Passenger Trains > Amtrak Food Rebellion

Dear Fellow Amtrak Riders,
                  I would like to propose a novel approach to Amtrak’s recent changes in food service: Boycott it.  Bring your own food.  Even in a sleeper.    I have worked as a food service professional for more than 40 years, as a private railroad car chef, attendant, mechanic, and business manager for 30 of those years, including working with my wife as a chef/attendant/management team for 8 years on different PV’s, and during this time we commuted to work between Boston and Chicago, St. Paul, and Denver via Amtrak, mostly by coach.  I will tell you one thing for certain from this experience, which is that you do not need to depend upon Amtrak for your sustenance, or even dining experience aboard.  We have had some very nice meals provided by Amtrak but they were few and far between.  This has deteriorated progressively over the years and the quality was always inconsistent at best.   The independence that the diner crew had with the menu correlated directly to the quality of the food and service.   Food service doesn’t need to be “consistent”, it needs to be consistently good, which means different from day to day.  This is one way to eliminate waste.  Bean counters cannot grasp this concept.
               During our Amtrak commutes (and airlines, thereafter) we always brought our own food.  We are food service pros for whom this is easier than many, but the concept is very simple.   Do not expect a dining experience from the past.   Up until post WWII, there was no such thing as non-organic food and the quality was much, much better.  There was no such thing as cage-tortured, hormone and antibiotic laden chickens, pigs and feedlot beef, farmed GMO salmon, tilapia, shrimp, GMO,  pesticide, or insecticide infested anything.  Why would anyone knowingly want to eat a breakfast of:  Eggs from “genetically modified” tortured caged birds, caged pork sausage or bacon with antibiotics and loaded with sodium and nitrates,   GMO potatoes, GMO corn (lots of corn- someone must have had stock in the stuff as it was sometimes in every meal) or so-called RR French toast which is a fat bomb of hydrogenated oils, GMO high fructose corn syrup, and highly refined glutinous “wheat”.   I would rather have a whole grain bagel, cream cheese and wild salmon sandwich at my seat.  As the proverb states: “Better a dinner of herbs than a stalled ox and hatred therewith”.  If, for example, you and your family show up with a warm roasted organic chicken, a fresh salad, and a fresh baguette, you will be the envy of your fellow passengers and crew.  I don’t care what is said about “Sous Vide”, I do not eat food cooked or reheated in plastic.  I cannot say this enough:  Bring your own food!  It may seem overwhelming, but how hard is it to throw together some really simple good Safe travel food?  It is very simple to organize your own supplies.  If managed well, this can be carried in the size of a grocery bag.  Here are some tips:
- Nut Butter and Jam Sandwiches (PB&J,etc.)
-Cheese/PB and Crackers (pre made)
- Smoked Meat, Fish and/or Cheese sandwiches preferable to eat early in the trip.  DO NOT USE MAYONAISE unless chilled, as this is a major salmonella risk.  Mustard and vinegars are ok.. Cheese lasts well for a few days without refrigeration.  Good quality bread is important (rolls work best).  Note: Raw onions can be a little potent for your traveling companions, but eat garlic anyway, it’s anti bacterial and anti viral, which is not a bad thing in a funky confined air space shared with strangers.
-Vinegar based salads- Tabouli, Quinoa, Pasta, Potato, etc. (again no mayo).  These will last well.
-Raw vegetables and fruit, carrots, snow peas, celery, apples, oranges and grapes are all good.  Fruit salad makes a nice breakfast or dessert.  Add lemon or lime for longevity.
-Hummus or Salsa and Chips
-Baked goods- Scones, biscotti, rolls, muffins, cookies, brownies, etc. all usually travel well.
-Nuts, granola and snack mixes
-Tea bags  If you are a tea aficionado as we are, I would recommend bringing your own, along with a travel mug (with a lid).  The LSA will normally provide hot water for free, for which I tip well.  It begets good service for the duration.
-Other beverages: It’s probably easier for most people to buy beverages at Amtrak’s overinflated prices so you don’t have to carry the extra weight.  That being said, I think the rule that sleeping car passengers can bring alcohol, but coach passengers can’t is purely elitist.  Someone getting drunk in coach is more likely to be noticed than someone pounding away in their roomette.  The results are the same as far as potential inappropriate behavior goes.  Enough said.
-Want to kick it up a notch?  Here are some other options:
     Starting your trip in Seattle?  Head to Pike’s Place Market and get yourself a pound of some of the best smoked       salmon in the world, fine cheeses, charcuterie, and anything else you need.  Amtrak can’t come close to this.
     Starting in Chicago?  Whole Foods Market is a mile away in the South Loop adjacent to the Amtrak/Metra yard.
     DC?  Harris Teeter is close by.  New Orleans has a short walk to a market, etc..
-All of these places  have quality prepared food, hot and cold.  Grab a hot meal to start the trip and some cold stuff for later.  Almost anything will be better than what Amtrak is currently capable of.
               I hope this little dissertation is helpful.  I would be interested to hear other travelers’ solutions and suggestions.  You can lead a passenger to garbage, but you can’t make them eat it!  Ciao, SHR 275
 
    
 

I need protein and meat, which is hard without refrigeration over 10 hours. Hard-boiled eggs may last longer. I don't want a lot of carbs to fill up on. 



