# amtrak ending its dining car service ...for airplane food **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [September 22, 2019, 6:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amtrak-ending-its-dining-car-service-for-airplane-food/840641 "2019-09-22T06:48:41Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 10:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amtrak-ending-its-dining-car-service-for-airplane-food/840641/21 "2019-09-23T10:45:21Z")
**[Moderating]** > [@terentii](#): > > **YOU SUCK, COCHRANE!** :mad: I’m not sure what brought this on. I could, in fairness, give you a Warning for personal insults here, but I’m going to charitably assume that this is a reference to something, and so let you go with only a very sternly written note. Remember, even if something is a reference, you can’t assume everyone will get it. ---
**Author:** ![Smid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/838e76/32.png) [@Smid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Smid)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 12:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amtrak-ending-its-dining-car-service-for-airplane-food/840641/22 "2019-09-23T12:16:32Z")
It saddens me, the few times we’ve been on the Amtrak, it has been good value for money with the roomette. I think it was 2 x$55 for coach from LA to San Francisco, and about $100 more for a roomette, which came with about $80 of free meals. So your own little compartment for $20? Ideal. I do find it incredibly strange that some people can’t suffer other people for a meal. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Feldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lord_feldon/32/341_2.png) [@Lord\_Feldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Feldon)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 12:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amtrak-ending-its-dining-car-service-for-airplane-food/840641/23 "2019-09-23T12:35:57Z")
Everybody has their own preferences, etc., but I guess I’m one of those millennials who finds the whole service model a little weird. The dining car seems to be primarily oriented toward serving the customers who paid extra to have private space, yet one of the “features” the railroad advertises is “a unique opportunity to dine and socialize with a fellow rider.” That seems like a mismatch to me, but I’m not really in the target market for days-long train rides either, so I guess it doesn’t matter either way. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amtrak-ending-its-dining-car-service-for-airplane-food/840641/24 "2019-09-23T14:03:38Z")
> [@ASL\_v2.0](#): > > But it would be the epitome of foolishness for Amtrak to try and court my ridership again. I am so pissed off at how they handled what ended up being a 15+ hour delay (I stopped checking for updates when I caught on to their \*game) that I will never ride them again. The prices aren’t competitive, and the schedules are crap. > > Anyway, with this delay I canceled my ticket, got the fare refunded (though only after getting hung up on by a very rude customer service agent, after my second time waiting for over half an hour on hold—they were probably a Gen Xer), and then used the money to rent a car and drive from Fort Worth to Norfolk. Did it almost nonstop, 8AM to 6AM, and still beat what would have been my connecting train from Chicago (which DID leave on time the same day I left Forth Worth). As a Gen Xer, my experience and resolution was about the same. Lansing to Chicago in order to catch a plane. Ended up having to drive myself. Fuck Amtrak, and everyone who defends their stupid government subsidies. ---
**Author:** ![puzzlegal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/puzzlegal/32/3827_2.png) [@puzzlegal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/puzzlegal)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amtrak-ending-its-dining-car-service-for-airplane-food/840641/25 "2019-09-23T14:13:39Z")
> [@Lord\_Feldon](#): > > Everybody has their own preferences, etc., but I guess I’m one of those millennials who finds the whole service model a little weird. The dining car seems to be primarily oriented toward serving the customers who paid extra to have private space, yet one of the “features” the railroad advertises is “a unique opportunity to dine and socialize with a fellow rider.” That seems like a mismatch to me, but I’m not really in the target market for days-long train rides either, so I guess it doesn’t matter either way. It doesn’t feel like a mismatch to me. If you have privacy most of the day, it’s nice to have a little company around meal time. Best of both worlds. ---
