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D.P. Roberts

Conductor
Joined
Aug 16, 2006
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1,316
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Guilder & Florin Scenic Railroad
(my apologies to Steve Martin...)

Amtrak has replaced the 11/13 menus on their site with new menus dated 05/14.

As far as I can tell, the major change from the previous menu is that they basically eliminated any information about the food choices that will actually be offered to you.

For example, here are the lunch options on most trains (at least all the western LD trains I looked at):

1) Specialty Sandwich

2) Black Bean Burger

3) Amburger

4) Chef's Marketplace Special

For Dinner, we have the following:

1) Steak

2) Some Kind of Pasta

3) A Healthy Option

4) Half Chicken

5) Some Kind of Fish

So basically only 4 of the 9 entrees actually describe the food you're going to get. I predict that meals will take a lot longer as passengers now must have most of the options explained to them.

EDIT: I thought at first that breakfast now featured both French Toast AND Pancakes. I didn't notice the "OR (depending on your train's specific menu)" written between the two entrees. So now that's a crapshoot as well?

The new PPC menu says that the Half Chicken and Short-ribs are featured on day one, with a Lamb Shank and Short-ribs for the second day. Since the Lamb Shank and Short-ribs are no longer featured on any other (western LD) menus, it appears that the PPC is the only place to find these favorites.
 
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Sad to see the Lamb only for the PPC! Turkey shanks are NOT the same as the delicious Lamb I used to enjoy on the LD Routes!

And good news about a choice between the Pancakes and RR French Toast!

My most missed item is still the Bourbon Pecan Pie that used to be served only on the CONO and the Crescent!
 
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That looks bad for vegetarians. I'll be interested to see what the choices are, as explained in reality on a train.
As a vegetarian who has done a bunch of LD trips, let me tell you, nothing has changed. Every damn trip I have to eat Black Bean burger for lunch and "Some Pasta" for dinner. Once in a while I succeeded in ordering the pizza or Mac n Cheese from Kids Menu, but that's about it.

That apart, I want to know who is this genius who has been making all these recent changes and if he/she has ever traveled on LD trains? I wonder what were they thinking- "Hey, guess what.. let's make the menus very vague, thereby making the process more tedious for both the passengers and the staff, and taking longer to finish each meal seating... what could possibly go wrong?"
 
I'm psychic, I'm psychic. I was just thinking this morning about checking to see if the new menus were ready. But then decided I'd find out anyway from a fellow AUer. :)
 
That looks bad for vegetarians. I'll be interested to see what the choices are, as explained in reality on a train.
It's so frustrating. It's not just trains either. I've had to RSVP to several events (weddings, grad school orientation, work parties) in which the meal options are listed as: "Prime Rib, Roasted Chicken, Vegetarian"

"Vegetarian" is not food. I want to know what, exactly, I'm getting. If it's something I don't like, like tofu, stuffed peppers, or portobello mushrooms, I want to know so I can plan to eat something ahead of time.
 
I'm happy. My two artery-clogging meals are still on the menu. Though I will probably try one or two others on my long trips for variety.
 
Perhaps they're trying to save money by not printing the menus every time there's a change. Maybe the daily choices should be presented electronically: on the web, via mobile app, or electronic sign in the diner.

jb
 
I haven't ridden many of the east coast trains, so I'm not 100% certain as to which of them offer full dining cars vs. a more limited selection. But from what I can tell, every train with a regular, full dining car now uses exactly the same menu (with the caveat there will certainly be variability since most item descriptions are intentionally left blank). Is that a first for Amtrak?
 
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So much for the chef inspired meals that were actually tasty. As the service cuts continue it looks like we're back to using generic AmChow for every option on every meal. Might as well wittle the menus down to "Please ask your server for information on today’s commissary crate. Includes dill pickle and ketchup packet." I can't even count how many times the server has come along and without explaining anything before asking "So what are you having?" Gee, I dunno, the menu doesn't seem to have a clue what's actually on offer. Then they rattle off a few vague descriptions that may or may not apply to the actual stock on hand.
 
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So much for the chef inspired meals that were actually tasty. As the service cuts continue it looks like we're back to using generic AmChow for every option on every meal. Might as well wittle the menus down to "Please ask your server for information on today’s commissary crate. Includes dill pickle and ketchup packet." I can't even count how many times the server has come along and without explaining anything before asking "So what are you having?" Gee, I dunno, the menu doesn't seem to have a clue what's actually on offer. Then they rattle off a few vague descriptions that may or may not apply to the actual stock on hand.
Yeah, I noticed that too. The Lamb Shank on the PPC menu is the only description I can find that mentions the Culinary Advisory Team. That menu also includes the Short-ribs, which used to be a Culinary Advisory Team item, and was the best meal I've ever eaten on Amtrak.
 
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.
 
Stunning.

After being overcharged for your sleeper room for two, you can now sit down to dinner and peruse the menu with not much actual content. Apart from the prices.
 
It looks like lunch items are being served for dinner as well. The lunch column is now "Lunch / Dinner" and the Dinner column is now "Dinner (Only)"

Wow now talk about some vague descriptions. Pretty much they can sub whatever they want in. Amstew maybe as the "Chef's Special"?
 
Unacceptable. I've already sent in one complaint to Amtrak. I was pretty much reliant on the entree salad.
 
That apart, I want to know who is this genius who has been making all these recent changes and if he/she has ever traveled on LD trains? I wonder what were they thinking- "Hey, guess what.. let's make the menus very vague, thereby making the process more tedious for both the passengers and the staff, and taking longer to finish each meal seating... what could possibly go wrong?"
Whoever it is should be shot through the head as they are obviously too stupid to live.
 
After being overcharged for your sleeper room for two
Overcharged relative to what? Sleeper travel is discretionary. It's like buying a Mercedes Benz instead of a Kia. If you see value in it at the price that's offered, fine. If not or if it's priced out of range, then don't buy it.

Amtrak should optimize revenue from sleepers just like airlines optimize revenue from first and business class.
 
Call Amtrak. Wait until you get an agent. Ask for the complaints department. Explain that you want to file a complaint to management.

Explain that due to the reductions in the menu, you will either have to bring your own cooler of food or cancel your planned long-distance trips entirely. Be as specific as possible about which missing food items are the problem.

I did so and I have a complaint case number.

I was told that if enough people complain they might reverse some of these thoughtless cuts. (I specifically explained that the Entree Salad was my backup meal, the only thing I could be absolutely certain I could eat, and without it I would have to bring my own meals.)
 
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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.
Mica isn't chair of the Transportation Committee any more -- he has little power over Amtrak and is fairly irrelevant.

It's fine to complain to him, but you need to complain to Amtrak. These moronic cuts were the free and stupid choice of Amtrak management. Amtrak *could have* focused on eliminating the paperwork in the dining cars and keeping them open all day, which would have increased revenue.
 
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I am on the EB today and they had crab cakes for lunch--yummy. BUT, 30 minutes into lunch they ran out of EVERYTHING other than the Veggie burger and the Angus burger.

PS--It's French Toast eastbound and Pancakes westbound on the EBs BTW
 
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