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  • Discussion related to Amtrak also known as the National Railroad Passenger Corp.
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Amtrak Diner and Food Service Discussion

Discussion related to Amtrak also known as the National Railroad Passenger Corp.

Moderators: GirlOnTheTrain, mtuandrew, Tadman

Re: Amtrak Diner and Food Service Discussion

  by eolesen
 
ryanov wrote:
chrsjrcj wrote:Could some of the OBS attitudes be better, especially for the money they are paid? Absolutely. But that falls on proper management and training.
From my experience, bad management is the primary cause of a bad attitude in otherwise good employees, irrespective of salary. I don't really know anything about what it's like to work for Amtrak.
From my experience, employees (or people in general) who constantly blame others (including managers and supervisors) for their own unhappiness should probably look a little deeper in the mirror and take accountability for their attitude.

Training? Bad management? All excuses. You can’t train someone to have a good attitude. You either have one or you don’t.

If you need training on how to do your job, go visit your shop steward and tell him. You’re a safety risk if you’re not qualified, and it’s on you if you clock in for a job without your quals in order. If you’re doing a job you’re not qualified for, who do you think is held accountable when someone gets sick or injured? It’s not going to be the manager or the shop steward...

Once work stops being fun, it’s time move on to something else. I’ve done it multiple times. Unemployment is at a historical low, and better jobs are out there.

Re: Amtrak Diner and Food Service Discussion

  by David Benton
 
I would think one of the problems Amtrak faces, is that Management can not be present on the trains for long periods of time. One solution to this was the OBS Chief. Not anymore, I believe. Another would be to treat the OBS crew as a team, and reward them for good service. For e.g, diner and cafe sales above a certain level, they get a % of the takings.
Arguing whether management or staff is to blame is counterproductive. If that argument is necessary, both probably need improvement.

Re: Amtrak Diner and Food Service Discussion

  by Rockingham Racer
 
bostontrainguy wrote:
More like the scraps ready for the disposal.

So Amtrak calls this "First Class"?
"First class" hasn't been used by Amtrak, except for Acela, for years. It has been becoming clearer and clearer why for many years now.

Re: Amtrak Diner and Food Service Discussion

  by Morning Zephyr
 
And "first class" on Acela can be hit or miss, because you can end up with a seat at a four top table staring knee to knee at a stranger, wishing you had saved the money and gone coach and been able to face forward.

Re: Amtrak Diner and Food Service Discussion

  by bostontrainguy
 
Is there another option for the Lake Shore? I propose an alternative solution to save Amtrak money and still keep real diner food. Turn the diner in Albany and send it back to Chicago reducing the needed equipment and crew. This would mean one less dinning car and one less crew. I think this proposal will result in substantial savings and additional income for the Lakeshore's bottom line.

I think it would be possible to do this especially with Amtrak's plan to move the eastbound departure earlier from Chicago making the Capitol Limited the "cleanup" train.

Practical considerations:

Schedule (revised with earlier eastbound) that is prefect for one dinner and one breakfast each way.
Train is broken up and reassembled in Albany anyway.
Albany has a commissary that is not utilized.
Meals are not served between New York and Albany anyway so the car and crew just go all the way to New York for the ride (I assume the diner is "off line" once it arrives in Albany).
The diner doesn't even serve dinner eastbound at all today so much of the diner and crew are wasted now. A total loss of eastbound dinner income - not very efficient use of equipment and crew.

Challenges/Negatives?
Turn back challenges at Albany might occur due to eastbound travel delays but if the eastbound train left Chicago about 3 hours earlier then the turn around time in Albany would be over 7 hours.
Minor servicing would have to move to Chicago which I would think is okay for a new car. They of course can deadhead to Sunnyside for any major servicing or problems.
Crews would be based out of Chicago instead of New York.

Thoughts?

Re: Amtrak Diner and Food Service Discussion

  by John_Perkowski
 
David Benton wrote:I would think one of the problems Amtrak faces, is that Management can not be present on the trains for long periods of time.
Before A-Day, there were several folks responsible for the delivery of quality service to paying passengers:

The conductor was responsible for the safety, comfort, and quality of service to all passengers. It's actually so stated in UPs rules for conductors.

In the sleepers, the Pullman Conductor was responsible for customer service to his passengers. He was the first line supervisor of the Porters. If the Pullmans contained a ladies lounge, bar, or buffet, he was responsible for the maids and attendants as well

The dining car Steward was responsible for the chef/kitchen crew, and the waiters. When there was a railroad lounge car, he was also responsible for the attendants on it.

One object of the passenger traffic department was to increase the revenue of the freight department by giving superior service to shippers.

Amtrak has forgotten how to supervise on board service.

Re: Amtrak Diner and Food Service Discussion

  by Arlington
 
"superior service to shippers" probably justified losing $ on otherwise unsustainable dining costs, but is not a business model that can work for Amtrak.

