Only KI based restaurants in the park

[Sonofbeast2.0]

Do you think KI should rid almost all other restaurants that aren't "owned" by KI? Like keep stuff like Jukebox Diner and get rid of Subway and replace it with their own version of subs, rid Chick-fl-a, replace with their own grilled and breaded chicken options at a lower cost. do the same to Panda Express and anything else i'm missing,but leave stuff like, Graeter's Ice cream, Starbucks, Cinnabon, and then also keep Laroas's and Skyline because that us something that can only be found local.

So anything except for the few exceptions, I think should be changed to Ki's own brand of food. Make some more exclusive food/drinks too that can't be found anywhere but KI (or possibly other CF parks).

I would also like to see a more relaxed and sit down restaurant in the park. Other than Red Hall of Fame Grill.

[CedarPointer]

I wouldn't mind seeing Chick-Fil-A or Subway leave, but I don't see a huge issue with everything else, especially LaRosa's and Skyline. Speaking of chicken restaurants, how come the other parks don't have Mrs. Knott's Chicken Dinner restaurants? Seems like it'd be unique and cool...

[The Interpreter]

I think someone is not aware of how those "chain" restaurants are there.

Would you like higher prices?

There's a reason Six Flags and Cedar Fair have done what they have.

[BB1]

I like my Chick Fil-A tea, so I say no.

[The Interpreter]

...Never on Sunday.

[BB1]

...Never on Sunday.

Thankfully so, some of the admirable properties of the establishment are the Christian beliefs and ideas.

[DontWantToWait42mar0]

I like Hank's. I end up going to Chipotle more times than not however.

I cover a lot of ground on my KI adventures.

[Ride On_17]

I'm fine with the current restaurants. And like Terp said, getting rid of chain restaurants would probably raise the prices instead of lowering them. I like the restaurants that are in the park and don't think it is necessary to get rid of them.

[DontWantToWait42mar0]

...Never on Sunday.

Thankfully so, some of the admirable properties of the establishment are the Christian beliefs and ideas.

Very well put, if only we could get everyone else to believe the same (:

[westcoaster]

At the park up near SanJose' in california their chicken is famous too, we were just talking about it in Vegas.

I see KI (with so much option in the future building a hotel on site, with a mini market place like Knotts (the chicken restaurant Knotts has is so good).

I'm not opposed to some chains like Skyline/Larosas/ I would like a UDF (bit cheaper)...

Of course my opinions only:

[Gabe]

UDF was the ice cream store in the park for years, in the spot that Graeter's occupies now. Once the deal with UDF expired, Graeters swooped in like a (dare I say it?) Banshee

[XGatorHead 8904]

UDF was the ice cream store in the park for years, in the spot that Graeter's occupies now. Once the deal with UDF expired, Graeters swooped in like a (dare I say it?) Banshee

UDF was actually where Cinnabon is now. The current Graeter's location was a shop.

I wouldn't mind seeing the national chains (Subway, Chik-Fil-A, Panda Express, Starbucks, Cinnabon) leave, but keep the locals (LaRosa's, Skyline, Graeter's) and possibly add even more local establishments!

-Gator, imagining Busken or Bonnie Lynn in the park, which would be much harder for me to resist than Cinnabon!

[TheCrypt]

I would rather Kings Island replace chains with local food selections.

Edt: which is basically what Gator said.

[Outdoor Man]

I think local "chain" restaurant-only selections would be great but understand the dynamics. I like Chick-fil-A for the same reasons BB1 pointed out earlier. That said, Sunday is typically one of the most attended days of the week and it doesn't serve the park or guests well to have a location closed.

The only other rub I really have, is take Panda Express OUT of the German-themed Festhaus. Why not contract Hofbräuhaus to operate in the Festhaus. Now THAT would be festive!

[Hank]

A few things.....

If you have young children, you;ll understand this. Getting them a turkey sub from Subway is no problem and they'll eat it, but if it's a turkey sub from a KI vendor, even if it look exactly like the Subway sub, they won't touch it. Same goes for Chick-fil-a nuggets, McDonald's French Fries, Wendy's Frosty's - it has to be the brand, not the substitute. So, parks putting in chains is a great idea to provide food that park patrons want while increasing profits at the same time.

You titled this, "Only KI based restaurants in the park" yet before your own first pot was finished, you were making allowances for several chain restaurants. I know it's just a forum thread, but where are you gonna draw the line?

