LD Dining Options That Could Work on Amtrak

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Train2104 said:
What does VIA do for food service in coach on the Corridor? A cafe car, or cart service?
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Cart service only; unless you opt for their Business Class which like Amtrak's FC Acela offers at seat meal service and drinks. And their BC offerings are a couple of steps above Acela's FC.
 
AlexandriaVATraveler said:
At $275 a pop for the machinery and $3-4 for a 'premium' coffee drink, the espresso machines would pay for themselves on the first hours in service on Northeast Regional/Acelas. (That's 79 beverages sold to break even.) Get them installed yesterday and start raking in the money on the NEC.
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I agree it would be a good idea to provide specialty coffee drinks on Amtrak. But that 'Nespresso' machine would be inadequate for the purpose...even the 'regular' coffee machine on Amtrak probably costs a thousand or more for its very high grade commercial use....
 
In a perfect world I'd like to see the platform at every smoke and service stop jam packed with hawkers offering all kinds of box lunches. I'd settle for just one at each stop. I may be an anomaly, but meals in the diner simply take too much time and are not really that good. If I order a split of wine it takes an eternity to get the bill. Increasingly I've been packing food along and just staying in my room. I can easily pack along some nice meals for my usual 48 hour trip- on the last leg I didn't even go to the diner for breakfast. As for the time problem (for me) the selection in the cafe is just dire on the long distance trains. San Joaquin is not so bad, but still nothing to write home about. Some kind of expanded cafe car would be nice, but amtrak is building those new dining cars.
 
I visited the old Harvey House in Belen NM several years ago and enjoyed chatting with a woman who used to be one of the Harvey Girls there. Their dining process started with telegraphed information as to when the train would arrive, and they would have all the tables set up. Passengers would de-train, have their meal, then re-board with an allotted time of 1/2 hour. I've sat on sidings for much longer than that, so maybe what's needed is a standard place to park the train during meal time while all the freights go by and the passengers once again enjoy the Harvey House experience. :)
 
VentureForth said:
1. Subcontract to Waffle House

2. And/Or offer 24-hour dining
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Well, they do make a mean plate of fully loaded hashbrowns. I don't recall ever eating any other meal there, but I'm sure that since there are so many of them (and Huddle House's) then they have a business model that works for a 24 hour diner. The other unmentioned benefit of using a restaurant chain with nationwide coverage is that they already have a distribution network in place. If they need restocking due to an unforeseen delay, they may be able to contact a distribution center and plan a meet somewhere ahead during a fueling/crew change/smoke stop.
 
pebbleworm said:
In a perfect world I'd like to see the platform at every smoke and service stop jam packed with hawkers offering all kinds of box lunches. I'd settle for just one at each stop. I may be an anomaly, but meals in the diner simply take too much time and are not really that good. If I order a split of wine it takes an eternity to get the bill. Increasingly I've been packing food along and just staying in my room. I can easily pack along some nice meals for my usual 48 hour trip- on the last leg I didn't even go to the diner for breakfast. As for the time problem (for me) the selection in the cafe is just dire on the long distance trains. San Joaquin is not so bad, but still nothing to write home about. Some kind of expanded cafe car would be nice, but amtrak is building those new dining cars.
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If you paid for a sleeper and don't take the meals you're wasting a ton of money. Even if you do it on points, you're wasting points. Doesn't make sense.
 
AlexandriaVaTraveler said:
1. Can't speak for other meals, but riding in Europe, the included breakfast was a standard European breakfast consisting of breads/spreads and a hot beverage. The cost of running the breakfast must be ridiculously low, because the food was pre-boxed, and the beverage was just served by the cabin attendant. I realize that American tastes require the likes of eggs and meat, but perhaps Amtrak could do its part in lowering the national cholesterol level while also saving money by switching to a lighter breakfast.

1a. However, if you are going to already be having cooking facilities in the form of a restaurant car, I suppose you might as well grab the revenue available from the bacon-and-eggs crowd,

2. I think that restaurant cars are just really tough in terms of the underlying economics, especially on long-running trains. I suppose you could increase the hours of revenue generation by turning the restaurant car into a bar for the post-dinner hours. This would only require that there be liquor, soda and some bar equipment. I was also thinking you could turn the restaurant car into a coffee shop in the post-breakfast hours, but I don't know if you could justify the espresso machine, etc.
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Every country has its own preference for diet. There is nothing wrong with bacon and eggs. It's traditional. If you don't like it, you don't have to eat it. And not every American eats bacon and eggs every day. Not necessary to judge. If people pay for breakfast it should be what they want not what you want them to want. This isn't Europe.
 
railiner said:
AlexandriaVATraveler said:
At $275 a pop for the machinery and $3-4 for a 'premium' coffee drink, the espresso machines would pay for themselves on the first hours in service on Northeast Regional/Acelas. (That's 79 beverages sold to break even.) Get them installed yesterday and start raking in the money on the NEC.
Click to expand...
I agree it would be a good idea to provide specialty coffee drinks on Amtrak. But that 'Nespresso' machine would be inadequate for the purpose...even the 'regular' coffee machine on Amtrak probably costs a thousand or more for its very high grade commercial use....
Click to expand...
It's not so much "specialty" coffee. Depending on what country you go to there are different expectations for coffee. In the US people are used to drip coffee. That is not the case in Europe. There is nothing elitist about it, just different. Amtrak is losing big money because of this cultural ignorance.
 
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