Food and Allergies

[AferVentus]

Hi all from Minnesota!

I am a relative newbie to Amtrak; I took my first trip in May from MSP to St. Louis via The Empire Builder and the Lincoln Service. I must say I was overall impressed with what our rail system does, but after seeing German trains, I definitely see room for improvement.

However, I got the rest of my family convinced that we can take Amtrak for a Ski Trip in December. We will be on Superliner roommettes leaving December 25 and coming back the 1st of January.

So, I know that these rooms include our meals. I did have coach on my trip back in May, and I did eat in the dining car once. The person I was travelling with (a seasoned rider) said that the meals are pretty much ready-made and nothing can be changed. Well, that's where my issue comes up. Someone in our family is allergic to Garlic (yes, I know out of all things - and it's in pretty much everything for food!!). So, would Amtrak be able to accommodate for this, or is this something that this particular person needs to "deal" with?

Thanks, and I'm glad to see such a forum to exist!

 

[mercedeslove]

Yes, however, you will have to call Amtrak plenty of time before you leave and let them who about the allergies and for which pass. it's for and they can set something up.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

Yeah, I don't think any of the "chefs" are creating anything from scratch down there. Based on other threads that have already touched on similar issues on this forum it would seem that garlic intolerance might receive little more than an eyeroll from Amtrak CS. However, I can confirm that *some* specialized requests are taken seriously. On my most recent trip a family of Indians was served an off-menu selection of kosher meals. Their trays looked interesting enough that I considered making my own specialized request next time just to see what's in those packages. Maybe it's wrong but I'm a curious fellow. ;-)

 

[pennyk]

I am allergic to garlic also. Sometimes it is a challenge eating in the dining car. I almost always gain weight on every trip because there are times when only the desserts are garlic free.

I have had mixed results trying to get ingredients from the dining car attendants. Either they are available sometimes or the attendants are either too busy or do not want to be bothered.

There are no "special" garlic free meals. In my experience, most of the dinner entrees contain garlic, and there is no way to have anything cooked to order. I have had the best luck with the seafood entrees (without whatever sauce it comes with). Only once, out of many trips, did every entree contain garlic. I was accomodated by a "vegetable plate" containing a baked potato and double order of mixed vegetables, bread, salad, and, of course, dessert.

I bring my own salad dressing and always bring protein bars - just in case. I am going to bring packets of peanut butter with me on my upcoming trip.

I have phoned customer service, but they were not able to assist me. I was told to contact Amtrak food service directly to try to obtain ingredients for the regular menu items. Since I am going to be traveling by train for 2 weeks at the end of the summer, I am very interested in this information. Several weeks ago, I wrote a letter to Amtrak, directing it to the food service department. I requested ingredient information on menu items on the trains on which I would be traveling or, alternatively, a list of lunch and dinner menu items that do not contain garlic. To date, I have not received a response. If I receive a response, I will post the reuslts.

I hope your family member is able to travel with you despite the allergy. It is not very common. I am happy to hear that I am not the only train traveler allergic to garlic. :lol:

 

[AferVentus]

Thanks for the quick responses!

It's great to hear that a fellow passenger also has this issue, and that Amtrak was at least willing to do SOMETHING about it.

Can't wait for the trip now!

 

[caravanman]

Hi,

My son has a peanut allergy, which is life threatening. We never expect to be able to find safe food, so make our own arrangements. Staff often simply don't understand the issues, nor the dangers of cross contamination.

Amtrak food is all pre- prepared, so it is bit like going into MacDonalds and asking them to change the contents of a burger.. not that convenient for them nor you. It may be possible to get special dietary food ordered in advance, we would not risk being stuck on a train for 2 days without food, just because someone at Amtrak customer service "got it wrong".. (yeah, that would be sooo rare!)

Ed