But the pies might or might not be the origin of the name. There were three working theories for the name: It’s a nod to the old-time dining cars that featured coffee and pie ... or a reference to the hearty meat pies the circus fed its workers during the labor-intensive giant tent days of generations past ... or “pie” stands for “privileged individuals and employees” who preferred paying to get better food in the dedicated rail car rather than settle for what was offered at the cookhouse, a food-prep tent set up on-site to feed the majority of workers.