New "just for you" dining option for coach on the Eagle

[Shortline]

Am on 21 between Chicago and STL, and they just announced something new for the train, called Just for You Dining. At seat dining for coach. Had a one page menu in the coach seat back pockets, with Chicken Sliders at lunch with chips, pickle spear, cookie and bottle of water for $10 and for dinner, Red Beans and Rice, cornbread, cookie, and bottle of water for $12 served at your seat.

Prices didn't seem too bad, guess it's a good idea to try for the coach pax especially on this train with only the half diner CCC.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

The Coast Starlight was the 1st train to offer at seat meals to coach passengers, I believe.

https://www.amtrak.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=am/AM_Snippet_C/IBRoutes&Route=Coast%20Starlight

 

[neroden]

If they had *ingredients lists* for that stuff, I and my fiancee would go for it. With allergies we have to know what's in the food first.

I would strongly prefer if there were some greens there too -- some of us like balanced meals, eh? (Collard greens maybe?)

 

[Philly Amtrak Fan]

I saw something similar on the SWC last August. I think the meals were a breakfast sandwich, a BLT, and salisbury steak. I was interested but believe I was in the lounge car when they asked the passengers in the coach seats.

Could this be possible on the Silver Star?

 

[tricia]

This was offered on both the Coast Starlight and the SWC when we traveled on them earlier this month. I didn't try it myself, since we were in sleeping car. On both trains, these meals (lunch and dinner only) were heavily promoted by announcements, and there seemed to be a good many who ordered them. They were prepared in the dining car's kitchen, placed in covered paperboard serving trays, and delivered by I think the coach car attendant.

Seemed to me like a way of squeezing more value out of the dining car kitchen.

 

[neroden]

Add a fresh salad option and you're getting even more out of the kitchen. (How long does it take to prepare a salad? Not long.)

Anyway, this seems like an *extremely* good idea if the dining car usage is limited by seating rather than by how fast the chef can work. The key thing for railroads, economically, is *economies of scale* -- serve as many people out of that one kitchen as you can, and the dining car becomes more and more effective.

I suppose they didn't do this for breakfast because so many people skip breakfast that the dining car never fills up for breakfast, but it would be perfectly sensible for breakfast too, if the dining car was filling up there.

Also, some people are antisocial and prefer their meal at their seat anyway, and why not accomodate them?

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

Red Beans and Rice! YUM! Put that on the Main Menu (I'll have to bring a good Onion)!

 

[Cina]

This is true. Not sure how much refrigerator space there is in the diner, but pre-prepared salads with a lid all stacked up and ready to go out to coach passengers with a dressing packet, sold at exorbitant Amtrak prices, seems doable.

 

[jebr]

Add a fresh salad option and you're getting even more out of the kitchen. (How long does it take to prepare a salad? Not long.)

Anyway, this seems like an *extremely* good idea if the dining car usage is limited by seating rather than by how fast the chef can work. The key thing for railroads, economically, is *economies of scale* -- serve as many people out of that one kitchen as you can, and the dining car becomes more and more effective.

I suppose they didn't do this for breakfast because so many people skip breakfast that the dining car never fills up for breakfast, but it would be perfectly sensible for breakfast too, if the dining car was filling up there.

Also, some people are antisocial and prefer their meal at their seat anyway, and why not accomodate them?

It's also a creative way to lower the price of meals from the diner for coach passengers without cannibalizing the revenue from the sleepers. Since they're not available for sleeper passengers, Amtrak still gets the full revenue from a sleeper car meal while being able to gain revenue from the coach passengers ($12 for supper, while still a bit steep, is much more palatable than a $16 half chicken or $25 steak with a $3 salad and a $2.25 pop or water.)

 

[keelhauled]

Personally I think this is the best idea Amtrak has had in a long time. Hopefully it becomes system wide, I would definitely utilize it. I also think it's interesting that the Texas Eagle has different items--Salisbury steak showed up as a dinner special on last fall's diner menus, and a BLT can be arranged from what they have on board, since various sourdough sandwiches also showed up on the menu last year. But chicken sliders and beans and rice are completely new. Wonder if they're trialling them for the spring diner menu change.

 

[neroden]

Of course, as it is, I can't eat this or any other food out of the diner because it is all made out of Mystery Ingredients Which Fell Off the Back Of A Truck. According to Amtrak. (I don't consider this reasonable, so I rant about it occasionally.)

 

[Train2104]

The F&B article in the March issues of Trains mentions a trial of this service on the LSL, with the $12 salisbury steaks and $8 reuben sliders. The latter sold out.

