Amtrak Diner and Food Service Discussion

Photos yesterday and today. The first dish is the lobster crab cake appetizer. Quite good. iPhone photos don’t always do the greatest. I’m aboard 4(26).

They look nice!

As of a few moments ago. #4(26) is estimating CHI 78ML, so "Da Lawd" will have no issues with his 4(26)-CHI-448(28) connection.

Mr. Lord, likely you didn't see me, but I did observe #4(26) 150ML from the foot of my street. I had my Univ of Illinois hat on and waved.

Well, barring God knows what in the final 18.7 miles of the journey, at least your connection to 448 is safe.

I dont think I caught you this time as we were going faster and I was in my cabin (the SSL was full of Boy Scouts most of the way past Raton) - I did have a look out around that same spot where I saw you the first time. But I was mainly looking at the parking lot and we went by at 70 MPH this time. Incident free trip from that point on. Got in with time even to go grab a bite to eat at the south branch bar and grill. Now sitting in the CUS met lounge. 2 hour and 4 late - can’t really complain given our sitting for 3 hours at riverside. I heard more details from a scout master who was seated in the same car where it happened - it was a individual in their 30s who clearly seemed off was walking around the car offering people berries - seemed like it was a likely OD. A large number of scouts rode from LAX - Raton and over 100 boarded eastbound from Raton. The folks transferring to 30 also made their connection.

Take a look at this Journal article and particularly note the reporting regarding hotels:

Fair Use:

..In May 2020, as Covid-19 surged in the U.S. and the travel and hospitality industries cratered, the chief executive of Host Hotels & Resorts Inc., a large owner of Hyatt and Marriott hotels, described the pandemic “truly as an opportunity to redefine the hotel operating model.”

CEO Jim Risoleo said the hotel chain planned to limit housekeeping at many of its properties and reconfigure its food and beverage operations. “It is really going to be opt in to housekeeping services as opposed to opt out going forward,” he said during a November call with analysts and investors. The company also reduced management staff by 30% in 2020 in its food and beverage department and said the changes would be permanent. The company didn’t respond to requests to comment..

It seems as if major "Four Star" brands (Marriott, Hilton, Hyatt Regency, Crowne Plaza) are on their way to become an airplane flight.

Reading this, it's hard to believe Amtrak chose to restore "traditional dining" on selected routes. Makes me wonder how long a shelf life it has remaining.

For what they are charging for sleeping car rooms (especially bedrooms) for a two night trip they should have a decent food and beverage service. Having said that if that means adjusting some of their lower bucket roomette fares up to account for the dining car so be it - I do think it’s reasonable to expect sleeping car passengers to pay for their premium amenities and not the taxpayer. But those of us happy about it should consider ourselves lucky as you said - a lot of places seem to be sticking with pandemic cuts and testing the waters about how much they can get away with cutting - and in some businesses it’s probably a necessity as in the hospitality industry there seems to be a challenge in finding help. Some fast food establishments have still not reopened their dining rooms - they probably figure if we’re doing ok in the drive thru and carry away why pay someone to clean tables and restrooms? I’d be curious if airlines are starting to bring back better food and beverage items.

Mr. Lord, I'm "with you all the way" on your thoughts. For what Amtrak wants for a "Private Room" nowadays (and appears to be getting it), "they'd better".

Now so far as hotels go, when on my road trips, my overnight stops (no more "straight through college stuff" for this 80yo) are just fine at a "three star" major (Express, Hampton). If they offer a buffet Breakfast, fine. If not, there are always an Egg McMuffin at a nearby Mickey D - hopefully with an open Dining Room. This "Drive Through stuff" gets expensive; I must have a $600 rim replaced ("unit exchange"; my scuffed one is sent for rework and comes back as an insurance company "quality replacement part" - pity that sucker) thanks to one of those.

Now at a destination, I want a "Four Star major" (Marriott, Crowne Plaza, Hilton, Hyatt Regency), and part of that means a full-service breakfast (pay), a bar, and a Dinner restaurant lest I need such. The Journal article we both note is "discomforting" as I have an upcoming stay at a Hyatt in Greenwich end of September. Last time I checked, their Winfield Restaurant and Gazebo Bar are "ferme"; I'll bet their "comp" Times and Journal are also "casualties".

Now so far as staff availability; these Federal Unemployment benefits are running out, but it has been an issue through the Pandemic. I can recall going to a Steak and Shake (regional burger joint) and there was the Manager standing outside waving customers off. I parked and asked him what's going on? "I can't get anyone in to work. I call them and they say "why should I? I'm making more on Unemployment nowadays". I said to him "the law requires a claimant to actively seek work", to which he said "well that's what the law says, but enforcement.....".

