So for that lousy salad they are charging $3. What a ripoff. Thats is just bag o salad which the chef prolly digs out with his hands and thows 2 cherry tomatoes on and some cuex. I always wonder if they wear gloves down in the kitchen. So, $26 for the steak, $3 for the salad/dressing, $2 for tea or Pepsi. $31 for that meal.
Why have the Dining Car anyway? Those meals are way of of touch for most coach passengers and students. I small talked to a guy heading back to college once and all he had was a bag of trail mix for 2 days. He called it the breakfast of champions. Honest, if they nickel and dime the public much more, I would really favor an enhanced snack car instead of cheap lettuce and lousy desserts. Someone up top mentioned the chocolate bundt cake being wonderful. I am sorry, but mine was like chocolate saw dust.
If they start making fresh lettuce salad greens and keep it fresh, I would go for 3 bucks. In its present form out of the bag, they can keep it. The cost of lettuce is negligable, cherry tomatoes, 2 cuex slices, maybe .25 cents in leafy green stuff. Paul Newman dressing pouches on Amazon.com are 10 pkts for $5.70 or .57 cents each, Amtrak prolly pays . 20 cents each or less. So, if there is .50 cents cost tied up in that salad, thats a $2.50 cent markup for Amtrak. No one will pay 3 bucks for it except sleepers and so far its free still, maybe? We can not get immigration reform passed and the Republicans want to shut down the government again, but they can charge 3 bucks for a lousy bowl of lettuce on Amtrak.