I wonder if they're trying these on non-Starlight routes daily, or just for a really short trials (hence it not being mentioned on the website or in the timetables for any other route).

 

[Devil's Advocate]

I was interested but believe I was in the lounge car when they asked the passengers in the coach seats.

These sound like some rather silly and arbitrary limitations. Its called "Just for You" but you're expected to order from a specific location at specific moment so you can eat at the same time as everyone else?

Could this be possible on the Silver Star?

I suppose they could serve drinks and snack boxes with reheated frozen burgers and pizza but without a kitchen it's hard to imagine much more than that.

On both trains, these meals (lunch and dinner only) were heavily promoted by announcements...

Just what Amtrak needs, more chatter over the already overused and abused public address system.

Add a fresh salad option and you're getting even more out of the kitchen. How long does it take to prepare a salad?

Preparing a salad is quick. Convincing Amtrak brass that meals made with fresh ingredients are desirable with today's travelers looks like it could take a day past forever. Then again maybe the brass is right and most of the people who ride Amtrak hate the idea of eating anything fresh or nutritious?

Some people are antisocial and prefer their meal at their seat anyway, and why not accomodate them?

In my experience antisocial people simply go to the diner anyway and focus exclusively on interacting with some sort of electronic gadget while ignoring everyone around them. I'm not sure if it's hilarious or just sad.

 

[Palmetto]

When I read "sliders", I think of White Castle burgers. I can't imagine a reuben slider!

 

[AmtrakBlue]

When I read "sliders", I think of White Castle burgers. I can't imagine a reuben slider!

Google it (reuben slider). Lot's of pictures. I think of sliders just being mini versions of the sandwich, be it hamburger, reuben, crab cake...

 

[andersone]

My god and attempt at positive improvement !! BRAVO

 

[MikefromCrete]

When I read "sliders", I think of White Castle burgers. I can't imagine a reuben slider!

"Sliders" has become a generic term for small sandwiches on buns. White Castle actually calls its sandwiches "Slyders," since they can trademark that spelling, much like the SciFi TV channel that became SyFy.

 

[Palmetto]

Amtrak seems not to mention this service on their website, except for a statement on the Coast Starlight page.

 

[KmH]

The Coast Starlight was the 1st train to offer at seat meals to coach passengers, I believe.

https://www.amtrak.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=am/AM_Snippet_C/IBRoutes&Route=Coast%20Starlight

If requested by a coach passenger, the TA-C job description has long included getting and delivering dining car meals to a coach passenger's seat.

The last time I was on the CZ, last May, my TA-C was asking everyone if she could get them stuff from both the lounge and the dining car.

 

[AmtrakBlue]

The Coast Starlight was the 1st train to offer at seat meals to coach passengers, I believe.

https://www.amtrak.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=am/AM_Snippet_C/IBRoutes&Route=Coast%20Starlight

If requested by a coach passenger, the TA-C job description has long included getting and delivering dining car meals to a coach passenger's seat.

The last time I was on the CZ, last May, my TA-C was asking everyone if she could get them stuff from both the lounge and the dining car.

I meant the new menu for coach that was being talked about.

 

[Devil's Advocate]

If requested by a coach passenger, the TA-C job description has long included getting and delivering dining car meals to a coach passenger's seat. The last time I was on the CZ, last May, my TA-C was asking everyone if she could get them stuff from both the lounge and the dining car.

After decades of routine Amtrak travel I never once saw or heard a coach attendant offer any sort at-seat food or beverage service. If Amtrak is serious about moving past the era of do-nothing coach attendants then I fully support such a move and I hope it becomes a successful endeavor.

 

[Palmetto]

This whole thing reminds me that "snacks" are coming back in coach on the likes of United Airlines. Whoopee! A waffle. Perhaps Amtrak is trying to compete for coach passengers with the airlines! Not.

 

[MikefromCrete]

Personally I think this is the best idea Amtrak has had in a long time. Hopefully it becomes system wide, I would definitely utilize it. I also think it's interesting that the Texas Eagle has different items--Salisbury steak showed up as a dinner special on last fall's diner menus, and a BLT can be arranged from what they have on board, since various sourdough sandwiches also showed up on the menu last year. But chicken sliders and beans and rice are completely new. Wonder if they're trialling them for the spring diner menu change.

This seems to be an actual good idea. Selling more meals to coach passengers brings in more revenue, lowering losses in the dining car. How did this real good idea get implemented? Actually adding value rather than cut, cut, cut. I hope this idea is spread to all long distance trains.