigan/Illinois trains rarely operate with eight or nine cars. Generally four or five cars. The NEC are usually 7-9 car sets. When passengers ask where the cafe car is, when told 2-3 cars away they promptly go to the cafe. When told 5-6 cars, they sit back down and decide it isn't that important. I speak from experience of working a cafe car in the NEC for many years, and the first thing I looked for was where is the car located in the consist to determine how busy I would be.....