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House hearing scheduled on Amtrak foodservice
Considering what some of their menu items cost, how could they lose money on them? Retiree costs, medical coverage, liability coverage and meeting punitive regulations imposed by cities and states, without regard for their true costs to the people they are supposed to protect. A full meal per the 1981 act, should cost about $200, for Amtrak to have profitable food and beverage service.
what a laugh! as if congress knows how to micromanage food service on Amtrak!
It’s easy to say that anybody could do better than Amtrak on food costs. BUT having been there and done that I beg to disagree. When I was with NCDOT, we tried several different food vendors for our trains. None were cost-effective for the bottom line. The current Piedmont trains have vending machine cars as a result. I’m sure my former bosses didn’t arrive at the conclusion easily because I know they believe that quality food onboard at reasonable prices is best for the train rider. I certainly believe that. Do I believe that Amtrak can improve the food quality aboard the trains? Yes! Do I believe that any private vendor could do better and offer better prices to the passenger? I DOUBT IT! Do I think Congress will do anything helpful here? NO. Perhaps Amtrak might consider a trial with a selected vendor for six months to a year on one train after putting out RFPs for ideas. But whatever is done, don’t blame Amtrak for this mess. Blame the POLITICIANS for never doing the right thing. I remember the days of food fights on the Broadway as Amtrak tried to survive under Ronald Reagan’s pledge to kill Amtrak. Decades have passed and the situation is almost the same today.
AMTRAK could certainly do a better job of managing the food service. I took the Zephyr from Emeryville to Denver in May, while some friends continued on to Chicago. They were running short on some food before we got to Denver, and my friends reported that the only thing left for Dinner the evening they got to Chicago was veggie burgers! How can you run out of food on an “all-reserved” train. They certainly should know how many people they would be serving. And, why couldn’t they re-provision in Denver. Our waiter said they got their food from Sysco, a huge, national food-service outfit, that I’m sure must have an operation in Denver.
Well, I dunno… Maybe there is wastage, but at least my wife and I thoroughly enjoyed our salmon and lamb dinners aboard the Coast Starlight last November. The price wasn’t bad, either. The service was attentive and the diner was full each time. Amtrak is such an easy target as a congressional whipping boy, isn’t it?
Last October my wife and I took the Southwest Chief to Flagstaff on our way to the Grand Canyon, It was my first trip on a major passenger train in 40 years. The food was excellent! The steaks were juicy. The French Toast was excellent. (I have no experience on the Super Chief.) It brought back memories of the Empire Builder in 1956 and the California Zephyr in 1961. Why are there no Amtrak cooks on the witness list? Don’t let the Congress-Clowns screw up Amtrak. They need to pay for necessary upgrades to preserve a critical asset.
Is this what we hired Congress to do? Give me a break, sell the franchise to privete companies. There are a ton of them out there that could doubtless do better and we as taxpayers wouldn’t have to subsidize them. Okay, start the outcry against free markets now.
I think the food service on Amtrak on the long distance trains my wife & I ride frequently (Califirnia Zephyr:Denver to Chicago RT & Lake Shore Limited: Chicago to Worcester, MA RT) is outstanding in the dining car, given the usual good quality of the food, the caring service of the staff, and the generally less than perfect ride provided by the freight-worn rails we ride on!
Perhaps Congress should consider a hearing on the effectiveness of Congressional micromanagement?
food service is a cost-of-doing-business – you can’t run trains
over several hours or days without food service. when the
private railroads operated their own passenger trains, dining
service was often the “loss leader”. i recall a union pacific ad
which claimed they spent one dollar (in 1955?) for each dollar
they made on dining service. food on rail passenger service
has always been expensive and necessary. it “lost” money
in private hands and it “loses” money in public hands. if
i recall that u.p. ad correctly, amtrak is doing better at
controlling costs ($2.00 vs. $1.70) than at least one private did.
Hard to believe they can lose this much money when they have a captive market. Every Amtrak train I have ever ridden had a line going to the snack car. I’m sure a private vendor could do better.
maybe if Amtrak would properly stock diners and bar cars ( running out of alcohol at South Bend on a Chicago to New York train) they might make money.
maybe if Amtrak would properly stock diners and bar cars ( running out of alcohol at South Bend on a Chicago to New York train) they might make money.
Pity that the house doesn’t have more important things to do.
Pity that the house doesn’t have more important things to do.
Although AMTRAK should cover costs in this area, a congressional hearing on the subject seems like an overkill. Also, based on the title of the hearing, sounds like its just a prelude to more government involvement in an area that should be managed by the railroad. The government has many much more important issues it should be spending its efforts on rather than worrying about the cost expenditures of food on AMTRAK.
Meanwhile, what do our representatives pay for chow in their private dining room?
What do members of The United States Congress pay for their meals in The Congressional Dining Room on Capitol Hill? They are subsidized too. Let’s start an inquiry there first. The hypocisy!
Let some entity other than Amtrak take over the operation. I’m certain there are numerous enterprises out there who would love the opportunity to provide quality service to a captive audience, for up to 2.5 days at a time! I’ve never walked into Denny’s when it’s completely empty and been seated with strangers, while being surrounded by 12 empty tables.