Texas Eagle Dining Car welcomes Dumber & dumber

[Meat Puppet]

First off I would like to say all my previous TE dining car experiences have been fine. Well Monday May 13 & 14th changed that on my

way from CHI to SAT. 2 younger girls I have never seen before working the diner. Hardy anyone on the train yet everyone is packed into the 6 booths at the far end.

2 people are eating halfway through their meal and then a new party is seated with them. I never saw that before.

Bread plates no where to be found for the basket of bread.

Dining receipts dropped onto our tables to fill out without any pens....who brings a pen to dinner.

Drink orders not taken first drink will come with order.. Dumber #2 comes to each table, without explaining what the specials are and says what do you want to order .

after lengthy wait drink, salad and entree all come together.

While orders are being prepared dumber #1 and dumber #2 sit in far away booth and compare facebook pictures on each others phones

Dumber #1 annouces accross dining room pa that although tips are not necessary they are customary in the us and very appreciated.

I have some of this recorded to ipad I will try and post some of it.

Dessert not even offered, only when passengers asked about it.

 

[OBS]

First off I would like to say all my previous TE dining car experiences have been fine. Well Monday May 13 & 14th changed that on myway from CHI to SAT. 2 younger girls I have never seen before working the diner. Hardy anyone on the train yet everyone is packed into the 6 booths at the far end.

2 people are eating halfway through their meal and then a new party is seated with them. I never saw that before.

Bread plates no where to be found for the basket of bread.

Dining receipts dropped onto our tables to fill out without any pens....who brings a pen to dinner.

Drink orders not taken first drink will come with order.. Dumber #2 comes to each table, without explaining what the specials are and says what do you want to order .

after lengthy wait drink, salad and entree all come together.

While orders are being prepared dumber #1 and dumber #2 sit in far away booth and compare facebook pictures on each others phones

Dumber #1 annouces accross dining room pa that although tips are not necessary they are customary in the us and very appreciated.

I have some of this recorded to ipad I will try and post some of it.

Dessert not even offered, only when passengers asked about it.

Even better, if you have it recorded, post to Amtrak's facebook page! Then you might get some results...

 

[SouthernServesTheSouth]

Sound like McDonald's "U" dropouts have taken over the diner franchise.

 

[Railroad Bill]

It will be difficult to believe that these two will still have a job when this gets to Amtrak management. :help:

And if they do, then there needs to be a change in Amtrak management

 

[Bob Dylan]

:angry: I haven't run into this Dynamic Duo yet but we already have Miss Polly and her cohorts with their "Chicago Attitude" on the Eagle so hopefully these two Easy Riders are on the Extra Board and will get So Many Complaints that they will be Re-Trained (pun intended :giggle: )or De-Trained! Please Do Post your Video so we know what these Zeros look like and also let Amtrak in on it as was said so they'll not be able to continue this Crappy Service! :help:

 

[Notelvis]

My last two dining experiences on the Crescent north out of Atlanta have been less than stellar....... not rude by any means, just erratic....... but nothing like what you describe. Sounds like the TE got the losing extra board lottery ticket on your run.

 

[TinCan782]

Dumber #1 annouces accross dining room pa that although tips are not necessary they are customary in the us and very appreciated.

I hope that earned them ZERO tips!

 

[MiRider]

So we have a thread where we hear about a Conductor dressing down the cafe LSA for not using cardboard carriers but this kind of cr@p is allowed to happen for even 5 minutes?

If I ever run across this sort of thing, I'll be Tweeting @amtrak and posting to their FB page live and following up with a call as soon as I'm back in my room.

Amtrak also needs to update their employee handbook re: phone use - ie - NO personal phones or use unless you're off duty.

 

[Texan Eagle]

Amtrak also needs to update their employee handbook re: phone use - ie - NO personal phones or use unless you're off duty.

This. Yes please. Recently whenever I have taken western LD trains, at every single meal at least one (or more) Dining Car staff was sitting at an empty booth fiddling with their phones while people are still dining.

Also, almost always I see some Dining Car staff eating while customers are still having their meals. I don't know how their schedule works, but I thought it would be common courtesy to be "on duty" while there are customers that still need to be served, before grabbing a meal for self.

 

[TVRM610]

Yes please report to Amtrak every way possible.

Announcing about tips is so tacky.

And the drinks, bread, and salad coming out at once? That's absolutely ridiculous.

 

[railiner]

Sound like McDonald's "U" dropouts have taken over the diner franchise.

I doubt that a McD's would tolerate this kind of performance...most of the ones I have been to were very well managed.

 

[AlanB]

Amtrak also needs to update their employee handbook re: phone use - ie - NO personal phones or use unless you're off duty.

Amtrak already has such a policy. I know of a FC LSA working the Acela's who is currently fighting to keep her job simply because a passenger complaining about an entirely different matter, decided to film everything in the FC car from that point on. He inadvertently caught her showing a quick video on her phone to a conductor who had asked her about a serious, and at that time ongoing story in the news.

So even though she wasn't the target of this disgruntled passenger, she unwittingly became a target when the video was sent to Amtrak. And she is a good FC attendant, it would be a shame for Amtrak to lose her or demote her. So to Meat Puppet, just be careful to review your video first and make sure that it only shows those two employees.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

Sound like McDonald's "U" dropouts have taken over the diner franchise.

I doubt that a McD's would tolerate this kind of performance...most of the ones I have been to were very well managed.

