Amtrak's Simplified Dining Service (SDS)

Steve Grande, Producer - Carl Morrison, Editor

Steve Grande's Personal Perspective

The only superior dining experience I've ever had on an Amtrak train was in the heyday of the Amtrak Coast Starlight when Brian Rosenwald was in charge. Since then, I've always felt that dining on an Amtrak train wasn't anything superior to eating at Denny's. Some people think that is an insult, but I don't see a problem with the food at Denny's. It is nutritional, tastes OK, and the prices are reasonable. The food is nothing to write home about, but that is exactly how I feel about Amtrak Dining Car food. The advantage of dining on Amtrak is you get to eat while riding on the train! The advantage of Denny's is they don't force you to eat with strangers at your table (we aren't all extroverts!). If I want "fine dining", an Amtrak Dining Car is the last place I'd look for that (with the exception of the Amtrak Coast Starlight under Rosenwald). If Amtrak can get the Dining Car crews to stop using the microwave oven with SDS and use the convection oven like they are supposed to, that may result in a lot less complaints about the food.