THE NEW MENUS ARE HERE! THE NEW MENUS ARE HERE!

[me_little_me]

It may be time to ring the ol BBQ grill on board! Fresh grilled-over-the-fire steaks, veggie kabobs to go along with it, and jealous people down the hall.

Make one for the conductor and he'll never say a word. Yum!

For those with short heads ---> :giggle: :giggle:

 

[RampWidget]

Send your complaints to Cong. Mica, he's the guy behind all this. Tell your friends and relatives in Orlando to vote this guy out of office.

I live in the district adjacent to Mica's, but I'm absolutely going to contribute to his opponent's campaigns (in both the Republican primary and the general election if he wins the primary.)

http://votesmart.org/candidate/26805/john-mica#.U4n79UCO0go

 

[tonys96]

We emailed and snail mailed Boardman today. We will still ride Amtrak, just not as much....nor will we "evangelize" about long distance Amtrak travel anymore.....

 

[yarrow]

We emailed and snail mailed Boardman today. We will still ride Amtrak, just not as much....nor will we "evangelize" about long distance Amtrak travel anymore.....

same line of action taken by our family. especially the no longer recommending amtrak to friends

 

[Devil's Advocate]

The plates, bowls and cups are so thin (read cheap) that at every meal someone either stuck their knife or fork through a bowl or plate or someone's plastic cup leaked all over the table. The wait staff were besides themselves with this situation, with several "clean up on aisle three" moments at each meal. We are talking about really, really down and dirty, cheap and flimsy plasticware here. I don't think I have ever seen such thin plates and bowls.

I've often inadvertently cracked or punctured the plasticware myself. It's actually kind of surprising how poorly made the disposable dishes have become. They are so thin and flimsy that employing any kind of metal utensil seems to require much more careful use. In the past Lunch was easily the weakest meal of offer and the easiest to ignore. These days breakfast has somehow managed to become even less appealing than lunch and now that dinner is being stocked so conservatively it apparently needs to be augmented with generic lunch options. I realize there are a number of "good enough for me" travelers who couldn't care less what they're served regardless of the price. For me Amtrak's value equation seems to be getting worse by the week. I've already had to correct myself on numerous occasions when describing what I like about Amtrak to the uninitiated after remembering everything that's been changing.

 

[yarrow]

The plates, bowls and cups are so thin (read cheap) that at every meal someone either stuck their knife or fork through a bowl or plate or someone's plastic cup leaked all over the table. The wait staff were besides themselves with this situation, with several "clean up on aisle three" moments at each meal. We are talking about really, really down and dirty, cheap and flimsy plasticware here. I don't think I have ever seen such thin plates and bowls.

I've often inadvertently cracked or punctured the plasticware myself. It's actually kind of surprising how poorly made the disposable dishes have become. They are so thin and flimsy that employing any kind of metal utensil seems to require much more careful use. In the past Lunch was easily the weakest meal of offer and the easiest to ignore. These days breakfast has somehow managed to become even less appealing than lunch and now that dinner is being stocked so conservatively it apparently needs to be augmented with generic lunch options. I realize there are a number of "good enough for me" travelers who couldn't care less what they're served regardless of the price. For me Amtrak's value equation seems to be getting worse by the week. I've already had to correct myself on numerous occasions when describing what I like about Amtrak to the uninitiated after remembering everything that's been changing.

don't forget, this is the same train that in the new national timetable to take effect 6/9 the eb is said to have meals served on china

 

[D.P. Roberts]

The plates, bowls and cups are so thin (read cheap) that at every meal someone either stuck their knife or fork through a bowl or plate or someone's plastic cup leaked all over the table. The wait staff were besides themselves with this situation, with several "clean up on aisle three" moments at each meal. We are talking about really, really down and dirty, cheap and flimsy plasticware here. I don't think I have ever seen such thin plates and bowls.

I've often inadvertently cracked or punctured the plasticware myself. It's actually kind of surprising how poorly made the disposable dishes have become. They are so thin and flimsy that employing any kind of metal utensil seems to require much more careful use. In the past Lunch was easily the weakest meal of offer and the easiest to ignore. These days breakfast has somehow managed to become even less appealing than lunch and now that dinner is being stocked so conservatively it apparently needs to be augmented with generic lunch options. I realize there are a number of "good enough for me" travelers who couldn't care less what they're served regardless of the price. For me Amtrak's value equation seems to be getting worse by the week. I've already had to correct myself on numerous occasions when describing what I like about Amtrak to the uninitiated after remembering everything that's been changing.

don't forget, this is the same train that in the new national timetable to take effect 6/9 the eb is said to have meals served on china

Well, "China" just means "ceramics made in China, or made from techniques developed in China." So, perhaps Amtrak simply means "Chinese plastic" instead of "Chinese ceramic"?

