Amtrak Diner and Food Service Discussion

[exvalley]

The discussion surrounding Flexible Dining is focusing on the food. This makes sense from a consumer perspective, but the appeal of Flexible Dining to Amtrak has much less to do with food. The primary motivation is eliminating very expensive employees who are serving and preparing the food. Amtrak employees are paid much higher wages than industry standard for service positions - and they have much better benefits. This makes them much more appealing targets of cuts.

For this reason, it would not surprise me if the food eventually improves as long as Anderson can do that in a manner that does not increase the staffing requirements. That might rule out fully plated meals brought to your table, though. IIRC, VIA's Ocean has at least two staff members in the dining car to be able to serve plated meals. Doubling the dining car staff will be a non-starter for Anderson.

If I could change one thing about the Flexible Dining experience it would be the presentation. I am fortunate enough to have an employer that pays for me to fly domestic first class. Frankly, the food in first class (when you get any) isn't much better. The biggest difference is not with the entree, but with the salad or side dish. You tend to get something that seems fresher or fancier when you fly - whether it be the salad or a charcuterie. Amtrak's iceberg lettuce salad seems cheap and outdated compared to what the airlines offer.

As far as the presentation with Amtrak is concerned, you just can't help the feeling that you are eating a $4.99 microwavable meal as long as it is presented in those cheap plastic bowls.

[STrRedWolf]

The discussion surrounding Flexible Dining is focusing on the food. This makes sense from a consumer perspective, but the appeal of Flexible Dining to Amtrak has much less to do with food. The primary motivation is eliminating very expensive employees who are serving and preparing the food. Amtrak employees are paid much higher wages than industry standard for service positions - and they have much better benefits. This makes them much more appealing targets of cuts.
...
As far as the presentation with Amtrak is concerned, you just can't help the feeling that you are eating a $4.99 microwavable meal as long as it is presented in those cheap plastic bowls.

Which may just be what it is, a frozen microwavable meal (just in better dishes) with a pre-made salad that's been around a day or so. Meanwhile the airports restock with near-by kitchens making/cooking/plating/chilling meals "just-in-time"... and making good bank on it (despite the reschedule headaches). I won't be surprised if they try to fold the cooking staff more into a porter/conductor role for these overnighter trips.

[SouthernRailway]

I just had the “flexible” dining on a long-distance train.

The food was ok. Not awful but not great. There just wasn’t much of it, and there really could be more dessert choices and maybe a roll; both would help.

But “flexible”? How so? Dining is much less flexible than before, with fewer options.

The attendant came around to my room and asked me what time I wanted to go to dinner- so I had to go at a specific time (i.e.. no flexibility of timing). And the attendant took my order at that time. And the tray was simply handed to me once I arrived in the dining car: no flexibility of choices.

The presentation of the “flexible” dining needs work: the cardboard trash cans, bin with a sign reading “Leave Trays Here” and stacks of napkins, etc. on the tables are low-class.

And the “exclusive first-class” lounge, formerly a dining car: can sleeping car customers actually go to it and hang out? If so, Amtrak should consider removing some of the tables and installing comfortable chairs instead. If only sleeping car passengers can use the dining car and dinner is “served” over 4 and a half hours, the diner should rarely be crowded with people eating.

I’m also confused about drinks: the first one is free but may I purchase another one in the dining car? Or do I buy it from the cafe car and may I then hang in the ex-dining car?

The low-class dining (straight out a high school cafeteria) and the long layover at WAS significantly detract from the first class aspects of this trip. Too bad because the train cars themselves are very nice.

[JimBoylan]

Were you allowed to hang out in the dining car during the layover in Washington?

[SouthernRailway]

Were you allowed to hang out in the dining car during the layover in Washington?

People were in the dining car then. Not sure if they were having dinner or not.

[SouthernRailway]

Further update:

Apparently you can buy drinks in the dining car.

Amtrak ought to consider taking maybe 2 tables out of the dining cars instead Eastern LD trains and having comfortable seats there instead, and offering some snacks and nice drinks for sale in the dining cars.

I waited in a long line in the lounge car, which mostly just sells junk food. Now I know that I could have bought a drink in the nice dining car. If sleeping car passengers could totally avoid the regular lounge that would somewhat make up for the flexible dining.

[exvalley]

But “flexible”? How so? Dining is much less flexible than before, with fewer options.

The attendant came around to my room and asked me what time I wanted to go to dinner- so I had to go at a specific time (i.e.. no flexibility of timing).

