Dining for coach passengers

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LookingGlassTie

LookingGlassTie

OBS Chief
AU Supporting Member
Joined
Nov 9, 2016
Messages
628
Location
Portsmouth, VA
With all the changes to Amtrak's food services, will there be a return to the time when coach passengers had the option to order meals at their seats? I never did this, but I had heard that it had been done in the past.

Although I enjoyed my one and only (so far) dining car experience, I would also like to be able to order a meal and eat it at my seat if I'm in coach.
 
It wasn't that long ago that Amtrak OBS would announce that coach passengers could purchase diner meals (at a discounted price) and eat it at their seats. Basically, after dining was nearly finished and all the sleeper passengers (and coach passengers who paid for their meals in the diner had eaten, they would sell the leftovers where they made too much of something. I remember that happening a number of times.
 
me_little_me said:
It wasn't that long ago that Amtrak OBS would announce that coach passengers could purchase diner meals (at a discounted price) and eat it at their seats. Basically, after dining was nearly finished and all the sleeper passengers (and coach passengers who paid for their meals in the diner had eaten, they would sell the leftovers where they made too much of something. I remember that happening a number of times.
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Wasn't it called "At your seat", or something along those lines. They had a printed menu with several items (burger, hot dog, etc.) that coach passengers could order without leaving their seat. This is in the same era when coach passengers could actually go to the diner and purchase meals.
 
FrensicPic said:
Wasn't it called "At your seat", or something along those lines. They had a printed menu with several items (burger, hot dog, etc.) that coach passengers could order without leaving their seat. This is in the same era when coach passengers could actually go to the diner and purchase meals.
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The program was popular and actually helped the dining car bottom line so it was promptly thrown out! :p

Yes it was a set meal that was ordered through and delivered by your coach attendant. The trains I heard it advertised on lunch was typically a BLT sandwich and dinner was I think a Salisbury steak or something like that. You’d get a side and a cookie and a bottle of water all for like $10.

I was always in sleeper when these were offered but it sounded like a good deal.
 
crescent-zephyr said:
The program was popular and actually helped the dining car bottom line so it was promptly thrown out! :p

Yes it was a set meal that was ordered through and delivered by your coach attendant. The trains I heard it advertised on lunch was typically a BLT sandwich and dinner was I think a Salisbury steak or something like that. You’d get a side and a cookie and a bottle of water all for like $10.

I was always in sleeper when these were offered but it sounded like a good deal.
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I had the Special $10 Chicken Dinner on the Sunset Ltd. while in Coach, and it was Great,a better deal than the $17-$25 Meals in the Diner, and Worlds Better than the Meals being Served now to Sleeper Passengers.
 
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me_little_me said:
It wasn't that long ago that Amtrak OBS would announce that coach passengers could purchase diner meals (at a discounted price) and eat it at their seats. Basically, after dining was nearly finished and all the sleeper passengers (and coach passengers who paid for their meals in the diner had eaten, they would sell the leftovers where they made too much of something.
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On the trains I rode the At Your Seat coach meals were their own product that was offered early in the service period rather than selling leftovers after everyone had finished because they "made too much of something."
 
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Yeah, there was a meal special called "Just for You" or something like that on the Empire Builder a few years ago. It sounds pretty much what was described above. $10 for a sandwich, cookie and bottle of water.
 
On June 30, 2016, while we were heading east on the Southwest Chief, we heard an announcement for a “Just for You” meal that was being offered “for coach passengers only.” Those who ordered this special meal, consisting of fried chicken, mashed potatoes & gravy, vegetable side, large chocolate chip cookie and a bottle of water, had it delivered to their seats.

Eric & Pat
 
Eric in East County said:
On June 30, 2016, while we were heading east on the Southwest Chief, we heard an announcement for a “Just for You” meal that was being offered “for coach passengers only.” Those who ordered this special meal, consisting of fried chicken, mashed potatoes & gravy, vegetable side, large chocolate chip cookie and a bottle of water, had it delivered to their seats.

Eric & Pat
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This was somewhat similar to "Chico's Early Meals" on the Santa Fe. It helps to spread out the work in the dining car.
 
Eric in East County said:
On June 30, 2016, while we were heading east on the Southwest Chief, we heard an announcement for a “Just for You” meal that was being offered “for coach passengers only.” Those who ordered this special meal, consisting of fried chicken, mashed potatoes & gravy, vegetable side, large chocolate chip cookie and a bottle of water, had it delivered to their seats.

Eric & Pat
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That's the one I had on the Sunset!
 
One thing that has happened during the pandemic, a lot of people are eating takeout more frequently than ever before. That should make a program as described above (Just for You, etc) even more popular among the coach traveling public.

No matter what they do, they are going to lose money on dining car service – it’s just a given. You might as well try to get the most benefit out of the service in terms of promoting ridership. Will Amtrak’s management take that attitude post-Mica/Covid? I’ll be very curious to see.

I’m sure what I’m going to say next is controversial. Amtrak has a lot of terrific employees, but also a lot of blatantly lazy ones. Would the lazy ones be able to raise enough stink to prevent programs like this from returning because it’s “too much work“ for them?
 
IndyLions said:
One thing that has happened during the pandemic, a lot of people are eating takeout more frequently than ever before. That should make a program as described above (Just for You, etc) even more popular among the coach traveling public.

No matter what they do, they are going to lose money on dining car service – it’s just a given. You might as well try to get the most benefit out of the service in terms of promoting ridership. Will Amtrak’s management take that attitude post-Mica/Covid? I’ll be very curious to see.

I’m sure what I’m going to say next is controversial. Amtrak has a lot of terrific employees, but also a lot of blatantly lazy ones. Would the lazy ones be able to raise enough stink to prevent programs like this from returning because it’s “too much work“ for them?
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Does does every major hotel make a profit on food and beverage service? Doubtful. They just consider it the cost of doing business because it is expected at higher end hotels dining is an option. And there, you typically have a choices to eat inside or outside the hotel.
 

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