 

[montana mike]

LOL!!!



I do indeed wonder what they did with all of that Empire Builder China. I would have even purchased some as a bit of nostalgia. Anyone want to wager that they tossed it all out?

:-(

 

[Bob Dylan]

LOL!!!



I do indeed wonder what they did with all of that Empire Builder China. I would have even purchased some as a bit of nostalgia. Anyone want to wager that they tossed it all out?

:-(

LOL! Wonder if Beech Grove replaced the China with Plastic ware?

 

[haolerider]

LOL!!!



I do indeed wonder what they did with all of that Empire Builder China. I would have even purchased some as a bit of nostalgia. Anyone want to wager that they tossed it all out?

:-(

LOL! Wonder if Beech Grove replaced the China with Plastic ware?

There is a storage facility in Albany, NY that has Amtrak china plates and other utensils. Jim, do you think a bean counter would let them throw it away!

There are bean counters and plate counters!

 

[MrFSS]

I hope Amtrak keeps it all safe. It could be worth a lot of money someday.

 

[D.P. Roberts]

Unless it isn't:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/4pc-Corelle-AMTRAK-Dinnerware-LUNCH-BREAD-PLATE-MUG-SAUCER-Railroad-Train-NEW-/161197161238?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item2588197b16

 

[rrdude]

Yea, I listed some older Amtrak diner-ware a few years ago, and it didn't sell too well either.......nothing special about it,

 

[crescent2]

other Mike- Many of us aren't bitching so much as wondering if Amtrak isn't shooting its own self in the foot with some of these changes.

Its also penny wise and pound foolish!

My thoughts exactly, Jim!

WHO is making these decisions?

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I hope Amtrak keeps it all safe. It could be worth a lot of money someday.

Which would be just as useful to Amtrak as those demitasse cups are for the Pennsylvania Railroad. Much of the value of those cups comes from the storied history and distant death of the original owner. By the time Amtrak's boring and generic dishware was worth anything the original owner would be long gone and unable to capitalize on any appreciation.

 

[crescent2]

While not exactly White House china prices, $44 for one place setting of Corelle is a premium over regular Corelle prices. Wonder where the seller got it?

 

[lstone19]

It is a perk of the sleeper fare, however, quoting Amtrak OIG: "However, when establishing the price of sleeper tickets, the Marketing department does not consider the cost of providing food and beverage services, according to Marketing officials. They set ticket prices based on an assessment of customer demand and price sensitivity." The lack of any relation to actual food expense is why I state that they do not currently pay for it and instead merely receive it as a free perk.

Transportation pricing is very interesting because transportation is one of the most perishable products there is (I'll note here that I work in an airline management position but have never worked in any part of Revenue Management which includes Pricing and Inventory Management). There is no such thing as "day old" transportation to be sold and unsold transportation today can not be kept in inventory to be sold tomorrow. And like any business, Amtrak's goal is to maximize profit (or minimize loss). And since very close-in, the costs all become fixed, the result is that the cost of the product becomes a very minor point of consideration on the day of operation when that product is going to expire worthless in just a few hours (not cannibalizing future sales is relevant which is why the product isn't given away at the last minute). Long-term, cost needs to be considered. But having made the decision months ago to operate a particular train on a particular day, by the time we get to very short-term, cost becomes irrelevant - it all comes down to maximizing revenue.

Consider an unsold TV at Best Buy an hour before the store closes for the night. Would you sell it for less than the cost of replacing it in inventory? Of course not, because it doesn't expire worthless on me - I can just try to sell it tomorrow. OTOH, consider an unsold sleeper room an hour before departure. Even selling it for a $1 (ignoring the earlier comment about cannibalizing future revenue) improves profit. It can't be saved for tomorrow as transportation tomorrow is a different product than transportation today.

