Food, no trash in Parking lot great article:

[westcoaster]

Its a no brainer that you want to show up to a Theme Park with a clean, great, fresh experience from the parking lot, to tantalizing taste buds for yummy on the tummy food goodness, its a whole experience not just coasters, or kids rides, a family engaging in shopping, riding, being lazy on a lazy river, surfing on a wave, or slip sliding good times. This article was great, as not the park they are relating to but Knotts Berry Farms, has some of the most scrumptious foods, great experiences, dark rides and flumes, and great entry way int he business.

Neat article to read for every enthusiast.

http://www.fortmilltimes.com/2014/08/04/3643800/carowinds-uses-tasting-spoons.html?sp=/99/231/100/

[bkroz]

Love this. With the parks' shift toward drawing in families and travelers, the idea of providing quality, fairly-priced, delicious food is obvious. When you're running a "thrill park," hot dogs, hamburgers, and chicken fingers are expected fair for the pre-teens and teens who just asked their parents for twenty bucks to go out for the day. A family park runs its kitchens very differently. We've seen that happen at Kings Island.

The food has a premium price, but the quality and quantity will show “the value you are getting,” Muffett said.

Premium price, premium quality. They're not perfectly balanced, but I suppose you wouldn't expect them to be at an amusement park. However, the "captive audience" idea seems to be fading, as it should. If Fun Perks and Dining Deals have taught us anything, it's that management realizes this is NOT a captive audience. There ARE choices, and in the past, most of them involved leaving the park.

We saw it change at Kings Island. Knott's has always had a different atmosphere, especially with food and celebration. Carowinds is changing, too.

"They gotta eat," we used to hear.

Last time I was at Kings Dominion, the Trail's End Grille (now renamed the Hungry Hippo - hopefully its offerings have changed, too) offered three burgers, period. All were served in plastic to-go boxes and under heating lamps. Grab a tray, grab your burger, and pay. The plain burger (a tasteless patty on a humid bun) was $8.00. Adding cheese (labeled only by a yellow sticker on the plastic to-go box) made it $10. Adding a patty-shaped bacon circle (discernible only by a brown sticker on the plastic to-go box) made it $12. No fries. No beverage. To be fair, it did include a lovely toppings bar of shredded iceberg lettuce and a vat of tomato slices. "They gotta eat." I did. Not at Kings Dominion.

And at Cedar Point, my last dining experience was watching teenagers swat flies from their sweaty faces as fluorescent lights flickered behind a 1980s-style menu at a pizza place in Frontier Trail. $8 for a pizza slice, $12.50 for a "chicken tenders meal." Two choices. Miserable employees with no empowerment (who could blame them?). Pizza took 25 minutes.

Food can be PART of the experience, not a hinderance to it. I don't mind paying $12 for artisan flatbread pizza with fresh ingredients and barbecue chicken at Disney California Adventure's Boardwalk Pizza and Pasta. I'll spend $11 for the park's Mediterranean steak skewer with rice pilaf, cucumber salad, and chimichurri sauce served with a warm pita. They're STILL making a killing, but pleasing the guest at the same time. In the past, Cedar Fair's prices were downright ridiculous for the food offered, and "well, it's a theme park, what do you expect?" was the least sensical answer in the bunch. Lines are out the door for bratwurst and knackwurst in Busch Gardens' Das Festhaus. That said, you eat your sausage and sauerkraut while watching an Oktoberfest show, not "The Boyz Are Back."

At Disneyland Resort, you'd be hard-pressed to find chicken fingers or a hamburger. When you do find one, it's an angus burger with BBQ pulled pork and guacamole, served with sweet potato fries. Price? Same as Kings Dominion's.

This shift was much-needed. Glad to see it spreading.

[The Interpreter]

And yet, in an expected interview, the Kings Island chef made the exact same comment. People have to eat.

Where at Kings Island is the healthy fare? Reds Grille and a salad here or there hardly counts.

I see the meal plans as even worse. Junk food, all summer long. One low price. Oh, joy.

[thedevariouseffect]

Plus being honest his food sucked. I don't believe he tasted anything prior to service on CC Media Day. Food was ok, but honestly it's sad when a minor at a food stand has cooked better chicken than someone else.

And how do you screw up dinner rolls???

[TTD-120-420]

Kings Dominion has the worst food of any Cedar Fair park I have been to. It's awful.

[vortexfan]

I see the meal plans as even worse. Junk food, all summer long. One low price. Oh, joy.

I noticed this when I was planning my Cedar Point trip for next week. With the exception of Midway Market, there is basically nothing but grease on the meal plans. Gross.

[The Interpreter]

Kings Dominion has the worst food of any Cedar Fair park I have been to. It's awful.

That's being nice.

[thedevariouseffect]

Indeed..It's sad if I say Larosa may actually improve that park. Maybe our people gatta eat chef should head down there next.

[The Interpreter]

That could improve two parks at once!

[thedevariouseffect]

Indeed, he can take his dry unflavored chicken and rock hard brick buns with him..