Amtrak's New "Fresh Choices" Dining on CL & LSL

[Devil's Advocate]

Either way I'll be sure to pack some fava beans and a nice Chianti.

 

[cpotisch]

Either way I'll be sure to pack some fava beans and a nice Chianti.

One of the greatest lines of all time. http://mentalfloss.com/uk/movies/27139/the-hidden-meaning-of-the-silence-of-the-lambs-iconic-line

 

[tommylicious]

A day trip-- no problem. Overnight-- unacceptable fail.

Tommy, are you a railfan? Do you also avoid all day steam excursions that serve box meals?

I've been on countless steam excursions that serve box meals including
The Union Pacific Frontier Days Special, one of the classiest and expensive steam excursions in the country, serves 2 meals on board the train, the same number the lake shore limited serves. Breakfast and Dinner. They are both box meals. avoiding that train because of boxed meals would be incredibly foolish!

 

[crescent-zephyr]

Why does overnight make the difference and not the number of meals served?

 

[tommylicious]

A vintage train-- sure. Other elements of the experience are offsets. Amtrak ain't got no offsets but for a proper meal on rails in a dining car. With that gone, all that's left is incredibly high cost along with terrible overall performance/comportment.

Why does overnight make the difference and not the number of meals served?

 

[cpotisch]

Why does overnight make the difference and not the number of meals served?

Because you're stuck on the train for longer. The LSL really should serve three meals, and the closure of the dining car and lounge car at Albany has been a continuing subject of criticism on AU. I don't know how long that excursion is, but I bet it's not 20 hours.

 

[Anderson]

I think both play a role. The food equation isn't "just" the length of trip, it also depends on the circumstances, the meals covered, whether meat is an option, whether there is a hot meal involved, viable travel alternatives, and so on...

Heck, if they offered a solid lox and chive cheese bagel one morning that would go a long way in my book. it is the sum total of a cold dinner and a worthless breakfast that is at issue, with the added frustration of overnight travel meaning that I can't backstop a bad dinner with a trip to a bar/restaurant...I am stuck with whatever is on offer.

 

[jebr]

A vintage train-- sure. Other elements of the experience are offsets. Amtrak ain't got no offsets but for a proper meal on rails in a dining car. With that gone, all that's left is incredibly high cost along with terrible overall performance/comportment.

Why does overnight make the difference and not the number of meals served?

Amtrak also has the offset that you can use it for a transportation need. I'm actually pretty sure that's the most important aspect of Amtrak.

 

[PVD]

I'll let everyone know what I experience.

 

[me_little_me]

I wish you could mix and match a few items like sides and desserts. Since everything is prepackaged it doesn't seem like that would be too much to ask for really.

It also seems odd that the warning about all foods may contain wheat, fish, etc. Is on the menu. If these are fully pre-packaged meals, there should be a certified gluten free meal abailable.

I agree. "Hey, why can't I have the vegan dessert instead of the cheesecake. I hate cheesecake!" "I don't like the dressing on the salad. do you have any other choices?" "Cold beef? Yuck! Can you heat it up or me"?

 

[D.P. Roberts]

I noticed that Amtrak has not released any new menus since 09/17. Is it possible that they're delayed due to these "fresh" new choices? Or is Amtrak going to stick with the same menu it's had for the last 9 months?

 

[Blackwolf]

I noticed that Amtrak has not released any new menus since 09/17. Is it possible that they're delayed due to these "fresh" new choices? Or is Amtrak going to stick with the same menu it's had for the last 9 months?

I'd be willing to bet that "all bets are off" when it comes to menus for the time being.

And I seriously doubt that Amtrak will be releasing any menus to the public from this point forward until they're implemented. Releasing the new food options before implementation for the LSL/CL pretty much blew up in their face as far as the program managers are concerned.

 

[Lonestar648]

with the uproar on the LSL and CL changes, I would expect Amtrak to consider just making the change(s) on other train public hours before implementation.

 

[jis]

Read the RPA Hotline posted on a couple of other threads to get the rundown on what is happening with food service. No deep secret or conspiracy as far as I can tell. But good to keep abreast and call out things that we’d like to see preserved. Big changes are coming.

 

[cpotisch]

Read the RPA Hotline posted on a couple of other threads to get the rundown on what is happening with food service. No deep secret or conspiracy as far as I can tell. But good to keep abreast and call out things that we’d like to see preserved. Big changes are coming.

Good changes?

 

[KmH]

In the RPA Hotline article it was also said food supplier contracts were targeted for re-negotiation and that Mr. Anderson was willing to have Amtrak spend more, not less, money on food service

 

[AmtrakBlue]

In the RPA Hotline article it was also said food supplier contracts were targeted for re-negotiation and that Mr. Anderson was willing to have Amtrak spend more, not less, money on food service

I think it said (didn't go back an read it) that he's willing to spend more on food - not necessarily on food service.

 

[CHvision]

Edit: Remaining Viewliner II's are being delivered

 

[Lonestar648]

So is Anderson saying he will spend more money on the actual food product (improved quality) as long as he can eliminate most F&B labor.

