RAILforum: No more sleeper meals in the cafe

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Posted by Mr. Toy (Member # 311) on :

In the past, if sleeping car passengers didn't want a full meal, they could get their food at the sightseer lounge cafe instead of in the diner. We did this a couple of times on past trips, and all we had to do was sign for it with our name and room number.

Yesterday I found out that this is no longer allowed. Sleeping car passengers must now pay full price for any meals taken at the lounge. Prepaid mals can only be taken in the diner.

We didn't have time for a full lunch, nor were we hungry enough for one. All we wanted to do was split a sandwich. The lounge attendant told me this new policy was the result of cutbacks. This seemed odd, because if we had taken two full lunches in the diner we would have cost Amtrak a lot more than the cost of the one sandwich we split. Anyway, I feel we were charged twice for this meal. It was the only complaint I had, for otherwise the trip was nearly flawless.

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Trust God, love your neighbor, and never mistake opinion for truth.
-Mr. Toy

The Del Monte Club Car

Posted by reggierail (Member # 26) on :

quote:
Originally posted by Mr. Toy:

This seemed odd, because if we had taken two full lunches in the diner we would have cost Amtrak a lot more than the cost of the one sandwich we split.

Actually, your food in the diner has already been accounted for. Very little, if anything in the diner will be used after the trip has ended. The food in the lounge car can be used on another train, as long as the expiration date hasn't been exceeded.
So actually your meal in the lounge would have cost Amtrak more than if you would have eaten in the diner.
Strange as it may seem.

Reggie

PS. Another possibility is that the lounge attendant just didn't want to do the extra paper work required to account for the food you wanted.

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[This message has been edited by reggierail (edited 03-11-2003).]

Posted by Santa Fe 5704 (Member # 2277) on :

My son is a conductor on Amtrak and he says this practice was stopped in 2001.

Posted by Mike Smith (Member # 447) on :

In May 2002, on the Sunset, I had lunch in the lounge. I couldn't eat anything "heavy", so I grabbed a sandwich there. The attendant asked me if I really wanted a stale sandwich when I could get a real lunch in the diner.
He thought I was nuts. (Of course, he wasn't having the gastro-intestinal explosions I was experiencing)

Needless to say, he didn't get a tip......

Posted by dilly (Member # 1427) on :

When you eat in the dining car, there's no Amtrak rule that says you have to order (or eat) an entire twelve-course meal.

During a couple of trips when a diner had a long waiting list, I've simply ordered a "take out" sandwich (without actually sitting down at a table) and taken it back to my sleeping compartment.

Of course, if the diner crew doesn't have their act together, you could be waiting for your sandwich for a while.

Posted by reggierail (Member # 26) on :

You can also order meals from the train attendant in your car. You would normally tip the attendant for this service.
I know attendants in the coaches don't normally make much in tips, but, I have seen attendants that actively solicit people wanting his help and the serving of meals or such at the seat. I've seen several rack in a good piece of change doing so.

Reggie

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