Gratuity Question

[ScottC4746]

Just trying to budget

On my trip on the Sunset Limited I receive 2 Dinners 2 Lunches and 2 Breakfasts Based on the most expensive item on the menu I am looking $6 for dinner $3 for lunch and $2 on breakfast tips plus $10 per night for the SCA for the bedroom.

Does this sound about right?

 

[gswager]

Dinner menu price is about $25.

Lunch is about $10 - 15.

Breakfast is about $7 - 10.

 

[Hanno]

Just trying to budgetOn my trip on the Sunset Limited I receive 2 Dinners 2 Lunches and 2 Breakfasts Based on the most expensive item on the menu I am looking $6 for dinner $3 for lunch and $2 on breakfast tips plus $10 per night for the SCA for the bedroom.

Does this sound about right?

Sounds about right to me, especially for the meals. For the SCA I've tipped more than your suggested amount and I've not tipped at all. There have been many discussions regarding tipping and I am of the belief that tipping is for services rendered. The better the service...larger tip. Poor service...no tip!

 

[battalion51]

I still follow the 3-4-5 rule. 3 for breakfast, 4 for lunch, and 5 for dinner. I usually go with 5-10 per night per person in the sleeper depending on the service level.

 

[RRrich]

Folks here frequently compare the food at Amtrak to Dennys & Applebees. I think it would be fair to tip as one would at those places.

How much are meals at Dennys & Applebees?

 

[jmbgeg]

Folks here frequently compare the food at Amtrak to Dennys & Applebees. I think it would be fair to tip as one would at those places.
How much are meals at Dennys & Applebees?

I agree with the quality comparison for dinner but not necessarily for breakfast and lunch.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

Folks here frequently compare the food at Amtrak to Dennys & Applebees. I think it would be fair to tip as one would at those places.
How much are meals at Dennys & Applebees?

If this was midevil times, Amtrak would take off its glove and slap such people with it. I'd say its more like a decent local diner than Denny's or Applebees. I mean, Amtrak's food is edible. Denny's/Applebee's does not rate that.

 

[ScottC4746]

Folks here frequently compare the food at Amtrak to Dennys & Applebees. I think it would be fair to tip as one would at those places.
How much are meals at Dennys & Applebees?

If this was midevil times, Amtrak would take off its glove and slap such people with it. I'd say its more like a decent local diner than Denny's or Applebees. I mean, Amtrak's food is edible. Denny's/Applebee's does not rate that.

Except the Denny's in San Antonio...last summer our SCA was telling us as we went to the diner not to fill up that the Denny's is really good.

 

[Bob Dylan]

Folks here frequently compare the food at Amtrak to Dennys & Applebees. I think it would be fair to tip as one would at those places.
How much are meals at Dennys & Applebees?

If this was midevil times, Amtrak would take off its glove and slap such people with it. I'd say its more like a decent local diner than Denny's or Applebees. I mean, Amtrak's food is edible. Denny's/Applebee's does not rate that.

Except the Denny's in San Antonio...last summer our SCA was telling us as we went to the diner not to fill up that the Denny's is really good.

It's a very busy place @ night (24/7), the waitress might call you "hon" but other than that it's a standard Dennys. Most folks eat a late breakfast or regular breakfast @ Dennys, IMO the food is ,just like Amtraks, a little overpriced for what you get but it will fill you up and it's fast and friendly also like Amtrak! !(The scenery isnt as good! :lol: ) The question about tipping has been done many times, In my opinion it depends on the server, both their service and their attittude, a couple of dollars @ breakfast and lunch should be OK,

dinner can be anywhere from $2-$5 depending on the above! If alcohol is served, maybe a little more! The SCA can vary from $0-$10 night/per person depending again on the service and attitude!

 

[Neil_M]

I mean, Amtrak's food is edible.

Only just, and generally bland beyond words.

 

[amtrakwolverine]

I mean, Amtrak's food is edible.

Only just, and generally bland beyond words.

well that's cause your from London where your trains have 5 star gourmet meals served with the finest caviar. Amtrak food is not that bad. granted i've only have the chicken breast once and that was in 07 i've sense had the build your own burger which i think is great.

 

[PRR 60]

I mean, Amtrak's food is edible.

Only just, and generally bland beyond words.

What is interesting is the comparison between the meals served in the Amtrak long distance dining cars and those served in Acela First Class. The dining car meals tend to be designed not to offend anyone (and thus not excite anyone as well). Bland is probably not far from the mark. Acela meals are the opposite. They skew toward the more complex, interesting side of the culinary spectrum, maybe at times to a fault. I think this is an attempt to play to the perceived audience: younger and more sophisticated on Acela, older and more traditional on the LD's. I'm not saying those stereotypes are always accurate, but that is the perception.

I would really like to see those lines blurred a little. I would love to see one meal offering on the LD's be interesting like those on Acela. And I would love to see one Acela offering be a simple, "safe" choice to satisfy those who may not feel like a culinary adventure (which is sometimes evidenced by First Class passengers heading back to buy meals in the Cafe car).

 

[Tony]

Folks here frequently compare the food at Amtrak to Dennys & Applebees. I think it would be fair to tip as one would at those places.
How much are meals at Dennys & Applebees?

They closed down all the Dennys around here, so its been too many years for me to recall what a dinner bill ran there.

