Iskra
Established Member
Some interesting low level changes to Amtrak's dining arrangements have been made, possibly indicating the future direction of travel on Amtrak services.
Thought this would be of interest as everyone loves a proper meal in a dining car ...but apparently not. Is this progress? I can see how it would be cheaper to operate and it is obviously better than no train at all if it makes the service nonviable, but is it undermining the sleeper experience too much? Microwaved meals seem to work on Caledonian sleeper and on SJ.
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/amtrak-revamps-dining
Thought this would be of interest as everyone loves a proper meal in a dining car ...but apparently not. Is this progress? I can see how it would be cheaper to operate and it is obviously better than no train at all if it makes the service nonviable, but is it undermining the sleeper experience too much? Microwaved meals seem to work on Caledonian sleeper and on SJ.
https://www.lonelyplanet.com/articles/amtrak-revamps-dining
Amtrak revamps its dining service to appeal to millennials
Amtrak passengers on several sleeper routes will no longer travel to the dining car for a sit-down meal as the rail company announced it is doing away with the decades-old tradition of white-tablecloth service. Passengers will instead choose from a menu of pre-packaged meals that can be delivered to their carriage as complementary room service. Or, they can choose to take their meals to a new version of the dining car that still has booths but no tablecloth service.
As the old-timey tradition disappears, so do old-school menu items like steak and French toast. Passengers can instead order pre-packaged items when booking train tickets online like Asian noodle bowls or red-wine braised beef for dinner, Creole shrimp and Andouille sausage for lunch, plus a continental buffet for breakfast. Wine, beer and spirits are also on the menu, with the first drink on the house and unlimited soft drinks available.
New dining options Amtrak will be serving aboard their updated train service include Creole Shrimp and Andouille sausage. Image by Evelyn Hockstein/For The Washington Post via Getty Images
The revamped dining service is part of Amtrak's push to appeal to millennial riders, who, company officials believe, prefer to eat in privacy rather than in communal spaces.
"Some people really like [the dining car] and view it as sort of a nostalgic train experience,” Peter Wilander, Amtrak’s vice president of product development and customer experience, told the Washington Post. "Some people, especially our new millennial customers, don’t like it so much. They want more privacy, they don’t want to feel uncomfortable sitting next to people."
The dining car will no longer be available on some East Coast routes from 1 October. Image by Jeffrey Greenberg/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
The change goes into effect on the Cardinal (New York to Chicago), City of New Orleans (Chicago to New Orleans), Crescent (New York to New Orleans), and Silver Meteor (New York to Miami). The revamped dining service will also be available on the Silver Star (another New York to Miami service) next year.
Along with flexible dining services, Amtrak is also upgrading East Coast trains with new seat cushions, curtains and LED reading lights. The company has also replaced carpets and introduced mats that can be refreshed throughout the journey and will upgrade bedding, towels and linens for sleeping cars, beginning with the Auto Train (Virginia to Florida).