keelhauled
OBS Chief
Didn't this thread start with the Star's cafe menu being upgraded to the NEC menu from the national one?
Silver Star has new Café menu and no diner
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neroden
Engineer
Yeah, and I'll give them a tiny amount of credit for grudgingly doing that *months* after removing the dining car service. There's no reason they couldn't do that right now on every single train in the system, though.
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Cho Cho Charlie
Engineer
I think of lounge car food as more of a snack, than full breakfasts, lunches, and dinners.
tricia
Conductor
Maybe we need a "sarcasm alert" symbol or emoticon?
tricia
Conductor
Yeah, but if it's the ONLY food available on a train where at least some passengers are traveling for 8 hours or more, that food needs to be suitable for real meals.
Philly Amtrak Fan
Engineer
https://www.amtrak.com/ccurl/198/849/National-Cafe-Menu-0515.pdf
I think the pizza or cheeseburger is suitable for a real meal. You've never had pizza or a cheeseburger for lunch/dinner? I believe I had the turkey sandwich before. I don't usually eat spicy but I'm sure the chicken tenders also work. The breakfast sandwich is probably similar to quality of fast food breakfast sandwiches.
If you want those fancy Amtrak steaks or french toast, you either have to pay around 2-3X what you'd pay in the cafe per meal or pay much higher for a bedroom than the SS rooms w/o meals. I think passengers should have the option for cafe car meals or dining car meals if it is economically feasible for Amtrak to do so.
What have I had out of the cafe car on my few trips...bagels, danishes, the burger, pizza, the wraps (on the NEC).
My impression of it is that though the food could use a quality improvement, it suffices for a trip short enough that one doesn't need to have the same meal twice (i.e. less than 24 hours).
With the upgraded/NEC cafe menu, a single repeat meal is tolerable, and let's face it, not everyone travels end to end. This pretty much covers every single train east of the Texas Eagle.
There's other things Amtrak can add to this menu that can be prepared just with a microwave...think quick oats, etc.
My impression of it is that though the food could use a quality improvement, it suffices for a trip short enough that one doesn't need to have the same meal twice (i.e. less than 24 hours).
With the upgraded/NEC cafe menu, a single repeat meal is tolerable, and let's face it, not everyone travels end to end. This pretty much covers every single train east of the Texas Eagle.
There's other things Amtrak can add to this menu that can be prepared just with a microwave...think quick oats, etc.
neroden
Engineer
The national cafe menu is completely free of leafy green vegetables and nearly free of fruit, which is not OK for anyone trying to get a remotely healthy diet. The upgraded/NEC cafe menu has salads and so forth, which is a great help.
As Train2104 says, adding quick-oats would provide a better breakfast option; I was quite happy with the "instant" oatmeal on the .Downeaster. Eggs would still be highly desirable, but I could settle for hard-boiled.
As Train2104 says, adding quick-oats would provide a better breakfast option; I was quite happy with the "instant" oatmeal on the .Downeaster. Eggs would still be highly desirable, but I could settle for hard-boiled.
Devil's Advocate
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Even Amtrak's full service dining car entrees are mostly frozen meat and processed grain based with very few freshly prepared fruits and vegetables in nutritionally relevant serving sizes. The upgraded lunch entree salads have improved the situation but the standard dinner salads remain extremely plain and bland in my view.
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Oatmeal and hard boiled eggs, both are shelf ready products. Pre made salads and wraps are also available. As are cups of fresh slice fruits.
Open box place in cooler / cooler display. Not hard. Ok the oatmeal need water, and a microwave, but...
Deliver the stuff on a regular basis. Other than the fact this cargo is very time sensitive. Not a problem. Heck the biggest issue I had was the a computer failed and they were not letting anyone on the base without a background check. Nothing like getting calls about your ETA when stuck in line at the truck gate, and it has not moving since you have arrived.
You know the number of trains leaving each day, you know the number of passengers in advance. Only rocket science is the number to stock. Well that and to place the order 24 to 48 hours in advance.
Open box place in cooler / cooler display. Not hard. Ok the oatmeal need water, and a microwave, but...
