sextantYes but in the Private for profit and in the Private Non Profit as a CEO world you dont have 435 members of Congress, 100 senators ,The Public, The Lobbiyists, 50 Governors, 2 Political Parties, a dozen unions, 864 Employees of the Federal Railroad Admintration,6 Class One railroads and there executives micromanaging every thing that you do.
Oh contrare, an HOA is a non-profit. I have 352 homeowners attempting to micromanage or second guess things some of them former board members. If you do not give them a straight answer.....look out. Sometimes requires negotiation and or compromise on the side. Secondly have a management firm which we need to repeat tasks to like 3 times before they get done, various subcontractors under the management company that do stupid things or give stupid feedback that need a kick in the pants. Have the City where I live passing unfunded mandates all the time on community property like the resident swimming pool, insurance coverage, etc. Then we have a list of rules of procedure that has to be followed much like union work rules I must say that keeps us legal with the State of Texas, County and City. We just stated a $290k project to replace our perimeter brick wall, which requires city inspections and approvals at various stages of construction.
1) There is an Alexander D. Mitchell IV who is one of the regular posters on RyPN.
2) Firelock, do you remember what Alexander Mitchell's grandson might be remembered for?
CMStPnP Gramp I attended a wedding rehearsal dinner about 40 years ago at the University Club of St.Louis. Have you eaten at the Wisconsin Club? https://househistree.com/houses/alexander-mitchell-mansion Mitchell was one of the expansionist CEO's of the Milwaukee Road, among other things. Anyways, heard they have excellent food and great service. You have to pay an annual club fee of almost $3000 to eat there though.
Gramp I attended a wedding rehearsal dinner about 40 years ago at the University Club of St.Louis.
Have you eaten at the Wisconsin Club?
https://househistree.com/houses/alexander-mitchell-mansion
Mitchell was one of the expansionist CEO's of the Milwaukee Road, among other things. Anyways, heard they have excellent food and great service. You have to pay an annual club fee of almost $3000 to eat there though.
no, I haven't been there. Sounds like an elegant venue.
CMStPnPSo I am not sure the light morning snack served in Europe is going to be satisfactory on a train that runs 2-3 days in the United States.
You comment shows you haven't been on a German train or a hotel in many years.
GrampI attended a wedding rehearsal dinner about 40 years ago at the University Club of St.Louis.
That's the kind of competence that only comes with years of experience and a very selective personnel office.
Re: service competence. I attended a wedding rehearsal dinner about 40 years ago at the University Club of St.Louis. I was witness to a level of service that I consider art. It was so exceptional. I'm not talking about "pampering" or the like. Everything you needed was delivered to you with such great skill that you weren't aware of it. It was just there. I'll never forget it.
sextant Why in Gods names would any self respecting transportation CEO want to run Amtrak unless they are into sadomaschistic self abuse? Amtrak has yet to keep a CEO longer then 2 1/2 years or so. There are so many other opportunities out there not only in the for profit world but also in the Non Profit world were one would be respected and could do greater good.
Why in Gods names would any self respecting transportation CEO want to run Amtrak unless they are into sadomaschistic self abuse? Amtrak has yet to keep a CEO longer then 2 1/2 years or so. There are so many other opportunities out there not only in the for profit world but also in the Non Profit world were one would be respected and could do greater good.
You can learn a lot from taking on a difficult or challenging project. The folks that will only take cherry picked assignments are really the ones that lose out in both self-development and learning as they do not get as much opportunity to do either. I just took on my 352 home HOA as Treasurer while it is on the verge of a cash flow issue. I knew it would be a little challenging to turn around but not impossible and push additional reforms in regards to budgeting as well as improve community involvement and satisfaction with the HOA. So far the ship is being righted again and it is something I could mention in future job interviews if I wanted another job.
charlie hebdoOn DB ICE trains (German Rail Intercity Express) today, first class seating and second class are open coaches as opposed to compartments from earlier days. First class is 2-1, with some facing table seats, second is 2-2, also with some facing table seating. If you elect first class, a specific seat reservation is included in the fare. In second, a reservation is optional for a small additional cost. The food services are open to any who chose to patronize. Regional trains are less comfortable seating, but run shorter distances with more stops (usually) and many are push-pull, locomotive powered while ICE are like Acela in NEC. IC trains are being upgraded with new equipment.
Those are corridor trains which run in hours that your comparing to long distance trains that take 2-3 days to run. In fact since most of Europe is reachable with basically one overnight. I am not sure you can compare Europe to the United States when talking about Long Distance. You would have to compare their sleeper service and it would need to be more than one overnight. So I am not sure the light morning snack served in Europe is going to be satisfactory on a train that runs 2-3 days in the United States. I think you would have passengers resorting to cannibalism by the third day.
