Meal Times on Southwest Chief - Suggestions?

Hi Everyone!

I'm a first-time poster, so my apologies if this answer has been addressed elsewhere!

I'm going to be travelling from Los Angeles to Chicago in a few weeks on the Southwest Chief. Although I know I'll get my answer once I get on the train, I was hoping to get a bit of information about meal reservation times and how that works. I'm in a sleeper, but I was wondering if anyone knew the different times that are offered for dinner reservations, and if so, if you had any tips on which reservation time is generally the best.

I'll be travelling solo, and do enjoy a nice glass of wine with the meal, so I'm wondering if those factors mean there's a better time to pick to have dinner at.

This is definitely not urgent whatsoever, but if anyone has any tips, I'd love to hear what you think!

Thanks!

Normally, dinner reservation times run from about 5:30 until maybe 8 or so. They are staggered every 15-30 minutes.

If you want a glass of wine, or even a bottle, there is no better or worse time. You are not really rushed, but if you want to "hang out", you may wish to chose a later time. Also remember that as a sleeper passenger, you can enjoy alcoholic beverages while in your room.

My wife and I are kind of reluctant talkers with other people, so when we traveled on the SWC a couple weeks ago, we tried to get times when we thought it'd be less crowded. Thing is, the dining car staff likes to concentrate people to make it easier on themselves. So if the train isn't very full, they'll just fill up half the dining car and cut the number of reservation slots. That's what they did on my train; the latest meal time available was 7:30, and only half the car was used. But concentrating things like that meant the part of the car they did use was always full.

We were always able (and actually kind of forced) to stay there for a couple of hours each time, though. The service can be quite "leisurely", especially if the train is not busy and you're in the latest reservation slot. If half the car is full, they *can* use a table or two in the other half if they need to for overflow. So a full dinner service including dessert can take quite a while, and they won't try to kick you out as you're eating dessert or drinking your wine, especially if nobody's coming in behind you.

I've found that on some trips, they may have 5-6 seatings staggered between 5:30 and 8 but others only have 3 seatings, maybe 5:30, 6:15, and 7:15.

A variation will be diner on your first day. It will be served shortly after departing LA and your SCA will probably already have a dinner reservation for you when you board the train. (I think I'm remembering correctly). I don't recall if its an abbreviated menu.

Aaangela said:

Hi Everyone!

I'll be travelling solo, and do enjoy a nice glass of wine with the meal, so I'm wondering if those factors mean there's a better time to pick to have dinner at.

This is definitely not urgent whatsoever, but if anyone has any tips, I'd love to hear what you think!

Thanks!

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I also enjoy a glass or two of wine with my dinner.

As a solo you will be seated with others in the Diner.

With that in mind I always ask my Dinner-Mates if they mind that I drink.

I've never been asked to refrain, but I do understand why people object.

It has also been a polite ice breakers many times.

FrensicPic said:

I don't recall if its an abbreviated menu.

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As I'll be returning to ABQ on the SWC in May, why would the dinner out of L.A. be abbreviated?

Thank you everyone! I can't tell you how much I apprecaite you help.

One more thing: this doesn't pertain to dinner times in the least, but is the observation car accessible 24 hours a day? This is my first cross-country Amtrak and I am excited beyond belief, and would love to be able to catch the sunrise one day from that car.

Thanks again!

Aaangela said:

Thank you everyone! I can't tell you how much I apprecaite you help.

One more thing: this doesn't pertain to dinner times in the least, but is the observation car accessible 24 hours a day? This is my first cross-country Amtrak and I am excited beyond belief, and would love to be able to catch the sunrise one day from that car.

Thanks again!

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Yup. It's open all night.

Aaangela said:

One more thing: this doesn't pertain to dinner times in the least, but is the observation car accessible 24 hours a day?

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The car itself is, yes. The food service area is open from something like 6:30AM to 11PM or so. But you can be in there at any hour, the car's just going to be unstaffed until morning. If you're thinking to watch the sunrise, you might want to plan ahead if you're the type who gets hungry shortly after waking up. It's always good to keep some snacks available in your room.

You can at least bring coffee from your sleeping car into the lounge car, assuming your sleeping car attendant keeps the coffee maker full overnight.

My experience on the Southwest Chief from Los Angeles to Chicago:

Very shortly after departure from Los Angeles, the Lead Service Attendent came through the Sleeping Cars and then the coaches to take dinner reservations. I had not a problem obtaining the time I wanted, which was a late dining time.

I hope you have a Dining Car Team that was as pleasant, personable, and efficient as I experienced. Of the 3 Amtrak trains on which I rode during my journey, they were the best. And, there was nothing wrong with the others, either.