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 08/20/19 12:14 by joemvcnj.

Good concept in theory. But its difficult to heat something up on board. If it's not hot, I won't eat it. At least so far Pike Street Market isn't necessary as there is still normal food on the Builder. But for how long now one knows. Not to beat a dead horse, but I'm on Delta next week in Delta One. I can pre-select my meal on line thus eliminating much of the waste. And the  meal quality is generally quite good and served hot and as as you like it prepared with only two staff who also have other responsibilities.  Why can't Amtrak at least do that? Mr. Anderson should be very familiar with the product Delta is providing. My next Amtrak trip (and maybe last?) is the Meteor from Florida to D.C. on the second to last run with actual food. Then 29 home. Plan for that is just as the author of this thread suggests. Dinner at Union Station (the new fish place looks good) and then doughnuts brought on board for a quick breakfast (is juice still available?) before deboarding in Toledo. Heck, the diner wouldn't have been open yet anyway unless really late. So the for this train isn't really an issue. 

This is what most people are doing anyway. Probabliy 95% of the riders are "brown bagging" it due to the extreme expense of eating on the train. Amtrak would do well to decrease the cost by two thirds and they would see a tremendous increase in sales. There are at lease two trains that have earned the nick name "chicken bone" because so many people carry on their own box lunches. The style of meals that Amtrak is going to is the same as many railroads did when they were trying to run off their customers so they could make a good case to the ICC for discontinuance. I remember riding the Ponce d Leon in 1962 over Labor Day weekend. It probably had 10 coaches full of people and not one food service car! You had to purchase snacks from the "butch boy" and maybe a box lunch from a restaurant along the way. The train was gone shortly there after.

I've packed food from Glory Days Grill in Lorton VA on several occasions. Located about 1/2 mile from the Auto-Train. Check in at the Amtrak gate, get your number, check in at the desk and get your room assignment.  Get back in your car and go over for a light lunch and packed to-go. The adjacent Giant market has a fine selection of food wine and beer.  As well as yogurt and good orange juice.

Return to Amtrak, drop off your car, and board the train.  Your car attendant will bring ice and a bucket.

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In Sanford, the District is a good choice, and will pack a meal for you.  Convenient to Auto-Train.

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I've had OK meals and I've had awful meals on the train.  Same for service.  I'm not a fan of including the meals in the fare, I think it just encourages poor service and a cafeteria mentality.

So your "Rebellion" gets maybe a hundred railfan passengers to bring their own.
Amtrak won't even notice...

How on earth is this supposed to influence Amtrak to improve what they're doing???  They don't want to provide food, they don't want people to expect food.  Drive down the revenue enough and they'll simply say "fine, no food!!, we're really happy to be done with it."  Talk about dumb.

I got enough too Carry on the train without alots of food to carry around in sleeping car. I don't want too carry extra stuff around. I just fly then.

Or before train time in Chicago, you could go to the White Palace Grill on Roosevelt, get a bacon burger on white bun, fries and a shake.  That should keep you for a while.  LOL
Unless of course you ar connecting late.

Bob

I will suggest a very different approach - use what Amtrak gives you, but upgrade the experience.  You will not need to bring much!  (take up much less room than a grocery bag)

- a good quality cloth placemat
- a good quality cloth napkin
- some quality dried or cloth flowers in a small weighted vase
- a plastic wine glass
- a set of travel metal utensils
- a set (plate, side plate, bowl) of Corel style dinnerware

go into the Viewliner lounge/food car, choose a nice seat and set up shop.  When the box is delivered unpack and replate it ala what a restaurant would do. 

You will find the food is much tastier and appealing with proper presentation.  You will enjoy your meal and others will notice.  Take few pix and post so they will get noticed.

As for libations, it might be argued that since the Viewliner lounge is exclusive to sleeping car passengers and hence is an extension of your room, you can have your own drinks there too.  Worth a try once. If that doesn't wash with the autorities, think about an opaque, insulated covered tumbler (see photo) and I doubt anyone will be checking.  

[and this is not theoretical -- it is how I travel (as well as one of my brothers), started back in the earlier Amtrak food crisis. If Amtrak has linens and plates, I just take the flowers and the plastic wine glass ... other things brought as needed.) 

---

I basically did this when the Star lost its diner.  Publix makes a great sub down south and Wawa or Sheetz in the mid atlantic.  I'd also get either a bagel and cream cheese or cereal that you add milk to the container (I would buy milk from the cafe car though) for breakfast.  Put it in a cooler along with a couple beverages and I was set.  Much less expensive too.