One more thing. "Free" is one of the most misused words in Marketing. IMHO, something is only free if receiving is not conditioned on purchasing something else. Since to receive this "free" perk, you first have to purchase Sleeper space, it is not free.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

Agree about the Free isn't free. I ordered something online today and they were offering free shipping if you spent $X. My total was less than that so they displayed a message that if I spent $xx more I'd get free shipping. The shipping charge was less than that so I saved by not buying something I didn't need.

 

[pianocat]

A little late to the game, but I'm re-quoting something a guest posted a few pages back that I take tremendous offense at:

"Then again I suppose that seeing as nearly everyone who travels on Amtrak has some form of food allergy, food weirdness or just is bog standard moaning vegetarian then they want to know what they can or can't eat."

Good freakin' lord. Because not all of us are 'mainstream', eat everything under the sun presented to us types....is that a reason to chastise us for making choices that are right for us, especially if physically necessary? The fact that our choices on LD trains are greatly restricted now with new changes, well... yeah, I take some offense at the high price i'm already paying for the sleeper + meals, if those meals are nothing I can comfortably eat. If "guest" poster indeed wants to know the benefits of being vegetarian, I'd be happy to send that person a few links. Otherwise, STFU because people are complaining that a moving diner/vehicle is restricting our choices to bare bones. Seems rather ridiculous, considering the prices we are paying for these sleeper inclusions. Flame away.....

 

[MiRider]

The Corelle isn't and never was *china*.
This Homer Laughlin setting is more like it.
No Amtrak logo anywhere though.
Does anyone remember this stuff at all, it's nice.

Ebay listing for

7 Pieces Homer Laughlin Amtrak Dining Car China Superb Unused Great Lot! http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/200996425686?lpid=82

 

[Ryan]

A little late to the game, but I'm re-quoting something a guest posted a few pages back that I take tremendous offense at:

"Then again I suppose that seeing as nearly everyone who travels on Amtrak has some form of food allergy, food weirdness or just is bog standard moaning vegetarian then they want to know what they can or can't eat."

Good freakin' lord. Because not all of us are 'mainstream', eat everything under the sun presented to us types....is that a reason to chastise us for making choices that are right for us, especially if physically necessary? The fact that our choices on LD trains are greatly restricted now with new changes, well... yeah, I take some offense at the high price i'm already paying for the sleeper + meals, if those meals are nothing I can comfortably eat. If "guest" poster indeed wants to know the benefits of being vegetarian, I'd be happy to send that person a few links. Otherwise, STFU because people are complaining that a moving diner/vehicle is restricting our choices to bare bones. Seems rather ridiculous, considering the prices we are paying for these sleeper inclusions. Flame away.....

 

[Texan Eagle]

We emailed and snail mailed Boardman today. We will still ride Amtrak, just not as much....nor will we "evangelize" about long distance Amtrak travel anymore.....

What is Boardman's email ID and address? I want to send an email and/or snail mail too.

 

[pianocat]

Ryan...you *get* it.. thank you. bravo.

 

[Trainmans daughter]

A little late to the game, but I'm re-quoting something a guest posted a few pages back that I take tremendous offense at:

"Then again I suppose that seeing as nearly everyone who travels on Amtrak has some form of food allergy, food weirdness or just is bog standard moaning vegetarian then they want to know what they can or can't eat."

Good freakin' lord. Because not all of us are 'mainstream', eat everything under the sun presented to us types....is that a reason to chastise us for making choices that are right for us, especially if physically necessary? The fact that our choices on LD trains are greatly restricted now with new changes, well... yeah, I take some offense at the high price i'm already paying for the sleeper + meals, if those meals are nothing I can comfortably eat. If "guest" poster indeed wants to know the benefits of being vegetarian, I'd be happy to send that person a few links. Otherwise, STFU because people are complaining that a moving diner/vehicle is restricting our choices to bare bones. Seems rather ridiculous, considering the prices we are paying for these sleeper inclusions. Flame away.....

Ha! Good for you. I was wondering when someone was going to respond to that insulting statement. Although I'm no longer a vegetarian and am not afflicted with food allergies, many of my friends and family are. It's a pretty serious matter that deserves consideration. Many restaurants offer special menus upon request for people with gluten and other allergies. If Amtrak doesn't even know what dishes they will be serving, they are unable to provide any safe information to those passengers.

 

[NorthShore]

There is a storage facility in Albany, NY that has Amtrak china plates and other utensils.

Jim, do you think a bean counter would let them throw it away!

There are bean counters and plate counters!

And plate spinners. I think they should give me the plates for my novelty/variety act!