**Author:** ![carnivorousplant](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/carnivorousplant/32/3563_2.png) [@carnivorousplant](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/carnivorousplant)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 3:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amtrak-ending-its-dining-car-service-for-airplane-food/840641/26 "2019-09-23T15:03:24Z")
> [@asahi](#): > > I rarely ride trains so I don’t even know if this would work, but could Amtrak just rent out a car to a company like Starbucks and McDonald’s (or something better)? That would be a great solution to bad food. The LR zoo has a crummy restaurant in a huge building. Leasing the building and equipment to a quality restaurant company would be great. ---
**Author:** ![FollowMeDown](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/6a8cbe/32.png) [@FollowMeDown](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FollowMeDown)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amtrak-ending-its-dining-car-service-for-airplane-food/840641/27 "2019-09-23T15:19:05Z")
> [@Balthisar](#): > > As a Gen Xer, my experience and resolution was about the same. Lansing to Chicago in order to catch a plane. Ended up having to drive myself. Fuck Amtrak, and everyone who defends their stupid government subsidies. Isn’t every mode of transportation subsidized? It’s probably not a coincidence that Amtraks CEO is a former Delta CEO. My thinking is that he wants to run a railroad like an airline. When he first showed up there was talk of pulling out all the roomy seats and cramming in a bunch of airline type seating to fit more people. That got quashed thankfully. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amtrak-ending-its-dining-car-service-for-airplane-food/840641/28 "2019-09-23T15:51:32Z")
From the article: > [@](#): > > For now, the changes are only on Amtrak’s one-night routes on the East Coast. So at least the multi-day cross-country routes will still have dining cars for now. I think it makes economic sense. A dining car is a whole car that doesn’t seat any fare-paying passengers. (That is, it’s used by people who already have seats elsewhere on the train.) Also, if you have 8 fully-occupied passenger cars + 1 dining car, only about 1/8 of passengers can eat in the dining car at the same time. Which means passengers are assigned time slots to eat there. That can be annoying, even when you have nowhere else to go. I’ve been on a cross-country Amtrak train and on those, I welcomed the chance to go and eat somewhere else. But for overnight trains, I’d be OK with airline style food, as long as it’s hot food. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amtrak-ending-its-dining-car-service-for-airplane-food/840641/29 "2019-09-23T16:17:12Z")
> [@Chronos](#): > > **[Moderating]** > > I’m not sure what brought this on. I could, in fairness, give you a Warning for personal insults here, but I’m going to charitably assume that this is a reference to something, and so let you go with only a very sternly written note. > > Remember, even if something is a reference, you can’t assume everyone will get it. It was meant as a humorous _ **Seinfeld** _-type heckle (in response to a _ **Seinfeld** _-type routine). I assure you, absolutely no offense was intended. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 4:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amtrak-ending-its-dining-car-service-for-airplane-food/840641/30 "2019-09-23T16:25:40Z")
> [@scr4](#): > > From the article: > > So at least the multi-day cross-country routes will still have dining cars for now. > > I think it makes economic sense. A dining car is a whole car that doesn’t seat any fare-paying passengers. (That is, it’s used by people who already have seats elsewhere on the train.) > > Also, if you have 8 fully-occupied passenger cars + 1 dining car, only about 1/8 of passengers can eat in the dining car at the same time. Which means passengers are assigned time slots to eat there. That can be annoying, even when you have nowhere else to go. > > I’ve been on a cross-country Amtrak train and on those, I welcomed the chance to go and eat somewhere else. But for overnight trains, I’d be OK with airline style food, as long as it’s hot food. how did you arrange the trip? I’ve been kicking around the idea of banking vacation days in a year or two and doing a long distance train trip, but trying to plan anything using Amtrak’s site is a complete exercise in frustration. ---
**Author:** ![scr4](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/59ef9b/32.png) [@scr4](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/scr4)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 4:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amtrak-ending-its-dining-car-service-for-airplane-food/840641/31 "2019-09-23T16:28:35Z")
> [@jz78817](#): > > how did you arrange the trip? I’ve been kicking around the idea of banking vacation days in a year or two and doing a long distance train trip, but trying to plan anything using Amtrak’s site is a complete exercise in frustration. Sorry, my trip was a long time ago, before the days of online reservations. ---