That is the opposite of my two trips on the Lake Shore Limited. We were allowed to go to the dining car whenever we wanted and could order whatever meal we wanted.

[exvalley]

Amtrak ought to consider taking maybe 2 tables out of the dining cars instead Eastern LD trains and having comfortable seats there instead, and offering some snacks and nice drinks for sale in the dining cars.

I really like this idea. They advertise the dining car as a sleeper lounge, but it doesn't feel much like a lounge at all. You also feel that if you linger at a table that you are taking the table away from a person who wants to eat a meal.

[SouthernRailway]

Thanks. Amtrak ought to just offer the full Acela Express cafe car menu in the long-distance train "first class lounge".

The "first class lounge" isn't that busy particularly on trains with just 2 sleeping cars, and offering more food/drinks would help sales, create a better ambiance for first class passengers and would divert some business from the overburdened Amfleet lounge that seems to be used mostly by coach passengers.

I don't find microwaved pizza or beer out of a can, from the Amfleet lounge, particularly appealing. At least the "first class lounge" had Maker's Mark and higher-end drinks...now how about offering higher-end snacks, and a place to enjoy them?

[gokeefe]

I wouldn't be on the least bit surprised if they do this once they have some proven sales. Won't take much for shelf-stable packaged snacks to make sense.

[SouthernRailway]

Here's an idea for a revamped Viewliner Diner:

Transform the table area into a mix of tables and lounge seats. Maybe even add a sleeping compartment or two in the unused kitchen area. Please see the floorplan of this car:

http://wataugavalleynrhs.org/crescentharbor.php

[leviramsey]

Part of the appeal of the sleeping car lounge is that the rabble in coach isn't allowed in: quieter, less crowded, etc.

So I could see access to the rolling lounge being granted to:

1. Sleeping car passengers
2. Passengers in other classes who purchase access ($29 or 2000 AGR points for 24 hours of access for a traveler and companion)
3. Paid Amtrak club members (I could see $700/yr for access to rolling lounges, the Metropolitan etc. Clubs if travelling on Amtrak and $3000/yr without a requirement to be travelling on Amtrak (i.e. club access in BOS for MBTA commuters)
4. AGR Select Executive members

(This would also describe priority for handling crowding)

This might also mean a tack-on sleeper and diner/lounge V2 order to get them on all the single level day trains and NER.

[STrRedWolf]

Here's an idea for a revamped Viewliner Diner:

Transform the table area into a mix of tables and lounge seats. Maybe even add a sleeping compartment or two in the unused kitchen area. Please see the floorplan of this car:

http://wataugavalleynrhs.org/crescentharbor.php

And I need to grab that floorplan...

[lordsigma12345]

The VL2 diners are going to most likely be converted into the "single food service car" that Amtrak is talking about for the Eastern LD trains. I see the kitchen being modified with a window for cafe sales and the two LSAs from the formerly separate cars working together. The million dollar question is whether the seating will remain for sleeper passengers only (meaning coach passengers would have to eat at their seats) or if this will basically be a cafe car on steroids. With this talk of the single food service car, this seems the logical step to avoid needing to procure cafe or diner-lite cars in the Amfleet 2 replacement purchase (for the LD trains anyway.)

[Gilbert B Norman]

The VL2 diners are going to most likely be converted into the "single food service car" that Amtrak is talking about for the Eastern LD trains. I see the kitchen being modified with a window for cafe sales and the two LSAs from the formerly separate cars working together.

Oh boy, here comes another "370XX Boondoggle". Those X Country Cafe's came out of a Bush43 Administration mandate that a single Food Service car would be operated on the LD's away from peak travel periods. The 330XX Sightseers were also to be converted as well. The 37's were converted from 380XX Diners at reported $1M a throw during '08.

Funny how those seventeen cars only got regular assignments to #21-22, Eagle, and 58-59 "City" and that Sightseers are also assigned to those trains. The remainder are "unassigned". filling for Bad Ordered Diners and Lounges.

Watch what's going to happen; Amtrak will start to convert the 680XX V-II-D's at a cost surely above $1M a pop. Watch the edict to restore Full Service Dining with a separate Café come down. Sure the advocacy community will be cheering, but the operational efficiency community, of which I am likely part of, will just be scratching heads.

The "Critters" will be ranting away "they spent all this money to convert these cars, and now they are just going to spend more money to convert them back".

"Life under The Dome".