Amtrak Adjusts its Dining Car Service

The days of a train’s dining car in which a crooner hums tunes aside a grand piano and white tablecloths adorn the tables are now just a memory as Amtrak chugs toward the future and attempts to appeal to the needs of a new generation of travelers.

As of Oct. 1, Amtrak’s dining service on overnight routes have been amended to offer ready-to-serve dishes instead of meals to order, with selections like Creole shrimp and andouille sausage, red wine-braised beef, a vegan Asian noodle bowl and chicken fettuccine. Breakfast will be continental style with cold cereals, muffins, fruit and yogurt.

This change will apply to the following overnight routes: the Cardinal train from New York to Chicago; the City of New Orleans train from Chicago to New Orleans; the Crescent from New York to New Orleans; and the Silver Meteor route from New York to Miami.

Passengers affected will include premium riders, who can have meals delivered to the bedroom or roomette or enjoy the meal in the dining car. Passengers in coach seats will continue to have access to the café car.

The move comes from the train company’s desire to cater to millennial travelers who prefer quick meals in their own space over communal dining with strangers.