Amtrak Diner and Food Service Discussion

lordsigma12345 wrote: ↑Tue May 25, 2021 5:08 pm The dining car will remain a sleeper only amenity when traditional meals return.

Just like the Canadian, with coach passengers having "cafe counter service" and diner reserved
for sleepers.

And this is why for a few of the trips I've taken in the past and may again in the future, I'll by flying or driving instead of taking coach. Getting dinner in the diner, there was nothing finer, especially when riding coach. So much for that amenity.

I know this discussion has been long, but what is with the National Railroad Passenger Corporation segregating out coach passengers from the dining car service? Maybe the ACLU couild do something right and sue for the end of this discrimination. If someone is able to pay the fare then they should be allowed to eat in the diner.

According to today’s RPA hotline traditional dining will begin rolling out by June 23 to the five western trains that will be receiving it. It’s starting to sound like Amtrak will be limiting experiential amenities to these 5 routes and other LD trains will receive more basic amenities while the auto train will continue to be its own thing. It does sound like they are planning to make alterations to the flexible dining format served on other routes once they complete the traditional dining rollout out west.

R36 Combine Coach wrote: ↑Tue May 25, 2021 5:47 pm

lordsigma12345 wrote: ↑Tue May 25, 2021 5:08 pm The dining car will remain a sleeper only amenity when traditional meals return.

Just like the Canadian, with coach passengers having "cafe counter service" and diner reserved
for sleepers.

Why, then, is Amtrak listing prices for each item in the dining car, if said items are included in the cost of a sleeping car ticket?

I just received this morning an e-mail from Amtrak that I can pre-order my meals on the LSL that I'll be taking on June 12th. Still the same flex-dining menu. I'll be on the SWC the following day but I haven't received any notice yet about pre-ordering for that train. Anyway it looks like they are trying the preordering of meals concept which has been talked about here. It does make sense from an inventory point of view.

By limiting diner service to sleeper passengers they can stock just enough for those people. Requiring them to pre-order would make this cost-cutting feature even tighter.

Rockingham Racer wrote: ↑Sat May 29, 2021 6:08 am

R36 Combine Coach wrote: ↑Tue May 25, 2021 5:47 pm

lordsigma12345 wrote: ↑Tue May 25, 2021 5:08 pm The dining car will remain a sleeper only amenity when traditional meals return.

Just like the Canadian, with coach passengers having "cafe counter service" and diner reserved
for sleepers.

Why, then, is Amtrak listing prices for each item in the dining car, if said items are included in the cost of a sleeping car ticket?

That’s an old menu. What is coming is likely not that same menu.

Then the dopes are posting past realities that don't apply to the future ones they're announcing on the website. Dumb, just dumb.

J.D. Lang wrote: ↑Sat May 29, 2021 8:34 am I just received this morning an e-mail from Amtrak that I can pre-order my meals on the LSL that I'll be taking on June 12th. Still the same flex-dining menu. I'll be on the SWC the following day but I haven't received any notice yet about pre-ordering for that train. Anyway it looks like they are trying the preordering of meals concept which has been talked about here. It does make sense from an inventory point of view.

I've had a couple of times on the LSL where they ran out of my preferred choice. This will make me happy that my food will be there this coming July. I think they should offer this option to coach too with the appropriate mark up on the ticket though. I doubt the western trains will do this option if they go back to traditional dining but make sense in the eastern airplane dining option.

urr304 wrote: ↑Fri May 28, 2021 4:44 pm I know this discussion has been long, but what is with the National Railroad Passenger Corporation segregating out coach passengers from the dining car service? Maybe the ACLU couild do something right and sue for the end of this discrimination. If someone is able to pay the fare then they should be allowed to eat in the diner.

It's not segregation aimed at any kind of protected class. We have a long tradition in this country of discriminating based on ability or willingness to pay. The diner service isn't part of the coach class ticket, somebody who wants it has to pay for the more expensive ticket. This is just the same as anything else involving multiple price points and classes of service.

It wasn't that way until a few years ago.

It really is as simple as HenryAlan says: there’s no principal in law that says products and prices have to be offered in a configuration to satisfy people who won’t buy a fist class ticket.

Auto Train always offered complementary diner service even for coach passengers, a rare exception.

Not anymore, Mr. R-36. Full Service Dining Sleeping Cars only.

There's a 370XX Diner Lounge selling Snack Bar fare to the Coach crowd. At one time, there were food trucks parked train time at both LOR snd SFA, but I'd rather guess that has become a COVID casualty.