I enjoy a relaxed, sit down dining experience, but I don't think that kind of thing works for amusement parks. They need to keep people moving - it's volume they're looking for. So unless you're willing to pay Disney dinner prices at King's Island, settle for a slice of LaRosa's pizza and hum "This is the night...." to yourself - it's much easier on the wallet.

[The Interpreter]

Hmmm.

Kennywood.

Carowinds.

Kings Dominion.

Camden Park.

Knoebel's Grove Amusement Resort.

All have excellent or very good cafeterias and/or sit down restaurants.

Kings Island is actually the exception! And for those wanting the chains gone, pray tell, what on earth does KI serve that's stellar and not chain food? Well? \crickets/

One thing. Blue ice cream. And even it can be found at Holiday World.

There's the Reds Grille, A step in the right direction...

[Outdoor Man]

We ate at the Reds HOF Grille 2 or three times last year.... it was good. it was expensive, but acceptably so.

[calakapepe]

...Never on Sunday.

Thankfully so, some of the admirable properties of the establishment are the Christian beliefs and ideas.

If you're a strong Christian.

[Hank]

Yes, the cafeteria is an excellent idea - get your food, sit down, relax. You're not really served - you do it yourself, and that's less for the park to do too. Those parks you mentioned, Terp, are set up very well for eateries. I'm hoping Kings Island is working on new things in that department.

[calakapepe]

It seems nowadays people are happier with less human interaction among strangers so I agree. Preferable between employees and customers I'd bet.

[KI-ORIG-EMP]

The difference between national brands vs a local brand is guests from out of the area are familiar with the national chains and the choices they offer.

[XGatorHead 8904]

^I'm the exact opposite. When I go on roadtrips/vacations, I avoid national chains whenever possible and insist on trying the local flavors. Why get the same stuff that I can get anytime at home?

[Creed Bratton]

I'm fine with what Kings Island has. There could be a few more options, especially when it comes to a sit down restaurant with air conditioning whether it be a cafeteria, buffet, full service, etc.

I enjoy Panda Express and LaRosa's. Honestly, I've never ate Subway at the park because I don't enjoy the prices nor the condensed menu.

As for cafeterias....I'm not a huge fan of them in parks. For example, at Kennywood this past summer, I decided to get a salad and a cookie, I paid for it and sat down to eat. That wasn't enough to satisfy me. I then had to fight through about 30 people to get to the area where I wanted food from, then had to wait for someone to put the food on the plate and then had to wait to pay. I think cafeterias are more of a cluster than anything.

[LoraX]

With what it seems to be a new trend, I half expect more of the food truck type offerings. From what they show on various TV shows, they offer a lot of things from cupcakes to full meals that actually look very tasty. Easy to change menus, can easily be moved to different areas as needed.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[BB1]

.....Just give me a shop with tea, and good sandwiches, and I will be good..........

BB1, the target audience with a literal perception of the industry.

[silver2005]

While local selections are nice, I think having at least 1 or 2 national chains would still be best as some patrons just want things that are familiar to them.

[jdf21972]

KI did hire it's own executive chef this year, so I'm looking forward to a better menu and choices at the reds hall of game grill this year.

Sent from my iPhone using Taptalk

[TTD-120-420]

Let's take Dollywood's culinary department and move it to KI.

[The Interpreter]

...or Busch Gardens Williamsburg's.

I'm willing to give the new culinary chef a try. I could have sworn Cedar Fair hired one earlier for KI. Probably s/he left after Dick lectured "People gotta eat...now take some more nickels of cost out...they'll never notice! <evil laugh>"

[Ride On_17]

With what it seems to be a new trend, I half expect more of the food truck type offerings. From what they show on various TV shows, they offer a lot of things from cupcakes to full meals that actually look very tasty. Easy to change menus, can easily be moved to different areas as needed.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I love foodtrucks and hope amusement parks start using them. I know Cedar Point has had one and it serves Lake Erie perch sandwiches. I would rather stop by a food truck while I'm walking to a ride than go out of my way to walk into a restaurant and order. In no way am I lazy and there are cirumstances where I'd prefer the latter, but most of the time I don't want to spend a large amount of time eating a meal when I'm at a park. I'd rather get something quickly and then move on to the next ride or attraction I want to hit. I could really see foodtrucks' popularities expand in parks if they were advertised throughout the park and they offered more selections. I think it would be a great idea.