Amtrak dining and cafe service

[McLeansvilleAppFan]

It's located at 148-09 GUY R. BREWER BLVD., JAMAICA, NEW YORK

"New Horizon Industries" is the full name.

I found a Peters Wholesale Meat at the same address. For New Horizon Industries I find very little information. Nothing about food services.

 

[dlagrua]

On a recent Capitol LTD trip we were served Flex Meals. While a bit improved from the earlier variety of these meals, they still leave much to be desired. For those who wish to know what they are eating I have attached pictures of the labels of the Asian Noodle Bowl and the Short Ribs explaining the ingredients. These meals apparently contains Sulfites and other bad things. With my food allergies I ordered, tasted then had to pass.

 

[TinCan782]

On a recent Capitol LTD trip we were served Flex Meals. While a bit improved from the earlier variety of these meals, they still leave much to be desired. For those who wish to know what they are eating I have attached pictures of the labels of the Asian Noodle Bowl and the Short Ribs explaining the ingredients. These meals apparently contains Sulfites and other bad things. With my food allergies I ordered, tasted then had to pass.

I have photographed those labeles on several of my recent trips with flex meals. The ingredient list is a mile long with a lot of "big" words!

 

[Steve4031]

Scientific words for dog yack.

 

[Trollopian]

A manager for LSG makes a comment that LSG could do better. Well I am sold.

Yeah, I'm a born skeptic, but it sounded like this wasn't pure "brand boasting." If the LSG manager's remark that Aramark doesn't do meals-in-motion very well is correct, it could be an astute observation. I think of Aramark as ballpark food. Aramark's own website advertises that it "provides food service, facilities and uniform services to hospitals, universities, school districts, stadiums and other businesses around the world." (Also to prisons, as Wikipedia reminds us.) Nothing about the transportation sector. I don't have a dog in this fight, in fact I don't have a dog at all (just a cat), but LSG specializes in the transport sector. "LSG Group also caters the ESA missions to the International Space Station with bonus food for the German astronauts." Braunschweiger bonanza?

 

[lordsigma]

Yeah, I'm a born skeptic, but it sounded like this wasn't pure "brand boasting." If the LSG manager's remark that Aramark doesn't do meals-in-motion very well is correct, it could be an astute observation. I think of Aramark as ballpark food. Aramark's own website advertises that it "provides food service, facilities and uniform services to hospitals, universities, school districts, stadiums and other businesses around the world." (Also to prisons, as Wikipedia reminds us.) Nothing about the transportation sector. I don't have a dog in this fight, in fact I don't have a dog at all (just a cat), but LSG specializes in the transport sector. "LSG Group also caters the ESA missions to the International Space Station with bonus food for the German astronauts." Braunschweiger bonanza?

There really isn't such a thing as "Aramark food" - they are not a dealer of food products. It's a managed service contractor to outsource aspects of your food service program (they also do facilities management). For Amtrak they are in charge of operating the commissary and catering functions. The items they are putting aboard trains they are either sourcing directly from actual food product vendors and then warehousing in Amtrak's commissaries which they operate and in some limited cases they may be purchasing raw ingredients and preparing certain items in a central kitchen somewhere. They DO NOT do the latter for the flex meals - as mentioned before the flex meals are purchased as completely ready to serve meals as you see them on board and are sourced from a third party vendor. You can have Aramark manage your food service and be serving gourmet surf and turf every meal using the finest ingredients if you wanted to. They function mainly to take over aspects of food service so you don't have to hire employees to do the same - and you get the advantage of their buying power. They're basically an outsourcing company for food service and facilities management.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Never bad-mouth the competition. You never know who you might be talking to, and her chances of moving to Amtrak or Aramark and taking a more important position would be gone if her seatmate just happened to be a higher-up in either place.

If I was in charge, focused on customer satisfaction, and looking to hire I would not be dissuaded by anything paraphrased above. I'd honestly be less inclined to hire someone who implied the experience was perfectly acceptable with little need for improvement.

I think of Aramark as ballpark food.