I think you would need to update the California Zephyr much in the same way the Rocky Mountaineer has updated their train offerings (such has the train operator handling the luggage after arrival or to your hotel if you buy a vacation package from them) or Brightline has done with theirs (more customer convience options like pickup from your house in their car service) to be more competitive and seen as an "experience train" which I believe is the direction Amtrak management wants to explore. THere is going to need to be a large amount of innovation here though since these Amtrak LD trains take 2-3 days to run at least the ones Amtrak expressed an interest in turning into "experience trains". So maybe look at the train Austrailia runs "Indian Pacific" or some other LD National Trains for some ideas? I think the Vista Domes are goners though since they are not ADA compatible.
On DB ICE trains (German Rail Intercity Express) today, first class seating and second class are open coaches as opposed to compartments from earlier days. First class is 2-1, with some facing table seats, second is 2-2, also with some facing table seating. If you elect first class, a specific seat reservation is included in the fare. In second, a reservation is optional for a small additional cost. The food services are open to any who chose to patronize.
Regional trains are less comfortable seating, but run shorter distances with more stops (usually) and many are push-pull, locomotive powered while ICE are like Acela in NEC. IC trains are being upgraded with new equipment.
Back in the 60s, trains like the CZ, EB, NCL, City of Miami, Panama Limited, Broadway and even El Cap were more luxurious, especially food services. Also there were lounge cars and other high-quality amenities. There were more staff as well.
CMStPnP Overmod I'm curious. What are the different levels of service at a Waffle House?
Overmod I'm curious. What are the different levels of service at a Waffle House?
I'm curious. What are the different levels of service at a Waffle House?
... And as someone that wants to maintain harmony of the discussion forums and keep everyone happy..........I am still scratching my head on what is wrong with this statement:
Those are not service levels, they are menu options. Even hash browns "all the way" (where did that option go? and where is 'scattered'?) come on the same plate, at the same time, and are expected to be consumed in about the same portion of the magic 20, as any other order of hash browns, and they involve only nominal additional time and effort in preparation.
About the closest thing to different 'service levels" I can think of is the Mickey Mouse waffle (which is made by cutting shapes with a soup bowl and a coffee mug in one of the ordinary round waffles, and arranging the pieces into the familiar shape). It could be argued that this -- special as it is in the eyes of many children -- is just another menu option, too, albeit an unpublished one.
Smothered, Covered, Chunked, Diced, Peppered, Capped, Topped, and Country
https://www.ajc.com/entertainment/dining/your-guide-waffle-house-hash-browns/u6FvGwLoPboYIaz6hFukGP/
Explain the erroneous part of this first because I am still curious where this statement is in error. And as someone that wants to maintain harmony of the discussion forums and keep everyone happy..........I am still scratching my head on what is wrong with this statement.
That is what 2nd Class Coach is for in Europe. People that just want transportation. You might have to shove a wino aside but you get what you pay for.
Sorry but your remark is erroneous.You obviously haven't ridden second class on intercity trains in many western European countries in many years.
Setting the record and facts straight isn't arguing, ducks..
charlie hebdo First class vs second class are generally considered levels of service. I am unaware of any levels of service in a WH. Your reply suggests once again you don't really know much about DB current operations.
First class vs second class are generally considered levels of service. I am unaware of any levels of service in a WH. Your reply suggests once again you don't really know much about DB current operations.
Meh you just want to argue...................moving on.
charlie hebdoThere are differences in service levels between today's ICE, IC, RE and RB trains and those in the days of D, E, P and F-Züge.
<sigh> The original point being made was 2nd Class is the cheapest ticket class of service available and is for people who just want a seat between points A and B. You attempted to redirect to different levels of service which really has nothing to do with the 2nd class ticket being the cheapest class of ticket.
I can get different levels of service at Waffle House. It is still Waffle House. I don't have to frequent the place to know this.
Your comments betray a lack of any first-hand knowledge. When was the last time you rode any German train?
BTW, I have lived in Germany for extended periods of 3-11 months, first 1969-70 and again 2004 and 2010. There are differences in service levels between today's ICE, IC, RE and RB trains and those in the days of D, E, P and F-Züge.
charlie hebdoSorry but your remark is erroneous.You obviously haven't ridden second class on intercity trains in many western European countries in many years.
All of that is irrelevant to what I stated in my post above. Also not a lot has changed with 2nd class over the last few decades. Certainly it has not changed much since the 1990's. And being a tourist, I would love to hear about your broad experience with European trains someday.