As to wine, I also enjoy wine. May I recommend that you order a bottle and not a glass? What you do not drink in the Dining Car can be taken with you. I usually went to the Sightseer Lounge Car after dinner and enjoyed finishing my wine while "enjoying the journey", talking with other travelers, or observing others, i.e. people watching. What you do not finish that evening can be taken back to your sleeping accomodation and drunk whenever. Buying a bottle is a much better bargain than buying "by the glass".

As has been stated, the Sightseer Lounge Car is available 24 hours a day, but its service section is not. Often, on all 3 of my Amtrak trips, the times I wanted to go to the Lounge Car for a Happy Hour drink or two prior to dinner was the time when the Attendant was on her/his dinner break. Amtrak lost some revenue from me because of this. Just be aware that this might be an issue for you.

crabby_appleton1950 said:

FrensicPic said:

I don't recall if its an abbreviated menu.

Click to expand...

As I'll be returning to ABQ on the SWC in May, why would the dinner out of L.A. be abbreviated?

Click to expand...

As I said, I don't recall (from my previous two departures from LA on the SWC). Thought it might be a possibility because of the departure time from LAUS (6:15PM), dinner will be running later than it normally would.

You will likely be seated with others. We consider this one of the best parts of the journey as we meet people from all over and always enjoy the conversation. Consider asking your seatmates if they want to share the cost of a bottle of wine. I rarely drink and would not order wine but if someone suggested that especially when they would respond positively about my taking only one glass and offered to pay proportionally and keep the bottle leftovers for back in the room, I'd love to share a drink even though my wife never does. she doesn't mind. She's just a cheap date because she doesn't like the taste.

Enjoy your trip. We'll be headed from the east to ABQ next month.

I have found what is best for me so far as meal times go is to stay on my time,EST vs west coast time.It just seems more normal then.

Even when I am in the west for a few days I prefer to stay on "my time".

Breakfast is 1st come, 1st served.

Lunch usually requires a reservation, as does dinner.

About 9 PM or so some of the coach passengers will start staking out overnight seat/floor space (lounge lizards) so they can sleep in the SSL car (Sightseer Lounge).

About 6 am the OBS/Conductor usually make the lounge lizards forfeit their 'territory' if they want to stay in the SSL.

Because departure from LAX is so late, dinner service is shortened and I think the menu choices also!

Dakota 400 said:

As to wine, I also enjoy wine. May I recommend that you order a bottle and not a glass? What you do not drink in the Dining Car can be taken with you. I usually went to the Sightseer Lounge Car after dinner and enjoyed finishing my wine while "enjoying the journey", talking with other travelers, or observing others, i.e. people watching. What you do not finish that evening can be taken back to your sleeping accomodation and drunk whenever. Buying a bottle is a much better bargain than buying "by the glass".

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Nice to know this additional information about bottle vs. wine by the glass. I'm guessing you can't take your bottle from the first dinner back to the dining car for the second dinner right, just for consumption on your own in your sleeper?

Correct.

Amtrak allows you to consume private stock alcohol you brought with you, in your sleeper berth.

Amtrak sells 1/2 bottles in the dining car - for about $15. A glass of wine is about $6.

Great questions! I'll be on the SWC from Chicago to LA this coming Saturday and returning to Chicago from LA on March 7th, (arriving March 9th in Chicago), so this post is helpful to me too. Thanks!

jfeucht said:

Dakota 400 said:

As to wine, I also enjoy wine. May I recommend that you order a bottle and not a glass? What you do not drink in the Dining Car can be taken with you. I usually went to the Sightseer Lounge Car after dinner and enjoyed finishing my wine while "enjoying the journey", talking with other travelers, or observing others, i.e. people watching. What you do not finish that evening can be taken back to your sleeping accomodation and drunk whenever. Buying a bottle is a much better bargain than buying "by the glass".

Click to expand...

Nice to know this additional information about bottle vs. wine by the glass. I'm guessing you can't take your bottle from the first dinner back to the dining car for the second dinner right, just for consumption on your own in your sleeper?

Click to expand...

I cannot honestly answer your question. Every bottle of wine that I purchased seemed to have a defect: it had a hole in it. Somehow when I left the Sightseer Lounge Car after dinner, I kept having to find where to dispose the now empty bottle.

In order to try to be helpful, I doubt that you would be able to return the same bottle to the Dining Car for a second dinner.

You certainly can buy a bottle the first night and bring it back the second. I've done it many times. One thing I do when I buy it is to specifically ask if I can bring it back tomorrow and the answer has always been yes.

crabby_appleton1950 said:

FrensicPic said:

I don't recall if its an abbreviated menu.

Click to expand...

As I'll be returning to ABQ on the SWC in May, why would the dinner out of L.A. be abbreviated?

Click to expand...

It is abbreviated in the sense that the train departs LA at 6:15, so the first dinner seating is probably one hour later than the usual first seating. And they don't add a 9 pm seating at the back end.