The final product can vary greatly depending on how the contract is structured and what is ordered. I used to think Aramark was generally bad but a previous employer had an Aramark kitchen on-site and the food was fresh, tasty, cheap, and made however you wanted it.

 

[joelkfla]

There really isn't such a thing as "Aramark food" - they are not a dealer of food products. It's a managed service contractor to outsource aspects of your food service program (they also do facilities management). For Amtrak they are in charge of operating the commissary and catering functions. The items they are putting aboard trains they are either sourcing directly from actual food product vendors and then warehousing in Amtrak's commissaries which they operate and in some limited cases they may be purchasing raw ingredients and preparing certain items in a central kitchen somewhere. They DO NOT do the latter for the flex meals - as mentioned before the flex meals are purchased as completely ready to serve meals as you see them on board and are sourced from a third party vendor. You can have Aramark manage your food service and be serving gourmet surf and turf every meal using the finest ingredients if you wanted to. They function mainly to take over aspects of food service so you don't have to hire employees to do the same - and you get the advantage of their buying power. They're basically an outsourcing company for food service and facilities management.

I think that's the point. Sky Chefs does actually prepare the food that they deliver.

 

[dlagrua]

I have photographed those labels on several of my recent trips with flex meals. The ingredient list is a mile long with a lot of "big" words!

Too many chemical ingredients in the contents of flex meals for me and my allergies. For the high price that we pay for sleepers Amtrak should be providing better food. If you have photographed the lables from the other menu options please share them. I just updated my original post and added more lables.

 

[TinCan782]

Here are a couple from the Crescent, August 2022

 

[TinCan782]

From the California Zephyr, September 2022

 

[Cal]

I’ve lost track of the dining threads so apologies if there’s a better one for this. According to a friend who took the Star today, the SCA said traditional dining will return to the meteor permanently on june 26th and will stay for good on both silver trains. I know SCA’s haven’t always been super reliable but I’m hopeful.

 

[west point]

SCAs can be told wrong info or maybe not told there has been a change. Flex meals seem to be MREs?

 

[Sidney]

I’ve lost track of the dining threads so apologies if there’s a better one for this. According to a friend who took the Star today, the SCA said traditional dining will return to the meteor permanently on june 26th and will stay for good on both silver trains. I know SCA’s haven’t always been super reliable but I’m hopeful.

The Capitol Limited,Crescent,Lake Shore Limited,The Cardinal and The Texas Eagle are the holdouts. Wonder if we will ever see traditional dining return to these trains?

 

[AmtrakMaineiac]

The Capitol Limited,Crescent,Lake Shore Limited,The Cardinal and The Texas Eagle are the holdouts. Wonder if we will ever see traditional dining return to these trains?

I would say the LSL and the Crescent will get it at some point, the others are less likely anytime soon. But what do I know, I'm just a motorman (or some might say motormouth )

 

[jis]

I’ve lost track of the dining threads so apologies if there’s a better one for this. According to a friend who took the Star today, the SCA said traditional dining will return to the meteor permanently on june 26th and will stay for good on both silver trains. I know SCA’s haven’t always been super reliable but I’m hopeful.

This time the SCA is correct from what I am hearing from more reliable than SCA sources within Amtrak. But of course with these things you can never tell until the proverbial fat lady sings.

SCAs can be told wrong info or maybe not told there has been a change. Flex meals seem to be MREs?

Misplaced sarcasm aside, the Traditional Dining on the Star if you will recall is a temporary trial thing. What will happen on June 26th is that temporary trial thing will be replaced by restoration on the Star and the Meteor will get restoration on the same date.

I would say the LSL and the Crescent will get it at some point, the others are less likely anytime soon. But what do I know, I'm just a motorman (or some might say motormouth )

Unless something changes, it will be early next year before any further traditional dining restoration happens. But it is always possible that plans change, unless of course Appropriations get whacked. If that happens then all bets are off.

 

[Steve4031]

IMHO it is simply not acceptable for the Texas Eagle to operate with flex dining. That is one train that needs to be addressed ASAP. The Crescent and Cardinal should get full-service diners sooner rather than later because of the longer routes.

