There's been a lot of media reports about Amtrak diners lately.
I'm not a millennial but I agree with people that don't like to share a table with folks they don't know.
It can be very awkward.
I realize space is limited in the Viewliner cars but I've seen many waiters fill up tables even while there are empty ones and the Superliners often only open one side of the car apparently so they can save money by using fewer employees. I wonder when the Superliner diners will start getting the pre cooked packaged meals.
If Amtrak is willing to spend enough for the first class meals served on transcontinental and international flights using better quality plates than Amtrak plastic and get rid of all the non recyclable individual salad dressings and condiments it would be a big improvement.
Some of them might be an improvement over the current meals which seem to use a lot of canned vegetables.
Selling comparable reasonably priced meals to coach passengers that can be eaten at their seat or in the cafe car would make up for the loss of the diner. Rocky Mountaineer Silver Leaf meals served at passenger seats seem to be pretty decent judging by videos and reviews I've seen. Turning the diner into a first class lounge with tables for eating meals would also be helpful.
It's sad to see the loss of good paying union jobs in the diner, but the long hours and time away from home tend to produce a lot of unhappy crews.
The days of railroads like Santa Fe, UP CB&Q and others serving very high quality meals including baking cakes, pies and other items from scratch and subsidizing the costs to attract passengers are not likely to return.
[thetakeout.com]