 

[TiBike]

That's one way to read the article, but it doesn't actually quote Anderson or Gardner. The article doesn't have very many quotes at all: no statements, just a few phrases. It reads like it was written by someone who wasn't in the meeting (although that might also be a deliberate style choice).

The paraphrasing might be reasonably accurate, but I wouldn't go too far down the road of picking apart words and sentences.

 

[Thirdrail7]

Not true. They are all a part of the Empire Pool of equipment which includes AM1s and AM2s. How NYSDOT decides to assign their pool is totally up to them. They could make a call tomorrow and decide they want AM2s on the Ethan Allen instead of the Adirondack and Amtrak would say "whatever works" and that would be that.

Not that this matters. Starting next week, you won;t see AM2s on any of the trains and a few sets are losing their split clubs.

So did NYSDOT actually run AM-2s on the Niagara Falls service? I am asking about what is, not what is theoretically possible.

Thanks for the interesting tidbit BTW, about what will happen starting next week!

The AM-2s are gone and here is the relevant portion from an advisory regarding the split clubs:

Business Class Service Suspended

Trains 63, 64, 238, 245 and 261 will not offer Business Class service from May 26 through September 3. Business Class will resume on Train 64, September 5

 

[jis]

So at least LSL still retains Business Class?

 

[Just-Thinking-51]

I definitely am not a fan of what they're doing with the coach passengers when it comes to the lounge. Once this sleeper lounge is added to the train, the diner lite/lounge will be removed from the train. The coach passengers will have to join the business class passengers in the split/club lounge. That's not a lot of room. I was hoping the diner lite/cafe car would remain.

Yes the LSL is keeping Business Class it seems.

 

[neroden]

The diner service as it's been set up is quite labor intensive, and I don't really see wait-staff service as desirable enough to want to pay extra for it. I really don't think R. Anderson finds that aspect of the service as worthy of federal subsidy, especially since the law is still on the books that F&B has to "break even" by 2020 (I think.) If it's workable, I could see myself willing to pay extra (or finding the extra cost justifiable) for a chef on board if the service attendant for that car could handle the ordering process from a counter, calling order names/numbers, and either the chef or the service attendant prepping side items. Other than that, my main feedback is that there needs to be hot options (which I hope are added quickly; hopefully as soon as the staff are comfortable with the new process of meal service) and more options for breakfast (seriously, hard boiled eggs should be added to the current tray, perhaps being subbed in for one of the breakfast bars, and a hot breakfast sandwich with side option added as well.)

Add hard boiled eggs and I'd be set. As it is, I'm trying to carry hard boiled eggs in my own cooler, which is problematic since they won't stay cold for two days so I have to rush out and buy them in Chicago whenever I head east. Ugh.

My fiancee can't eat dairy. Most bread has milk in it. Unless there are clear ingredients lists on all the breads and one of them has no milk, that means the "Fresh Choices" is more like "No Choices" for her, for breakfast.

I can't currently eat significant amounts of sugar (meaning, the yogurt is out) or starch (meaning, the bread is out), so again the "Fresh Choices" means "No Choices" for me.

Hard-boiled eggs would solve the problem for both of us.

 

[neroden]

In following this thread on and off, and in particular, the last few days, got me wondering...What is Andersons' plan with this cold-meals for sleeper passengers?

While it seems to be obvious that he's looking to get rid of all the LD trains, starting with the 'most costly' routes (SWC more expensive per passenger than the Cardinal or Sunset? That's a new one on me!) by eliminating agents and hot food, perhaps he has a more 'not so obvious' plan. It just hit me in the past 5 minutes or so that he really wants to show the significant drop in ridership on the LSL and CL as a result of the food service cuts.

Maybe 4-5 months from now he'll tell congress that what would normally be sold-out-all-summer trains are now running at 60% or so, because of the food cuts that congress requires Amtrak to implement in the next year or so. Perhaps he's just as upset about cutting costs deeper than the bone as we are.

But then, 60% plus/minus occupied seat (and/or bed) miles would be a good justification to cut the train altogether. And after the LSL & CL are gone, take on the Silver Meteor and the Crescent, etc, until they're all gone. Throw in his 'no PTC, no Amtrak trains' routine, he will have a 'double-whammy' means of shedding the LD routes... One can only wait and see and contact our representatives in Washington.

Yeah, given that we have proof that Anderson has Amtrak publishing flat-out lies in order to falsely claim that certain LD trains cost more money than they actually do, I would tend to believe that the ridership-diminishing actions he's taking are a deliberate "Penn Central" attempt to destroy ridership on the most profitable of the long-distance trains. I don't know whether it's coming from him personally or from some Svengali whispering in his ear -- he's sufficiently ignorant about railroading that it could be someone else misleading him -- but it probably doesn't matter much. A full-court press to fight anything stupid Anderson does is necessary.

That said, I do think he's serious about the safety thing. I have just as much contempt as he does for the freight railroads' attitude of "so we smash up a train every year, whatever".

If he wasn't lying, I'd be more inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt, but the lies are a sign that his actions are malicious.