Ryan
Court Jester
There still isn't any magic there. There's no reason that Amtrak management couldn't do this on their own.At least in Maine, public and private mix very well.NNEPRA monitors the financial performance of the Downeaster Café very closely. In addition to receiving daily reports regarding sales, the monthly P&L statement provided by Epicurean [the food service contractor] details every transaction made for the Downeaster Café. We track labor cost, food purchases, spoilage, Business Class comps and many other line items. On a quarterly basis, we meet formally with Epicurean management to review operations, menus, and financial performance and have even established an incentive program if the financial and service goals of the Café are met.
While it would not work for all, the Downeaster Café model is one which I think other states could consider, particularly in light of the pending implementation of PRIIA 209 [the federal law that requires states to cover all the costs of state-supported service]. It is an opportunity for states to have input or even take responsibility for an element of the passenger rail business which has both financial and service related impacts.
NNEPRA considers the Downeaster Café to be a critical component of the Downeaster service and a success story. CSI [customer service index] scores for the Downeaster are consistently higher than the Amtrak overall average in categories of food quality, café personnel, and overall café experience. In FY12, Downeaster passengers rated their overall café experience 5% higher than other Amtrak services. I believe this is directly related to NNEPRA’s involvement in the service, Epicurean’s dedication to helping us achieve our goals, and Amtrak’s ongoing partnership and support. Together, we constantly strive to find ways to increase revenues, reduce expenses, and improve customer service. It’s our standard of excellence.
Public/Private is a distraction. The distinction of importance is between organizations that do their job well and organizations that do their jobs poorly, and there are government and private concerns that fall into both categories.