It's very difficult to only use Inter City trains and get where you want to go in Germany and other large European countries unless you live on a trunk line and only travel to cities on the same trunk line.....even then you end up waiting a while if you only want to use the Inter City train. It's the difference between living there and using rail as a necessity and cherry picking trains as a tourist. It's why I was deliberate in what I stated above and limited to only 2nd Class Ticket vs narrowing it a whole lot further to just 2nd Class Ticket on a Inter City train. 2nd Class is the lowest and cheapest class in most of Europe and in the context of this conversation it is what it is. You get what you pay for and it may not always be the upper level of service you get on an Inter City train.
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CMStPnP BEAUSABRE Amtrak is supposed to be transportation That is what 2nd Class Coach is for in Europe. People that just want transportation. You might have to shove a wino aside but you get what you pay for.
BEAUSABRE Amtrak is supposed to be transportation
BEAUSABREAmtrak is supposed to be transportation
charlie hebdoSome improvements cost nothing in terms of additional operating costs. But for Amtrak to improve LD service to bear some resemblance to that of the CZ in 1963 or thereabouts would require more and better staffing. That would raise operating costs and unless fares were raised a bundle, the losses would increase dramatically. And, of course, if the price for sleeper service were raised accordingly, the load factor would drop, possibly precipitously.
Apparently, Amtrak would raise the price and sees the "experience train" concept as a way to narrow but not eliminate the deficit of operating the LD trains they want to keep. They want Congress to fund the experiment seperately from the corridor service.
BEAUSABRE CMStPnP Basically all Amtrak offers is a compartment with bed between point a and b..........and the meals suck unless your a Waffle House patron. It has never offered a true first class experience. It's business class stinks too. Amtrak is supposed to be transportation, not a land cruise. And what's wrong with Waffle House?
CMStPnP Basically all Amtrak offers is a compartment with bed between point a and b..........and the meals suck unless your a Waffle House patron. It has never offered a true first class experience. It's business class stinks too.
Amtrak is supposed to be transportation, not a land cruise. And what's wrong with Waffle House?
Not expecting Amtrak to be the Mountaineer. Just want safe, dependable, comfortable service. I'm not the spry person I was in my youth hostel days so I'm not going to sit up on an overnight train anymore. Being able to have a nice meal or two during the trip makes it especially enjoyable. I'm not assured that Amtrak delivers that right now.
OvermodThat would imply at least two things: 'improvement' of the sleeper experience as necessary to ensure that it covers its own marginal costs, and bettering the current "transportation experience" for the rest of the riders that brings the additional marginal cost of coach or business within budget.
Some improvements cost nothing in terms of additional operating costs. But for Amtrak to improve LD service to bear some resemblance to that of the CZ in 1963 or thereabouts would require more and better staffing. That would raise operating costs and unless fares were raised a bundle, the losses would increase dramatically. And, of course, if the price for sleeper service were raised accordingly, the load factor would drop, possibly precipitously.
Ah Awful House: My experience with them was in the 80s. The food was tolerable. The problem, at least to me in the Atlanta area, was their unsavory and often unwashed clientele.
Has Congress actually repealed the mandate that Amtrak cover its above-the-line costs by 2022? That would imply at least two things: 'improvement' of the sleeper experience as necessary to ensure that it covers its own marginal costs, and bettering the current "transportation experience" for the rest of the riders that brings the additional marginal cost of coach or business within budget.
Some of the approaches, food service options and opportunities among them, address both categories. As Delta pointed out, even minor changes in QoS can have a dramatic effect on liikely take rate.
It just so happens that I can address statement #2, having gotten the highest recorded final exam score as part of WHU #266. (This was during the runup to their Northeast expansion plans, following Krispy Kreme, in case anyone is shaking their head at this point...)
There really is little wrong with the Waffle House operating model, as properly and caringly applied. Except that everything costs too much, and the clients are going to be encouraged to fit the 'magic twenty' -- which is not well served by the 'calling' order model, even with an experienced crew and wait staff.
Most every restaurant falls... short... of that standard, sometimes in awful ways. A savvy manager can address many of them, but he or she has to be vigilant and capable of inspiring 'delegation' of maintenance tasks to people nominally underpaid even before assuming new responsibilities.
As with Amtrak service, WH service could be dramatically improved with relatively slight changes in systems, amenities, and personnel, while preserving those aspects of the 'experience' (such as menu continuity in different regions). Unfortunately, the post-September 2001 management had utterly no interest in any of that, and as far as I can tell still has none.
Knowing what I know... don't expect me back in a Waffle House except for my free large cup of ice on a hot day.
Statement 1: Absolutely!
Statement 2: "Let me count the ways!"
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