Deliver the stuff on a regular basis. Other than the fact this cargo is very time sensitive. Not a problem. Heck the biggest issue I had was the a computer failed and they were not letting anyone on the base without a background check. Nothing like getting calls about your ETA when stuck in line at the truck gate, and it has not moving since you have arrived.
You know the number of trains leaving each day, you know the number of passengers in advance. Only rocket science is the number to stock. Well that and to place the order 24 to 48 hours in advance.
neroden
Engineer
Last meal I ate in the Amtrak dining car was a dinner salad *which a fellow diner gave to me because the onboard staff was refusing to give me a salad* and a sauceless steak (because they couldn't tell me what was in the sauce) most of which I abandoned. Still better than not getting any vegetables. (But I sure didn't leave a tip, and I complained to customer service.)
JoeBas
Conductor
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Fancy??? :huh:
Something tells me that PAF is at that stage of his life where 66% of his meals consist of Ramen or Soup... it's been a long long time in my universe since AmFood is anywhere near what I'd call "Fancy".
rrdude
Engineer
I think the last time I had "fancy" food on Amtrak, was while working the Southwest Chief, back in 1981. Amtrak had switched to "modified meal service" (i.e., junk) and the members of the crew would pool our money together, one of us would accompany the chef to the farmers market in LA, and help him carry provisions back to the train, to be prepared by the chef, but only for the crew. Some of the best meals I ever had I tell you....
We quickly had to change where we consumed said meals to the kitchen, as passengers would pass by the crew eating, and just about flip out.
We quickly had to change where we consumed said meals to the kitchen, as passengers would pass by the crew eating, and just about flip out.
jis
Permanent Way Inspector
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Maybe the sarcasm filter needs readjustment regarding the interpretation of the word "fancy"?
BYO. It's that simple. For the reduction in price for a flat place to sleep I CHOSE to take the Star in March.
crescent-zephyr
Engineer
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2-3 x what you pay in the Cafe?
Cafe Menu - Cheeseburger ($7.25) + Chips ($2.25) = $9.50
Dining Car Menu - Cheeseburger with Chips = $12.50 (includes optional $1 fee for cheese).
Cafe Menu - Breakfast Sandwich ($4,75) + Yogurt ($2.50) = $7.25
Dining Car Menu - Scrambled Eggs with Potatoes and Croissant = $7.50
neroden
Engineer
My fiancee is allergic to both the "breakfast sandwich" and the yogurt. I'm allergic to the "breakfast sandwich". So, uh, for breakfast the dining car is self-evidently better...
cirdan
Engineer
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Unless maybe Florida HSR gets revived between Tampa and Orlando and AAF / Brightline gets to run trains in open access mode.
Sort of the inverse of what's happening at the Miami end with TriRail wanting to run on AAF's tracks
cirdan
Engineer
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But the present construction is on the easy bit.
Even if Brightline fails totally, very little of that money is actually totally lost.
FEC would be happy for the improved tracks.
The real estate stuff in Miami can find tenants even without the rail activity
Even the trains can maybe be sold on to Amtrak or some other agency, minimizing losses.
So maybe a lot of money is being spent but nobody is sticking their head too far out and a lot of what is being done can be repurposed.
Not so with the second phase going to Orlando. What use is a rail line into Orlando airport if you main business is running heavy freight trains?
NETrainfan
Lead Service Attendant
Just a detail- If a lunch salad is available on the Cafe Menu- why not have upgraded (better than dining salad) side salads also?
How "fresh" is the lunch salad? There must be time guidelines for the food in the Cafe.
How "fresh" is the lunch salad? There must be time guidelines for the food in the Cafe.
I am anxious to see if this menu actually exist and has the items listed. Took the SS in Sept. w/o the diner and there was suppose to be better selections then but there was not. Taking several family members in June thinking the diner would be back but very frustrated they have permanently removed it. The notice from Amtrak says their decision was based on feedback they received. Based on what I have heard from passengers and train staff it was not a popular decision as a trial. I advised Amtrak after my Sept. experience and only booked the 2 bedrooms and 2 roomettes thinking (dumb on my part) the diner would be back. Changing to the SM is not an option where I board so here we go again without a diner and carry-on food.
JoeBas
Conductor
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From Congress, not passengers.
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