Amtrak plans to eliminate traditional dining-car meals on its trains that stop in Toledo effective June 1, instead offering “new and contemporary” — but cold — food to its sleeping-car passengers in their rooms.
The change for the Chicago-New York/Boston and Chicago-Washington trains, announced in a statement issued Thursday, will eliminate any on-board food preparation in dining cars. Passengers may bring their own food with them but only can consume it at their seats or in their compartments.
As is the case with dining-car food, the new meals will be included in the sleeping-car fare for those passengers.
Those wishing to eat somewhere other than in their compartments will use a “private cafe or lounge car.”
“Our plan is to provide new and fresh food choices in a contemporary way for these overnight trains,” Bob Dorsch, vice president of Amtrak’s long-distance service line, said in the prepared statement. “Our continued success depends on increasing customer satisfaction while becoming more efficient.”
The statement described the changes as a service “enhancement,” as did Kimberly Woods, an Amtrak spokesman. She said the plan is expected to save Amtrak $3 million from food-service costs but said details about how many Amtrak workers will lose their jobs because of that cut remain to be finalized.
Also unclear was whether passengers not using the sleeping cars would have access to the new first-class food offerings. All passengers can use Amtrak dining cars, but except for alcoholic beverages, sleeping-car passengers’ meals are part of their fares while others must pay separately.
The Amtrak café/lounge car menu now includes a modest selection of hot snacks, sandwiches, and pizza.
Amtrak’s current dining-car menu for the Capitol Limited includes an array of hot entrees for breakfast and dinner and an “express lunch” for midday.
The Lake Shore Limited has offered a reduced menu for several years after its dining cars were eliminated and dining service instead was offered in one half of the business-class coach car, but it still offers hot meals in those cars.
The new offerings for both trains will include chilled beef tenderloin, chicken Caesar salad, turkey club sandwich, or a vegan wrap as lunch and dinner foods for sleeping-car passengers. The new breakfast choices will include breakfast breads with butter, cream cheese, and jam, Greek yogurt, and sliced seasonal fresh-fruit plates.
“Obviously Amtrak needs to control costs while also providing customer service,” said Ken Prendergast, executive director of All Aboard Ohio, a passenger-train advocacy group. “Because Amtrak allows passengers to bring their own food on the train, fewer passengers buy items in the dining car and cafe/lounge.
“But experience has shown that when Amtrak reduces the quality of the on-board food service, ridership declines. ... Without an enjoyable dining experience, the train has less of a discernible advantage over other forms of travel and thus offer fewer reasons for prospective travelers to consider it,” he said.
Amtrak in 2013 announced plans to break even on food service by this year. At the time, its food-service operations lost about $80 million annually.
Contact David Patch at: dpatch@theblade.com or 419-724-6094.
First Published April 21, 2018, 12:15 p.m.