**Author:** ![JohnGalt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/johngalt/32/184_2.png) [@JohnGalt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JohnGalt)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amtrak-ending-its-dining-car-service-for-airplane-food/840641/32 "2019-09-23T16:30:29Z")
On the Empire Builder in July, we were just going from Chicago to Winona Minnesota to introduce train travel to our granddaughter. We were able to get an early-enough reservation in the dining car as we had hoped. The menu options were the same as our previous trips, but the plates and silverware are now disposable, which is a shame. I had a very-underdone steak that I should have sent back (it was raw inside), and the mashed potatoes were instant potatoes, not the kind where the chef had to physically mash them. We spent $100 for a meal (for four of us) which was below Applebee’s standards. I don’t know if prepackaged meals would help them, but it wasn’t up to the same standards as in the past. Twenty years ago we had the family sleeper (for four) from Winona to Seattle. Our children weren’t relishing being rousted out of bed at 7:00 AM to eat breakfast, and when we asked if we could bring food back to the room, we were admonished that that would be impossible. In that case, “room service” would have been really nice. My wife and I ate in the dining car for breakfast, seated side-by-side, opposite with some nice-enough people, but there were some other passengers that I would have hated to be with for more than a few minutes. ---
**Author:** ![N9IWP](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/n9iwp/32/3154_2.png) [@N9IWP](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/N9IWP)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amtrak-ending-its-dining-car-service-for-airplane-food/840641/33 "2019-09-23T17:17:29Z")
On my trip some folks asked about “to go” – the dining card folks said to talk to your sleeper car attendant (there was definitely a “to go” box on the order form For me breakfast was until 9:30 or so silverware was real for me, plates were disposable (plastic) Brian ---
**Author:** ![AHunter3](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ahunter3/32/368_2.png) [@AHunter3](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AHunter3)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amtrak-ending-its-dining-car-service-for-airplane-food/840641/34 "2019-09-23T18:01:46Z")
Sad and annoying. I used to enjoy the full service dining experience with stoneware plates and real metal flatware and glasses and all that. My ride was (and still is on occasion) the Crescent, New York to Toccoa GA. The menus weren’t spectacular but were on par with a decent randomly-chosen restaurant and several notches better than fast food. Sleeper car tickets are overpriced but the dining experience was part of what one was paying for. (Made somewhat shabby by the switch to paper plates and plasticware a few cycles back). Fooey. ---
**Author:** ![nelliebly](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/nelliebly/32/5422_2.png) [@nelliebly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nelliebly)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 6:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amtrak-ending-its-dining-car-service-for-airplane-food/840641/35 "2019-09-23T18:52:24Z")
I remember taking the Empire Builder from Montana to Chicago in the 80s, and strangers were not seated together in the dining car. The food wasn’t as good as I remembered from childhood train rides. Then three years ago, I took the Empire Builder from Seattle to Chicago. At first I was uneasy about being seated with strangers, but it turned out to be a great experience. I met interesting people I would never have met otherwise. Maybe Millennials are adverse to such experiences because they’re used to being isolated in digital bubbles. Anyway, the food was pretty good. We were delayed 6 hours (during the night) in Spokane. It was January, and there were weather-related track issues. Since we were running so late, the dining car offered free dinner to those of us still on the train as we headed through Wisconsin toward Chicago. It was all the same meal, one concocted out of the food left, but it was surprisingly good. I thought that was very kind. I had a coach seat, by the way, and I can tell you that nearly everyone in the coach car who wasn’t getting off before dinner opted for the dining car. Some people did opt to get lunch at the bistro (all grab-and-go) and take it up to the observation car. I loathe the idea of McDonald’s or Starbucks taking over food service. Yuck. Ordering from a fast-food menu three times a day would be my idea of plastic hell. ---
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 7:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amtrak-ending-its-dining-car-service-for-airplane-food/840641/36 "2019-09-23T19:10:26Z")