 

[dlagrua]

IMHO it is simply not acceptable for the Texas Eagle to operate with flex dining. That is one train that needs to be addressed ASAP. The Crescent and Cardinal should get full-service diners sooner rather than later because of the longer routes.

I agree wholeheartedly that traditional dining must return on the LD routes. The Flex meals are loaded with chemicals, fat and sugar. Sleeper passengers pay a very high price for their accommodations, in some cases 5x first class air. When we pay $1000 or more for a sleeper trip ( and it can go as high as $3,300) we have every right to deserve good food. At the very least how about Amtrak making the Flex meals organic until traditional dining returns?

 

[Mystic River Dragon]

I agree wholeheartedly that traditional dining must return on the LD routes. The Flex meals are loaded with chemicals, fat and sugar. Sleeper passengers pay a very high price for their accommodations, in some cases 5x first class air. When we pay $1000 or more for a sleeper trip ( and it can go as high as $3,300) we have every right to deserve good food. At the very least how about Amtrak making the Flex meals organic until traditional dining returns?

That’s a great idea, but I’m not sure “flex” and “organic” could ever appear on the same vocabulary list.

Although traditional dining is much better, I’ve found even with that, after a day of it, I feel I’ve had too much sugar and salt. Of course, perhaps if I skipped a dessert and a pasta dish here or there, I might feel better!

 

[crescent-zephyr]

The Cafe Cars on the San Joaquins have no printed menus, but rather a place where you scan a QR code to view the menu.
Who thought that was a good idea? Certainly not anyone that ever rides trains or orders off menus. The poor cafe attendant had to repeat the entire menu to almost every customer.

 

[jis]

The Cafe Cars on the San Joaquins have no printed menus, but rather a place where you scan a QR code to view the menu.
Who thought that was a good idea? Certainly not anyone that ever rides trains or orders off menus. The poor cafe attendant had to repeat the entire menu to almost every customer.

I don't think it is a good idea in establishments that serve a broad spectrum of customers, and has no alternative to go to for the same service. It is common though in places primarily frequented by the well heeled internet savvy crowd. I have come across them all over Coastal California, which of course as we all know is a very different country from the rest of the world (juuust kidding). But in any case it assumes a certain sophistication in customers which may be OK for eateries serving a particular class of people, but not so OK in a train which is supposed to serve everyone.

 

[McLeansvilleAppFan]

I don't think it is a good idea in establishments that serve a broad spectrum of customers, and has no alternative to go to for the same service. It is common though in places primarily frequented by the well heeled internet savvy crowd. I have come across them all over Coastal California, which of course as we all know is a very different country fro

I don't see it being a problem with the customers but more being a problem with the internet access needed for access to the menu. That does play some into customers and socio-economics but first it plays into the need for internet. I can't speak for California but in the southeast it is spotty.

 

[jis]

I don't see it being a problem with the customers but more being a problem with the internet access needed for access to the menu. That does play some into customers and socio-economics but first it plays into the need for internet. I can't speak for California but in the southeast it is spotty.

It is a problem with customers of a generation that is not internet savvy even where internet is available in spades. I see this all the time in the area where I live. We have no lack of internet, but quite a lack of people who have any idea what to do with it, even if they have a device, which again many really don't either.

 

[zephyr17]

QR code menus are apparently generally going out of favor. Customers apparently don't like them, not just on trains, and not just among the tech illiterate:

The QR-Code Menu Is Being Shown the Door

The article may be paywalled, but I think the Times allows a limited number of free articles.

 

[crescent-zephyr]

QR code menus are apparently generally going out of favor. Customers apparently don't like them, not just on trains, and not just among the tech illiterate:

The QR-Code Menu Is Being Shown the Door

The article may be paywalled, but I think the Times allows a limited number of free articles.

I have an iphone 14 pro, I love tech. But when I'm standing in line I just want to look up and read a menu (1 step) rather than take out my phone, scan the code, click the code, and read the menu (4 steps) - I can't imagine why anyone would think otherwise.