I can only hope "he's taking notes" as to who declined his invitation to return to work. Let's hope that the "Four Star" hotel brands will choose to restore their traditional services.

I went to a restaurant recently that had just started resuming lunch service on weekdays - currently they are only using the “bar side” of the restaurant for lunch earlier in the week. The bartender was tending the bar, serving every table (and it was rather busy) and also having to answer the phone for the take out orders - was a bit rediculous and the service as you can imagine was sub par - not the fault of the bartender as there’s only so much one person can do.

As for Amtrak service in the east - I just don’t know even though it keeps going around that they’re making changes in the fall. The only thing I’m confident will likely happen is the auto train dinner serving will probably receive some of what they’ve done out west with the metal flatware and eventually china and improvements to the presentation of the meal and desserts - and maybe complimentary any alcoholic beverage instead of just wine at dinner - out west you can get one of any beverage choice for a dinner serving and yes you get one at both dinner servings if you are riding end to end. But outside of the auto train I just don’t know. RPA continues to maintain that they will be rolling out a more traditional dining service in the east beginning in the fall and they’re still pushing for coach access - though they seemed a bit more pessimistic on that as it seems that management seems to like the current setup of differentiating the classes of service by limiting the first class amenities to first class passengers and the crew doesn’t have to worry about any transactions other than alcohol purchases beyond the one free.

I’m still skeptical that they will return true full service dining to any of these routes especially with them strategically excluding the eagle from the dining restoration. In the recent five year plan document - only the western routes and auto train are mentioned in any talk of traditional dining and they are still talking about wanting to convert VL2 diners into a single food service car on one night routes. Not sure how you do that and have full service dining. It’s also important to note that technically only four routes lost true full service dining to flexible dining - the Capitol limited, the crescent, the silver meteor, and now the eagle. The other trains had lost full service dining well before flexible dining came - the lake shore being the most recent when they retired the heritage diners and went with a amcan diner lite.

Only the Lake Shore and Silver service are still carrying both a dining car and cafe car - maybe these trains will get one thing while the trains using a split cafe/dinette or cross country cafe will get something else.

Mr. Lord, so far as Amtrak converting the 680XX (View) Diners to a Diner-Cafe' configuration, all the Western roads had such, in addition to full-service in a separate car (open to Coach if they dared venture). The 20th Century added same when such added Coaches to the consist during '58.

The configuration of these cars were similar; Kitchen forward, tables center, lounge seats rear. Several roads had unique "motifs" for theirs; notable being the GN with their "GN Bar Ranch" and the NP "Traveler's Rest". By contrast, those on the ATSF and UP "quite spartan" (you get what you pay for).

But let us not expect Amtrak to dream up motifs for each route they assign any such cars.

Gilbert B Norman wrote: ↑Sat Jul 17, 2021 8:50 am Mr. Lord, so far as Amtrak converting the 680XX (View) Diners to a Diner-Cafe' configuration, all the Western roads had such, in addition to full-service in a separate car (open to Coach if they dared venture). The 20th Century added same when such added Coaches to the consist during '58.

The configuration of these cars were similar; Kitchen forward, tables center, lounge seats rear. Several roads had unique "motifs" for theirs; notable being the GN with their "GN Bar Ranch" and the NP "Traveler's Rest". By contrast, those on the ATSF and UP "quite spartan" (you get what you pay for).

But let us not expect Amtrak to dream up motifs for each route they assign any such cars.

Mr Norman,
The best Amtrak ever came up with was the smoking lounge. More like a booth inside the long haul cafes. They had etched glass with a state seal. Long before that a heritage cafe or two on the Adirondack. They had some small black and white murals of scenes from along the lake. They were painted by one of the employees in Albany

Where else but on delayed Amtrak trains does anyone consume this today?

Apparently, Grorge Hormel's successors (good MILW shippers, might I add) thought someone else might.

lordsigma12345 wrote: ↑Sat Jul 17, 2021 8:35 am Only the Lake Shore and Silver service are still carrying both a dining car and cafe car - maybe these trains will get one thing while the trains using a split cafe/dinette or cross country cafe will get something else.

One issue you have with the LSL is the split at Albany. Currently the diner runs to/from NYC and the cafe to/from Boston. If you go to one food service car and say run it to NY you have no way to provide food to sleeper passengers on 448/449 and those segments operate during meal times (lunch on 449 and dinner on 448). I suppose they could hand them meals in a box, not great when you have spent $600+ for your room.

Jon