At Perkins (a similar family restaurant), dinner for us is between $18 and $20. A standard 15% tip is therefore $3.00. Which is what I typically leave on the table on Amtrak. I will admit, having singles on me, especially on the return trip back after vacation, is sometimes difficult.

Now, since people typically share the table with others, I would add a question here, what do you do to ensure that the waitstaff knows who the tip left on the table, is from?

 

[Tony]

I mean, Amtrak's food is edible.

Only just, and generally bland beyond words.

Wow, in all my years, I have never had a bad meal on Amtrak.

Certainly its far better than the stuff I warm up at home for myself. :blink:

 

[Guest]

I mean, Amtrak's food is edible.

Only just, and generally bland beyond words.

well that's cause your from London where your trains have 5 star gourmet meals served with the finest caviar. Amtrak food is not that bad. granted i've only have the chicken breast once and that was in 07 i've sense had the build your own burger which i think is great.

I have never been on a English train so don't know what that is like, but if it is like the rest of the food in England it probably is not hard to trump.

No way in a million years would I call what Amtrak currently offers on long distance trains to be good. It is acceptable, yes. The bad thing is Carnival Cruise Lines, the line that caters to the Wal-Mart shopper, can easily blow Amtrak out of the water on both food and service.

 

[Green Maned Lion]

I mean, Amtrak's food is edible.

Only just, and generally bland beyond words.

Wow. A brit referring to some food as bland. Considering almost all British food is blander than American light beer, and that the only thing that I've ever tasted from Britain that wasn't bland (Marmite) made me imediately chuck my lunch, I find your statement amusing. I mean, this is the country whose only useful contribution to the food world was Earl Grey tea.

I would call Amtrak's fare relatively simple. But that's not a bad thing. I don't think I'd want to have a bad reaction to food onboard a train, given the size of rest rooms.

Folks here frequently compare the food at Amtrak to Dennys & Applebees. I think it would be fair to tip as one would at those places.
How much are meals at Dennys & Applebees?

They closed down all the Dennys around here, so its been too many years for me to recall what a dinner bill ran there.

At Perkins (a similar family restaurant), dinner for us is between $18 and $20. A standard 15% tip is therefore $3.00. Which is what I typically leave on the table on Amtrak. I will admit, having singles on me, especially on the return trip back after vacation, is sometimes difficult.

Now, since people typically share the table with others, I would add a question here, what do you do to ensure that the waitstaff knows who the tip left on the table, is from?

Perkins is in a different class. Perkins produces pretty good food.

 

[greatcats]

I have to say that my sausage and egg breakfast on the SWC a few days ago, regardless of how it was prepared, was very tasty and nothing to be faulted! Eggs, sausage, toast, biscuit, with tea and juice - yes, just fine. It was included in my sleeper fare, but I certainly left a tip.

 

[zepherdude]

I have to say that my sausage and egg breakfast on the SWC a few days ago, regardless of how it was prepared, was very tasty and nothing to be faulted! Eggs, sausage, toast, biscuit, with tea and juice - yes, just fine. It was included in my sleeper fare, but I certainly left a tip.

 

[Guest]

The bad thing is Carnival Cruise Lines, the line that caters to the Wal-Mart shopper, can easily blow Amtrak out of the water on both food and service.

Wow, you win the award for the biggest lie ever told here. Congratulations!

I guess there is always a malcontent, even when things are beyond perfect.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

Where does Amtrak food come from? Do they use a single nationwide contractor such as Sysco or is it handled through regional or "train by train" contracts?

 

[ScottC4746]

I have to say that my sausage and egg breakfast on the SWC a few days ago, regardless of how it was prepared, was very tasty and nothing to be faulted! Eggs, sausage, toast, biscuit, with tea and juice - yes, just fine. It was included in my sleeper fare, but I certainly left a tip.

On Sunset Ltd 1 last summer I thought the food was fantastic even though some fellow passengers complained. I thought taste and quality was fantastic considering what the galley is like. Having previously gone to National Train Day and seeing the galley before my trip I think made a difference for me. A gourmet kitchen it aint.

 

[MrFSS]

On Sunset Ltd 1 last summer I thought the food was fantastic even though some fellow passengers complained. I thought taste and quality was fantastic considering what the galley is like. Having previously gone to National Train Day and seeing the galley before my trip I think made a difference for me. A gourmet kitchen it ain't.

Want gourmet train food - ride The Canadian. Pictures from a few years ago. Best railroad food I have ever had, except for dinner trains and The Rocky Mountaineer.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

At least that Diner has a Toaster

 

[TVRM610]

The food really depends on the chef. I've found everything to be edible, and several times I've had meals that far surpass denny's quality.

I find it very odd that Denny's and Applebee's are considered in the same class by some people on this board. Applebee's is a bar and grill type place that is generally more upscale then Denny's.

 

[Bob Dylan]

The food really depends on the chef. I've found everything to be edible, and several times I've had meals that far surpass denny's quality.
I find it very odd that Denny's and Applebee's are considered in the same class by some people on this board. Applebee's is a bar and grill type place that is generally more upscale then Denny's.

In Austin both are places where McDonalds and Burger King regulars go to celebrate "Special Occasions"! :lol: (He proposed @ AppleBees after a night @

neighborhood bar! ) Comparing the diners on Amtrak to expensive fast food joints is like comparing French food to beef jerky! :lol: