DineFresh (Int'l Premium Meals)
Dec 3, 2012, 10:02 pm
#31
Join Date: Aug 2011
Location: DCA/CLT/HKG
Programs: AA EXP (Former US CP)
Posts: 730
And it's tough to think that only ten years ago wine was complimentary in coach:
http://web.archive.org/web/200008150...al/service.htm
http://web.archive.org/web/200008150...al/service.htm
Jan 15, 2013, 7:08 am
#32
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Charlotte
Programs: US CP
Posts: 224
Well, I guess I'll be a guinea pig for this, then 
I'm flying CLT-FRA tonight and decided to try out the DineFresh meal. (Since I'm on work, and there's not One Flew South like in ATL, I figure I'm not necessarily missing out on much by trying it out.) I'll let the folks know when I find out, and I'm going to try to be fair in my comments.
--Comments--
Well, I'll admit that it was a step up from the standard meal (based on the appearance of my seatmate's meal), but it wasn't worth the $20. Presentation was pretty decent overall, but that was probably the best part. It's worth mentioning that I tend to prefer very full flavors, so Indian dishes, Thai Dishes, and well-seasoned Italian dishes are among my favorites.
I had the vegetarian option, which consists of a caprese salad, baba/hummus, tortellini, and cheesecake. The caprese salad, which had some wilted basil, simply had no flavor - not much salt. I liked the baba/hummus - well-seasoned, although it didn't taste especially "fresh." The tortellini portion was quite small compared to what I might have expected for an entree (the salad and dessert were comparatively large) and again lacked seasoning (I couldn't taste the sun-dried tomatoes that were supposedly there), and the cheesecake felt grainy (lacked good texture) and one-dimensional.
If this was a complementary coach meal, I would have been happy (although I would have preferred a smaller slice of cheesecake and a little more fruit, as well as more seasoning). That said, in terms of taste, I preferred meals from Emirates and Air India that I've had in coach (for free). If it shows my expectations are skewed, so be it - but I'd expect at least (and probably better than) the quality of an international coach meal if I'm paying $15-20 (while I had the wine, I certainly could have gone with water and been just as happy.)
If you have any questions, please let me know and I'll follow up the best that I can.
PS - To respond to the above poster, neither the tomatoes nor cheese were frozen, which is a big plus.
I'm flying CLT-FRA tonight and decided to try out the DineFresh meal. (Since I'm on work, and there's not One Flew South like in ATL, I figure I'm not necessarily missing out on much by trying it out.) I'll let the folks know when I find out, and I'm going to try to be fair in my comments.
--Comments--
Well, I'll admit that it was a step up from the standard meal (based on the appearance of my seatmate's meal), but it wasn't worth the $20. Presentation was pretty decent overall, but that was probably the best part. It's worth mentioning that I tend to prefer very full flavors, so Indian dishes, Thai Dishes, and well-seasoned Italian dishes are among my favorites.
I had the vegetarian option, which consists of a caprese salad, baba/hummus, tortellini, and cheesecake. The caprese salad, which had some wilted basil, simply had no flavor - not much salt. I liked the baba/hummus - well-seasoned, although it didn't taste especially "fresh." The tortellini portion was quite small compared to what I might have expected for an entree (the salad and dessert were comparatively large) and again lacked seasoning (I couldn't taste the sun-dried tomatoes that were supposedly there), and the cheesecake felt grainy (lacked good texture) and one-dimensional.
If this was a complementary coach meal, I would have been happy (although I would have preferred a smaller slice of cheesecake and a little more fruit, as well as more seasoning). That said, in terms of taste, I preferred meals from Emirates and Air India that I've had in coach (for free). If it shows my expectations are skewed, so be it - but I'd expect at least (and probably better than) the quality of an international coach meal if I'm paying $15-20 (while I had the wine, I certainly could have gone with water and been just as happy.)
If you have any questions, please let me know and I'll follow up the best that I can.
PS - To respond to the above poster, neither the tomatoes nor cheese were frozen, which is a big plus.
Jan 15, 2013, 7:13 am
#33
Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Alexandria, VA - DCA
Programs: BA Gold, American Airlines, Marriott Plat, Hilton Diamond, IHG Diamond
Posts: 5,075
If you want, do what I do and ask for a second bottle with the first drink service, letting the FA know you'd like the second "in order to save time and so I don't have to bother you later..."
Jan 15, 2013, 7:14 am
#34
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Mar 2000
Posts: 17,405
I'm a bit surprised that they don't seem to offer the DineFresh option without a reservation. This seems like a classic impulse purchase. Like you see the regular fare being offered and you think, hmm, I'd sure rather eat something a little tastier.
I guess they don't want the risk of leftover merchandise. But I would think they'd sell at least half a dozen of these on any transatlantic flight. I'm skeptical that this is something many travellers would feel compelled to order in advance. Kind of like I wouldn't reserve a sandwich to pick up at an airport restaurant.
I guess they don't want the risk of leftover merchandise. But I would think they'd sell at least half a dozen of these on any transatlantic flight. I'm skeptical that this is something many travellers would feel compelled to order in advance. Kind of like I wouldn't reserve a sandwich to pick up at an airport restaurant.
Jan 15, 2013, 1:00 pm
#35
Join Date: Jan 2010
Location: Charlotte
Programs: US CP
Posts: 224
I'm going to do it if only for the wine and try it out to report back. I would think there would be less people doing this esp on the later flights. The meal won't get served to me until after 10pm on my flight. Much more worth it on a 6 or 7pm departure. When it's that late I almost fee like grabbing a burger in PHL and taking on the plane.
Jan 29, 2013, 7:44 am
#36
Join Date: Dec 2012
Location: Philadelphia
Programs: HH Diamond, IHG Plat, SPG & Marriott Gold, CC Silver
Posts: 541
DineFresh fail
I got the email offer an hour ago. Just clicked on the link to consider the order, and... "Currently there are no items available on this flight, or the flight's order cut-off time has passed." The deadline is 1/31 at 6 p.m. and I find it hard to believe they've sold out after only an hour.
But then I read this thread and saw that it was a cold meal, so I'll pass. I can pack cold snacks from home.
But then I read this thread and saw that it was a cold meal, so I'll pass. I can pack cold snacks from home.
Jan 30, 2013, 2:27 pm
#37
Join Date: Feb 2011
Posts: 226
Only 5,000 Sold Since August
http://edition.cnn.com/2013/01/29/tr...ler/index.html
The CNN article above cites a US Airways source saying 5,000 sold since the launch in Aug. My gut seems this is a bit low to consider the program a 'success' - that's on average about 30 meals sold a day, estimating there are ~20 daily flights that are eligible for the DineFresh program (flights from PHL or CLT to Europe) that's give or take 1 DineFresh sold per flight.
I dunno the economics of this, but wonder at this sales volume why not just cater a handful of extra F meals and sell them while in the air to passengers in Y who are interested. Rather than go through the logistics of working with this 3rd party vendor, forcing customers to pre-order, and then managing delivery of a single one-off meal to each flight...
The CNN article above cites a US Airways source saying 5,000 sold since the launch in Aug. My gut seems this is a bit low to consider the program a 'success' - that's on average about 30 meals sold a day, estimating there are ~20 daily flights that are eligible for the DineFresh program (flights from PHL or CLT to Europe) that's give or take 1 DineFresh sold per flight.
I dunno the economics of this, but wonder at this sales volume why not just cater a handful of extra F meals and sell them while in the air to passengers in Y who are interested. Rather than go through the logistics of working with this 3rd party vendor, forcing customers to pre-order, and then managing delivery of a single one-off meal to each flight...
Dec 28, 2013, 4:09 pm
#38
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Phoenix, AZ, USA
Programs: AA ExP (former HP/US), Marriott (former SPG) Lifetime Platinum, and most other major hotel programs
Posts: 455
DineFresh option . . . how does it compare?
I do not recall what the "standard meal" is on US transatlantic flights. However, I have a coach flight from FRA to PHL (flight 701) scheduled this week. I just received an e-mail from US stating the following:
What is the standard meal? Has anyone every tried DineFresh? How does it compare with the standard meal?
Does the standard service include any wine or beer, etc.?
Upgrade to DineFresh on your flight
Confirmation code: ...
From: Frankfurt, Germany (FRA)
To: Philadelphia, PA (PHL)
Date: ...
We now offer DineFresh – premium chilled meals, which include your choice of wine on international flights in Economy. Treat yourself to antipasto, marinated lime chicken breast or vegetarian tabbouleh on your way to Philadelphia.* Buy a DineFresh meal for $21.99 and your flight attendant will bring it right to your seat. Quantities are limited, so order your meal today.
*If purchased, your DineFresh meal replaces your standard Economy meal.
Confirmation code: ...
From: Frankfurt, Germany (FRA)
To: Philadelphia, PA (PHL)
Date: ...
We now offer DineFresh – premium chilled meals, which include your choice of wine on international flights in Economy. Treat yourself to antipasto, marinated lime chicken breast or vegetarian tabbouleh on your way to Philadelphia.* Buy a DineFresh meal for $21.99 and your flight attendant will bring it right to your seat. Quantities are limited, so order your meal today.
*If purchased, your DineFresh meal replaces your standard Economy meal.
Does the standard service include any wine or beer, etc.?
Dec 28, 2013, 6:24 pm
#39
Join Date: Aug 2005
Location: All Over
Programs: DL Gold, AA EXP, SPG Plat, Hilton Dia, Hyatt Glob, CC Gold, Avis President's Club
Posts: 574
Now that US provides complimentary wine in coach, is the wine offered to DineFresh customers a premium wine over the coach mini-bottle wine?
Dec 28, 2013, 6:54 pm
#40
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: High Point, NC
Programs: None
Posts: 9,171
I think that the standard wine is given unless a passenger purchases a premium wine (which is larger bottle served along with the standard coach wine). Dinefresh meals are all cold meals and there are supposed to be 4 choices now. The price has gone up $2 since the program started, to $22.
As your email said, if you order dinefresh it is served in place of the standard meal. That makes the dinefresh pretty expensive to me - $22 + $10 or so that the standard meal would cost to deliver on board.
I don't know if it's a sign of lack of demand or what, but it appears that only 3 dinefresh meals are catered for the TATL flights so if you want to try it you might want to order early. The cutoff for ordering dinefresh is 24 hours prior to departure.
Jim
As your email said, if you order dinefresh it is served in place of the standard meal. That makes the dinefresh pretty expensive to me - $22 + $10 or so that the standard meal would cost to deliver on board.
I don't know if it's a sign of lack of demand or what, but it appears that only 3 dinefresh meals are catered for the TATL flights so if you want to try it you might want to order early. The cutoff for ordering dinefresh is 24 hours prior to departure.
Jim
Dec 29, 2013, 12:48 am
#41
Join Date: Jan 2004
Location: Phoenix, AZ, USA
Programs: AA ExP (former HP/US), Marriott (former SPG) Lifetime Platinum, and most other major hotel programs
Posts: 455
What is the standard meal? Using my Chairman's upgrades, I have generally had the Envoy meals on TATL flights. How is the coach meal different? Is it a hot meal? If so, is it usually overcooked?
Dec 29, 2013, 6:24 am
#42
Join Date: Aug 2003
Posts: 327
I did Dine Fresh from Munich/PHL in October. My experience was less than great. To answer your questions, it is a chilled plate with stuff like humus, prosccuitto, veggie antipasta, chicken, etc. There are a choice of three options. The premium wine you get with Dine Fresh is the same as the bottled wine available for purchase in coach.
My rationale for ordering it is that I find the free Chardonnay in coach to be practically unpalatable and I usually end up buying the other one anyway. So I figured I might as well spring a little extra for the dine fresh. I had seen someone order it on my outbound flight and it looked pretty good.
The biggest problem I had is that I didn't get the meal I ordered. (I ordered chicken and got the meat/antipasta plate). It was pretty good but it was extremely meat heavy, which is why I ordered chicken in the first place. If I was a vegetarian it would have been a bigger problem.
The next problem is that the the flight attendant made a big deal out of it to the point of being embarrassing. When I mentioned it wasn't what I ordered, she talked really loudly so everyone around could hear saying "you need to all and complain because for $22 you should be getting what you want, etc." It was a full flight and I think I was the only one who got it and I didn't really like being singled out in that way, like the sucker who paid $22.
The final problem is that I got absolutely no response from the Dine Fresh customer service, even after completing the survey they sent me.
On the positive side, the food was good (fresh vegetables) and the portion extremely generous (which in itself was another problem since I was still munching away long after everyone around me). It doesn't really compare to Envoy, since it's a single plate and chilled. It's better than the standard coach offering in terms of size and freshness, but it's not hot. For me, Dine Fresh would make more sense on a dinner flight--on the daytime TATL it was too much food for me.
That's my 2 cents!
My rationale for ordering it is that I find the free Chardonnay in coach to be practically unpalatable and I usually end up buying the other one anyway. So I figured I might as well spring a little extra for the dine fresh. I had seen someone order it on my outbound flight and it looked pretty good.
The biggest problem I had is that I didn't get the meal I ordered. (I ordered chicken and got the meat/antipasta plate). It was pretty good but it was extremely meat heavy, which is why I ordered chicken in the first place. If I was a vegetarian it would have been a bigger problem.
The next problem is that the the flight attendant made a big deal out of it to the point of being embarrassing. When I mentioned it wasn't what I ordered, she talked really loudly so everyone around could hear saying "you need to all and complain because for $22 you should be getting what you want, etc." It was a full flight and I think I was the only one who got it and I didn't really like being singled out in that way, like the sucker who paid $22.
The final problem is that I got absolutely no response from the Dine Fresh customer service, even after completing the survey they sent me.
On the positive side, the food was good (fresh vegetables) and the portion extremely generous (which in itself was another problem since I was still munching away long after everyone around me). It doesn't really compare to Envoy, since it's a single plate and chilled. It's better than the standard coach offering in terms of size and freshness, but it's not hot. For me, Dine Fresh would make more sense on a dinner flight--on the daytime TATL it was too much food for me.
That's my 2 cents!
Dec 29, 2013, 7:45 am
#43
Join Date: Apr 2006
Location: High Point, NC
Programs: None
Posts: 9,171
Jim
Mar 30, 2014, 8:44 pm
#44
Join Date: Jan 2014
Location: USA
Posts: 54
Dine Fresh...like throwing $20 into the wind
Anyone else book a meal only to be grilled during dinner service about whether or not you REALLY booked it ("Did you book it ONLINE?... Did you PAY for it?...Are you SURE???")? After that I was told there was absolutely "no Special Meal" for me on board. So I gave up explaining and assuring him that I had really and truly ordered online and pre-paid for a Dine Fresh meal. I gave up asking the FA to make sure there wasn't a mix up since I had changed seats and I just ate the crappy pasta meal.
Much later, well after dinner service when most everyone is going to sleep, I see a FA with a black box talking to someone in the row I was supposed to be in. I see FA take that black cardboard dinner-size box all the way to the back after the very confused passenger in row 17 tells her "no" repeatedly. Just for fun, I walk back to see if perhaps that was my Dine Fresh meal and yup, mystery solved.
"Do you want it now?" - uhhh, no, I can't eat a second meal! "How about the premium wine, do you want that now?" - again, no, not after I paid $7 for a cocktail. Plus, it's no fun to drink alone, in the dark while everyone around you is asleep.
So, while Dine Fresh seems like a great idea in theory - in practice it only served to get my hopes up about having a better meal in coach on a long international flight. I wish it had worked. I am their target market (usually sit in coach, want upgraded food options & willing to pay for them). I would be a loyal customer on every flight where I could purchase it, if only the FAs could retrieve my meal from the fridge.
This was last night 3/30/14 btw (CLT-CDG).
For those curious about the meal itself - I ordered the Vegetarian Potstickers. I don't eat meat so it sounded really good (potstickers, salad, lemon tart dessert). I cannot comment on what it actually tasted like since I obviously didn't eat it.
Now I am just wondering when my money will be refunded. I contacted Dine Fresh through their website and requested a refund. I got the auto reply stating that they would "review my request and let me know within 2 business days".
Update: Dine Fresh contacted me & offered to not only refund the money I paid for the misplaced meal on the outbound flight but to also give me a comp meal on my flight back home. So, fair enough if they deliver what they have promised, I am certainly willing to give them another shot. I will report back once I get the comp meal on my return flight in a couple of weeks.
Much later, well after dinner service when most everyone is going to sleep, I see a FA with a black box talking to someone in the row I was supposed to be in. I see FA take that black cardboard dinner-size box all the way to the back after the very confused passenger in row 17 tells her "no" repeatedly. Just for fun, I walk back to see if perhaps that was my Dine Fresh meal and yup, mystery solved.
"Do you want it now?" - uhhh, no, I can't eat a second meal! "How about the premium wine, do you want that now?" - again, no, not after I paid $7 for a cocktail. Plus, it's no fun to drink alone, in the dark while everyone around you is asleep.
So, while Dine Fresh seems like a great idea in theory - in practice it only served to get my hopes up about having a better meal in coach on a long international flight. I wish it had worked. I am their target market (usually sit in coach, want upgraded food options & willing to pay for them). I would be a loyal customer on every flight where I could purchase it, if only the FAs could retrieve my meal from the fridge.
This was last night 3/30/14 btw (CLT-CDG).
For those curious about the meal itself - I ordered the Vegetarian Potstickers. I don't eat meat so it sounded really good (potstickers, salad, lemon tart dessert). I cannot comment on what it actually tasted like since I obviously didn't eat it.
Now I am just wondering when my money will be refunded. I contacted Dine Fresh through their website and requested a refund. I got the auto reply stating that they would "review my request and let me know within 2 business days".
Update: Dine Fresh contacted me & offered to not only refund the money I paid for the misplaced meal on the outbound flight but to also give me a comp meal on my flight back home. So, fair enough if they deliver what they have promised, I am certainly willing to give them another shot. I will report back once I get the comp meal on my return flight in a couple of weeks.
Last edited by Binagirl; Mar 31, 2014 at 10:11 pm
Apr 2, 2014, 12:07 am
#45
FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: PHX & AGP
Programs: AA Lifetime PLT, Bonvoy Lifetime Titanium, Hilton Gold
Posts: 11,451
Anyone else book a meal only to be grilled during dinner service about whether or not you REALLY booked it ("Did you book it ONLINE?... Did you PAY for it?...Are you SURE???")? After that I was told there was absolutely "no Special Meal" for me on board. So I gave up explaining and assuring him that I had really and truly ordered online and pre-paid for a Dine Fresh meal. I gave up asking the FA to make sure there wasn't a mix up since I had changed seats and I just ate the crappy pasta meal.
Much later, well after dinner service when most everyone is going to sleep, I see a FA with a black box talking to someone in the row I was supposed to be in. I see FA take that black cardboard dinner-size box all the way to the back after the very confused passenger in row 17 tells her "no" repeatedly. Just for fun, I walk back to see if perhaps that was my Dine Fresh meal and yup, mystery solved.
"Do you want it now?" - uhhh, no, I can't eat a second meal! "How about the premium wine, do you want that now?" - again, no, not after I paid $7 for a cocktail. Plus, it's no fun to drink alone, in the dark while everyone around you is asleep.
Update: Dine Fresh contacted me & offered to not only refund the money I paid for the misplaced meal on the outbound flight but to also give me a comp meal on my flight back home. So, fair enough if they deliver what they have promised, I am certainly willing to give them another shot. I will report back once I get the comp meal on my return flight in a couple of weeks.
Much later, well after dinner service when most everyone is going to sleep, I see a FA with a black box talking to someone in the row I was supposed to be in. I see FA take that black cardboard dinner-size box all the way to the back after the very confused passenger in row 17 tells her "no" repeatedly. Just for fun, I walk back to see if perhaps that was my Dine Fresh meal and yup, mystery solved.
"Do you want it now?" - uhhh, no, I can't eat a second meal! "How about the premium wine, do you want that now?" - again, no, not after I paid $7 for a cocktail. Plus, it's no fun to drink alone, in the dark while everyone around you is asleep.
Update: Dine Fresh contacted me & offered to not only refund the money I paid for the misplaced meal on the outbound flight but to also give me a comp meal on my flight back home. So, fair enough if they deliver what they have promised, I am certainly willing to give them another shot. I will report back once I get the comp meal on my return flight in a couple of weeks.