> [@nelliebly](#): > > I remember taking the Empire Builder from Montana to Chicago in the 80s, and strangers were not seated together in the dining car. The food wasn’t as good as I remembered from childhood train rides. Then three years ago, I took the Empire Builder from Seattle to Chicago. At first I was uneasy about being seated with strangers, but it turned out to be a great experience. I met interesting people I would never have met otherwise. Maybe Millennials are adverse to such experiences because they’re used to being isolated in digital bubbles. Anyway, the food was pretty good. I’m still wondering why this is the fault of millennials. Hasn’t Amtrak struggled to break even for decades? Outside of the northeast corridor I’d be shocked if anyone used them for anything. ---
**Author:** ![OttoDaFe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ottodafe/32/356_2.png) [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amtrak-ending-its-dining-car-service-for-airplane-food/840641/37 "2019-09-23T19:51:19Z")
> [@terentii](#): > > Got any choc ices? :dubious: No, all we have is **ALBATROSS**. > [@jz78817](#): > > I’m still wondering why this is the fault of millennials. Hasn’t Amtrak struggled to break even for decades? Outside of the northeast corridor I’d be shocked if anyone used them for anything. As I noted earlier, “milllennials” strikes me as a rationalization. To your other point, Amtrak will probably seldom if ever break even due to its nature, and most people (other than those who ignore the fact that all intercity transportation is subsidized to some degree) are either okay or indifferent to that. What’s driving the change is the [FAST Act](https://www.transportation.gov/fastact/) (alluded to by **Caldris bal Comar** above), which among many other things mandated that Amtrak break even on food service. This manifested itself in the past year or so in standardized menus with no regional dishes, elimination of tablecloths and china at dinner, higher prices, and so on and so forth. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 8:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amtrak-ending-its-dining-car-service-for-airplane-food/840641/38 "2019-09-23T20:34:49Z")
I took the train from LA to Chicago in Jan. 1977. Due to storms in Kansas it was hours late, it ran out of food, and many roomettes froze up and their toilets overflowed. (Not mine.) But the food was tremendous. So was the scenery, before the disaster. OTOH some 1977 vintage airline food was not bad considering the constraints. Business class food today is like coach food then. Except for no free wine. ---
**Author:** ![Balthisar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/balthisar/32/2825_2.png) [@Balthisar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Balthisar)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 10:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amtrak-ending-its-dining-car-service-for-airplane-food/840641/39 "2019-09-23T22:36:52Z")
> [@FollowMeDown](#): > > Isn’t every mode of transportation subsidized? Only Amtrak loses money, though. Airports collect fees. Roads can’t have tollbooths everywhere, so I’ll give that a pass, plus, we pay fuel taxes as a toll, except Tesla drivers who are free riders. ---
**Author:** ![alphaboi867](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alphaboi867/32/3898_2.png) [@alphaboi867](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/alphaboi867)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2019, 10:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amtrak-ending-its-dining-car-service-for-airplane-food/840641/40 "2019-09-23T22:48:20Z")
> [@OttoDaFe](#): > > No, all we have is **ALBATROSS**.As I noted earlier, “milllennials” strikes me as a rationalization. To your other point, Amtrak will probably seldom if ever break even due to its nature, and most people (other than those who ignore the fact that all intercity transportation is subsidized to some degree) are either okay or indifferent to that. What’s driving the change is the [FAST Act](https://www.transportation.gov/fastact/) (alluded to by **Caldris bal Comar** above), which among many other things mandated that Amtrak break even on food service. This manifested itself in the past year or so in standardized menus with no regional dishes, elimination of tablecloths and china at dinner, higher prices, and so on and so forth. Agreed. IIRC food service was always a loss leader, even pre-Amtrak, and it’s a loss leader for airlines too. I’m not thrilled with using Millennials as a scapegoat though. I’ve never been on a long distance sleeper train so I’ve never experienced an actual diner car; yeah sharing a booth might feel a little weird, but worse case scenario you order room service. I took the Adirondack\* to Montreal this summer and the café care was _way_ overpriced for what it offered (airline-style food would’ve been a big improvement). I made sure to bring my own food on the way back to NYC. \*The scenario was nice, but eventually it’s just farmland and I think it’s a very long train ride. I don’t see myself doing that again, but an overnight train on that route would be great. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amtrak-ending-its-dining-car-service-for-airplane-food/840641.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/amtrak-ending-its-dining-car-service-for-airplane-food/840641.md?page=3)