       The rebellion will get a hell of a lot more than a few hundred, 'PHall', thats the part Anderson and his brain dead group do not understand as well as asome others. We have already talked about this and have plans where and how to get hot food delievered to us at the longer stops. Pi$$ on Anderson and his plans to make us all eat four pounds of rotten bread and call it enhanced. Many people cannot eat a lot of bread. ( turns to sugar you know ) Carbs are some of the items many cannot take much of either. Not that they are all intolerant, many just want to eat better and healthier. Nobody should believe they 'have to do as the MAN says anymore' concerning a diet shoved on them .

Don’t forget to picket in front of train station!   Make sure your #4449 t-shirt is the one free of the mustard stains.  

Seroiusly, disconnect the sleeper fare from the diner.   How about two persons working the cafe?  Assuring that neither is off duty at the same time (covering breaks and meal times).  Now I’m not saying 24/7,  just assuring continuous service during open hours.   

I disagree with your "check in at the gate".  Once you've checked your car in, Amtrak "owns" it.  By-pass the line gate to the left (turn your flashers on), go inside, get your diner res, go get your lunch at Glory Days, then come back in and check your car. I do it every trip. And a bonus: by checking your car i late, you stand a good chance of an early "off-load".

dcfbalcoS1 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
>        The rebellion will get a hell of a lot
> more than a few hundred, 'PHall', thats the part
> Anderson and his brain dead group do not
> understand as well as asome others. We have
> already talked about this and have plans where and
> how to get hot food delievered to us at the longer
> stops. Pi$$ on Anderson and his plans to make us
> all eat four pounds of rotten bread and call it
> enhanced. Many people cannot eat a lot of bread. (
> turns to sugar you know ) Carbs are some of the
> items many cannot take much of either. Not that
> they are all intolerant, many just want to eat
> better and healthier. Nobody should believe they
> 'have to do as the MAN says anymore' concerning a
> diet shoved on them .

So you've talked to how many people and how many of those will actually do what you want?
I thought so...

andersonb109 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> Good concept in theory. But its difficult to heat
> something up on board. If it's not hot, I won't
> eat it. At least so far Pike Street Market isn't
> necessary as there is still normal food on the
> Builder. But for how long now one knows. Not to
> beat a dead horse, but I'm on Delta next week in
> Delta One. I can pre-select my meal on line thus
> eliminating much of the waste. And the  meal
> quality is generally quite good and served hot and
> as as you like it prepared with only two staff who
> also have other responsibilities.  Why can't
> Amtrak at least do that? Mr. Anderson should be
> very familiar with the product Delta is providing.
> My next Amtrak trip (and maybe last?) is the
> Meteor from Florida to D.C. on the second to last
> run with actual food. Then 29 home. Plan for that
> is just as the author of this thread suggests.
> Dinner at Union Station (the new fish place looks
> good) and then doughnuts brought on board for a
> quick breakfast (is juice still available?) before
> deboarding in Toledo. Heck, the diner wouldn't
> have been open yet anyway unless really late. So
> the for this train isn't really an issue. 

You obviously don't know any flight attendants.  There's a reason most won't touch the food,  and they get front end stuff if they want.

Oh God,  will this topic never die.  I never cared that much about food.  Hot, cold, whatever.   Ive got better things to do than worry about food service.

And, after 25 years of being part of flight crew... All in all, the meals we got were terrible.   Even by my low standards.

>                I hope this little
> dissertation is helpful.  I would be interested
> to hear other travelers’ solutions and
> suggestions.  You can lead a passenger to
> garbage, but you can’t make them eat it!  Ciao,
> SHR 275
>  
>     
Wow!  Thank you for presenting healthy eating options!  

PRR1361 Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> I disagree with your "check in at the gate". 
> Once you've checked your car in, Amtrak "owns"
> it.  By-pass the line gate to the left (turn your
> flashers on), go inside, get your diner res, go
> get your lunch at Glory Days, then come back in
> and check your car. I do it every trip. And a
> bonus: by checking your car i late, you stand a
> good chance of an early "off-load".

Maybe we aren't communicating. Amtrak gives you your car number at the gate. Drive in, park your car, check in for your room.

Get back in your car, drive to Glory, etc.

Come back, wave as you bypass the gate. Give your car to the jockeys and walk to the train.

Posted from Android

Well, I hate to tell you but......Amtrak would probably be pleased if everyone brought their own food. That way, the could reduce food service even more or eliminate it altogether. If those passengers continued to ride then it would be a win-win for Amtrak!
Boycott the trains to make your point. Of course that might also work to Amtraks advantage. Declining patronage provides a path to eventual removal. 

Sorry. Nice idea. But I can't see any path to success.