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Amtrak Flexible Dining Car Service - Photos and Review

8/30/2020

4 Comments

 
*UPDATE 3/24/2023* - Amtrak has just brought back Traditional Dining to the Silver Star, which operates from New York City to Miami, Florida. This is considered to be a "test" before expanding traditional dining to other trains that are currently operating Flex Dining. 

"Flex Dining" - which is covered in this review, is currently on the following Amtrak Trains - 
Lake Shore Limited (New York City - Chicago)
Capitol Limited (Washington DC - Chicago)
Cardinal (New York City - Chicago)
Crescent (New York City - New Orleans)
Silver Meteor (New York City - Miami)
City of New Orleans (Chicago - New Orleans) 
Texas Eagle (Chicago - San Antonio)

Amtrak Dining Car service has had a variety of ups and downs since Amtrak began in 1971.  On October 1, 2019, Amtrak introduced "Flexible Dining" on most routes east of the Mississippi including the Crescent, Silver Meteor, Lake Shore Limited, Capitol Limited and, the City of New Orleans trains. This was a pretty drastic Amtrak Dining Car Change as it eliminated the on-board chef, waiters and, waitresses and replaced them with pre-made dinners that were simply re-heated and delivered take-out style. 


Amtrak's Flexible Dining Menu is only offered for Sleeping Car Passengers, which means that Coach Class Amtrak passengers only have the Cafe Car Menu to choose from for food and beverage service. (Previously, Coach Passengers could also eat in the dining car). 

Click Here to see Amtrak's National Cafe Car Menu

Sleeping Car Passenger "Flexible Dining" meals are included in the sleeping car ticket. This also includes 1 alcoholic drink per trip and complimentary soft drinks, coffee, tea and bottled water throughout the journey. 

​ Amtrak sleeping car passengers may choose to eat their meal in the dining car or have it delivered to their room. All sleeping car accommodations have a small table within the room. The dining car essentially becomes a separate lounge / table car for sleeping car passengers with this operation. 
Interior of Amtrak Dining Car, double row of widows and booth seating at tables.
Amtrak Dining Car in service as a Sleeper Class Lounge / Table Car on the Silver Meteor. Interior of "Viewliner Diner."
Amtrak Dining Car Breakfast with Flexible Dining. 
​
For Breakfast, passengers are asked to go to the dining car to pick up their breakfast items. A choice of Cereal, Kind Bars, Muffins, and fresh fruit will be set out for self-service, while milk, yogurt, and a breakfast sandwich may be ordered, along with beverages, from the attendant. 
Display of individual servings of cereal, muffins, and fruit bowl on a table inside an Amtrak Dining Car.
Amtrak Dining Car Breakfast with Flexible Dining Menu.
Cheerios, banana, yogurt, and coffee served in a cardboard tray. Amtrak logo is on coffee cup.
Amtrak Flexible Dining Breakfast as served on the Silver Meteor Train.
Amtrak Flexible Dining Lunch and Dinner Service.

​Lunch and Dinner are both the same menu. Either your sleeping car attendant or the dining car attendant will come by your room before each meal and take your order and also ask what time you would like to eat and offer you a choice to dine in either the dining car or your sleeping car room. I will describe my experience with each type of service.

For Lunch, I ordered the "Creole Shrimp & Andouille" and requested to eat in the dining car. My sleeping car attendant took my order and at the appropriate time, I went to the diner. It was slightly confusing what I should do upon arrival since the dining car attendant was busy preparing several orders so I had a seat and asked one of the sleeper attendants who passed through. The attendant asked my name and said he would check for me, and he brought my food right to my table. After you finish your meal, you are expected to clear your own table and throw away your trash, this makes the experience similar to a fast-food restaurant. 

The entrees on the flexible dining menu are comparable in both appearance and taste to a microwavable dinner bowl. A small salad is served with each meal as well as a brownie. for dessert. 

Amtrak Dining Car Menu - Flexible Dining. 
Black Plastic bowl of rice and shrimp on a plastic tray next to small container of salad. White paper napkins with Amtrak Logo. All sitting on an off-white table.
Amtrak Flexible Dining Car Menu "Shrimp and Andioulle"
For Dinner, I ordered the "Red Wine Braised Beef" and had it delivered to my room. My sleeping car attendant brought a small white table cloth to dress up the fold-down table in my room. That was a nice touch. She also stopped by to collect the trash from my meal afterward. A dinner roll was also served with my evening meal. 

The Braised Beef was tender but the Red Wine sauce was extremely salty in taste. Polenta and vegetables were served with the beef in the same plastic bowl, again, microwave dinner style. 

​Menus for Amtrak Dining Cars during Flex Dining are available at -

https://www.amtrak.com/onboard/meals-dining/flexible-dining.html
Foil wrapped plates, and small salad in container sit on a white table cloth along with green can of La Croix and plastic wrapped brownie.
Amtrak Dinner presented with Room Service in Sleeping Car.
Black plastic bowl with polenta, vegetables and beef sits on a white table with wrapped brownie and can of la croix
Amtrak Flexible Menu "Red Wine Braised Beef" Dinner.
While I enjoy getting out of my room and spending time in the dining car on my journey, I think the Flexible Dining experience was much better and felt a little more like first-class service when I chose to have it delivered to my room vs. the "pick up at the counter, throw away your trash" experience in the Amtrak Dining Car.

Long Distance Trains in the West including the California Zephyr, Empire Builder, Southwest Chief, Sunset Limited, and Coast Starlight as well as the Auto Train offer "Traditional Diner" menus with an on-board chef for sleeping car passengers only.

For more photos and information on Long-Distance passenger trains by Amtrak and others, please visit Long Distance Trains
4 Comments
John McDonough
2/11/2021 01:02:17 pm

I had the braised beef selection twice on the Capitol Ltd late last July. It tasted adequate (though not comparable to traditional service), but left me with diariha for a couple of days. Perhaps it was it was a contaminated anomaly. I thought the breakfast selections were poor. I do not expect to use Amtrak east of the Mississippi until normal dining returns.

Reply
Paul Angelos
2/28/2021 05:35:25 pm

wife and I traveled on the texas eagle, I can deal with delays, old equipment, rough track, but the food? without a doubt it was no better than budget gourmet's worst selection and I am being kind. the coast starlight lost the parlour car, now the dining car is gone, we would be better served it McDonalds delivered meals at station stops

Reply
Gary Durree
3/11/2021 09:18:05 pm

If you want to kill off the long distance routes, just keep this so called “flexible” dining. I took the Texas Eagle from Tucson to Chicago last month and the food was pathetic. I have always enjoyed the food in the past but it was the WORST on my last trip. You can try to blame everything on COVID, but I know your real motivation Amtrak.

Reply
Laurie Siegel
1/29/2023 06:28:30 pm

Forget flying or driving....Amtrak is the way to go!

Reply



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