Air competition is fiercer and labor costs relatively more than in the early 1970s, so Moving prep to a central commissary and being more like airline/Acela food is the only logical move for a daily passenger train

Re: Amtrak Diner and Food Service Discussion

  by Mackensen
 
Given that Congress had to stage an intervention in 1970-1971 it's debatable whether this model worked for the private railroads even at the time, let alone what makes sense in 2018.

Re: Amtrak Diner and Food Service Discussion

  by ExCon90
 
The decline in on-board service quality coincided with the trend among shippers to fly instead of taking the train. When that happened there were no more shippers on the train to be impressed by the service, which had become a burden to the (by then, de facto) freight railroads.

Re: Amtrak Diner and Food Service Discussion

  by Gilbert B Norman
 
Hele it is volks; plain and unvarnished from the Passenger Rail Reform and Investment Act of 2015 (PRRIA 15):
SEC. 206. Food and beverage reform.

(a) Amendment.—Chapter 243 of title 49, United States Code, is further amended by adding at the end the following new section:

Ҥ 24321. Food and beverage reform

“(a) Plan.—Not later than 90 days after the date of enactment of the Passenger Rail Reform and Investment Act of 2015, Amtrak shall develop and begin implementing a plan to eliminate, within 5 years of such date of enactment, the operating loss associated with providing food and beverage service on board Amtrak trains.

“(b) Considerations.—In developing and implementing the plan, Amtrak shall consider a combination of cost management and revenue generation initiatives, including—

“(1) scheduling optimization;

“(2) on-board logistics;

“(3) product development and supply chain efficiency;

“(4) training, awards, and accountability;

“(5) technology enhancements and process improvements; and

“(6) ticket revenue allocation.

“(c) Savings clause.—Amtrak shall ensure that no Amtrak employee holding a position as of the date of enactment of the Passenger Rail Reform and Investment Act of 2015 is involuntarily separated because of—

“(1) the development and implementation of the plan required under subsection (a); or

“(2) any other action taken by Amtrak to implement this section.

“(d) No Federal funding for operating losses.—Beginning on the date that is 5 years after the date of enactment of the Passenger Rail Reform and Investment Act of 2015, no Federal funds may be used to cover any operating loss associated with providing food and beverage service on a route operated by Amtrak or an alternative passenger rail service provider that operates a route in lieu of Amtrak pursuant to section 24711.

“(e) Report.—Not later than 120 days after the date of enactment of the Passenger Rail Reform and Investment Act of 2015, and annually thereafter for 5 years, Amtrak shall transmit to the Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation of the Senate a report containing the plan developed pursuant to subsection (a) and a description of progress in the implementation of the plan.”.

(b) Conforming amendment.—The table of sections for chapter 243 of title 49, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new item:

“24321. Food and beverage reform.”.
Any suggestions as to amending Sec 24321(d)????

Re: Amtrak Diner and Food Service Discussion

  by bostontrainguy
 
“(b) Considerations.—In developing and implementing the plan, Amtrak shall consider a combination of cost management and revenue generation initiatives, including—

“(1) scheduling optimization;

I think my suggestion above satisfies this part

“(c) Savings clause.—Amtrak shall ensure that no Amtrak employee holding a position as of the date of enactment of the Passenger Rail Reform and Investment Act of 2015 is involuntarily separated because of—

“(1) the development and implementation of the plan required under subsection (a); or

“(2) any other action taken by Amtrak to implement this section.

Haven't they eliminated jobs over this? Where did the chefs jobs go?

Re: Amtrak Diner and Food Service Discussion

  by frequentflyer
 
A lot of angst about food service on Amtrak, but media sources state they loose $87 million on food service NOW. So something has to change, so what is the solution? Third party outsource, ala Sky Chef or Marriot? Self service food machines?

Re: Amtrak Diner and Food Service Discussion

  by ExCon90
 
I'm afraid it might take more than French to accomplish that -- and the French can do great things with charcuterie. (Full disclosure: I had to look it up.)

Re: Amtrak Diner and Food Service Discussion

  by Gilbert B Norman
 
Look what TRAINS Newswire reports today.

Fair Use:
Amtrak plans to add “a hot meal option” to dining service on the Capitol Limited and Lake Shore Limited, and says food-service changes on the two trains — which saw full dining cars give way to pre-prepared cold meals as of June 1 — offer passengers more dining choices.

These points come from a statement to Trains News Wire by Amtrak spokesman Marc Magliari, who wrote, “We are undertaking changes on the dining service to provide higher quality food with a modern service pattern that allows people to order what they want and have it provided when they want. People who want to dine in a communal way can keep that. People who want privacy or to work on their laptops while they’re dining, can dine in that way......“A hot meal option will be coming at future date as we are gathering feedback from our customers to understand preferences"
Now what remains is how "Kleiner Fuherer" Magliari defines "future date".

It would appear from the statement. Amtrak wishes to emulate the environment found at Marriott Courtyard's Bistro, which to me is a glorified MickeyD with a Bar, that has transformed that brand from my preferred at that level to one that I avoid (stayed at one in Nashville during February simply because I had Marriott points to use).
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