I don't know about that as more often than not I see McDonald's employees in uniform bluthering on a cell phone or beating on a texting machine. Even if they are on break, if they are in public eye they shouldn't have one of those in their possession.

 

[BCL]

Sound like McDonald's "U" dropouts have taken over the diner franchise.

I doubt that a McD's would tolerate this kind of performance...most of the ones I have been to were very well managed.

I don't know about that as more often than not I see McDonald's employees in uniform bluthering on a cell phone or beating on a texting machine. Even if they are on break, if they are in public eye they shouldn't have one of those in their possession.

The only time I've seen that was at a KFC in Lehi, Utah. It was also one of the few places we could find that was open on a Sunday in that part of Utah. I guess not that many people work on a Sunday there, and this kid was the best they could do.

 

[NW cannonball]

Yeah, most people get annoyed when a supposedly service person is obviously not doing their job, or not even aware that there's a customer there. Walk away, complain to management if you can find such. Luckily, it's not that difficult to contact Amtrak about such problems.

The KFC in Lehi either has gone broke already, or serves only locals . (Been to a few places like that where outsiders don't get served, some in Miami)

If such problem on Amtrak -- complain, complain, get others to corroborate.

 

[BCL]

Yeah, most people get annoyed when a supposedly service person is obviously not doing their job, or not even aware that there's a customer there. Walk away, complain to management if you can find such. Luckily, it's not that difficult to contact Amtrak about such problems.The KFC in Lehi either has gone broke already, or serves only locals . (Been to a few places like that where outsiders don't get served, some in Miami)

If such problem on Amtrak -- complain, complain, get others to corroborate.

No - when we were in that KFC the employee definitely saw us there and might have even said something about it to the other end. However, what exactly were we going to do? Most of the town was closed except for this and another restaurant that was just way too expensive. There was no other front service staff. I didn't even get the feeling that we were being ignored in particular, but that this young woman was simply a slacker who didn't care and probably had no worries about being fired. How many people in Mormon Country are going to be working on a Sunday? I remember checking out those road signs with logos of gas stations, restaurants, and hotels, where the large majority of the restaurant logos were subtitled "CLOSED SUNDAY". It's like every restaurant in town was a Chick-Fil-A.

I remember at that location they had a display making a big deal that Lehi was the site of the Lehi Roller Mills, which was (and still is) a big supplier for Kentucky Fried Chicken.

 

[Steve4031]

These two deserve to be embarrassed on Facebook. I hope they are not on there when I ride 421 this summer.

 

[Guest]

My last two dining experiences on the Crescent north out of Atlanta have been less than stellar....... not rude by any means, just erratic....... but nothing like what you describe. Sounds like the TE got the losing extra board lottery ticket on your run.

I have never recieved what I would call good service in the Crescent dining car. Yeah, not rude, but it is annoying that in a small of a space as a dining car that I have to wave someone down and ask them to for another drink.

 

[Notelvis]

My last two dining experiences on the Crescent north out of Atlanta have been less than stellar....... not rude by any means, just erratic....... but nothing like what you describe. Sounds like the TE got the losing extra board lottery ticket on your run.

I have never recieved what I would call good service in the Crescent dining car. Yeah, not rude, but it is annoying that in a small of a space as a dining car that I have to wave someone down and ask them to for another drink.

I can see this happening. My experiences on that train have been more along the lines of inability to get every component of every meal to everyone at the table every time. You know, one person doesn't get bread the first time around and the bread finally shows up with the main course which doesn't come for another 30 minutes.......

 

[Cho Cho Charlie]

I don't know about that as more often than not I see McDonald's employees in uniform bluthering on a cell phone or beating on a texting machine. Even if they are on break, if they are in public eye they shouldn't have one of those in their possession.

I have to say, that "bad" behavior is typical at all my local McDonald's. Just last Saturday, there was 11 employees behind the counter, and not one dealing with all the people, both in the restaurant and those in the drive thru line, who have orders placed, but those orders were not being filled. I had to wait 20 minutes after I placed my order, for them to hand me our meals. I would have walked out, other than I had already paid (which I assume is the reason McD's has you pay first).

 

[Shortline]

Well, we'll see how they do. Boarding the TE at FTW for CHI, too late for lunch (probably hit the subway in the station I guess) but will certainly have dinner and breakfast. Will advise.

 

[OlympianHiawatha]

Well, we'll see how they do. Boarding the TE at FTW for CHI, too late for lunch (probably hit the subway in the station I guess) but will certainly have dinner and breakfast. Will advise.

You should also get Express Menu Lunch as well the next day.

 

[Shortline]

I skip the lunch, in my experience, they usually serve one seating, starting at around 10 AM into Chicago. Way too early for me, if I eat breakfast. I only can eat one or the other, but not both that close together!

 

[Bob Dylan]

Well, we'll see how they do. Boarding the TE at FTW for CHI, too late for lunch (probably hit the subway in the station I guess) but will certainly have dinner and breakfast. Will advise.

Check over by the Convention Center by the Station to see if the Hot Dog Guy is there, Good Dogs and Sausage! And he even has Ice Cold Cokes instead of Pepsi!

 

[Shortline]

Not on Sundays I'm afraid. My son likes Dubway, it worked out. Can also state, that the TE diner ran like a top tonight at dinner. Boy had steak, I had ribs, both were quick, and not bad at all. No Polly, or other ridiculousness.