KI Food Service Ideas

[shark6495]

True Dane. We did the refill at the Coke station by Diamondback. Line was about 10-15 deep and I think we waited around 5 mins, maybe. But they also only have fountain Coke there so it's a much quicker ice, Coke, and go. Freestyle machines are nice, but they are a headache. I am noticing them in Burger Kings more and more

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[BoddaH1994]

I did notice a certain Executive Chef, accompanied by people in business attire, closely watching the lengthy lines at Festhaus (pizza side) and Rivertown Potato Works on Saturday...none of them looked pleased at all. I think perhaps they know??

I actually talked to Chef Nathan today. (Great guy - say hi to him when you see him!) I've spoken to him and a few others about the food lines. The consensus is that the all season drink cups are what is augmenting the lines the past few weekends. Anyone who waited in the lines would remember the long lines of orange refillable cups. It is likely that as word of the refillable stations travels, the food lines will be reduced greatly. Honestly, with the exception of the lines, my food experiences have been exemplary. An experience that LoraX and I had at Snoopy Grill warranted an email to the VP of foods because of his handling of a rude customer. I also had a very good experience at Reds Grille.

I get that some of you are frustrated about the lines, but with only a few days facing customers, they are doing well. It's not as easy of a job as we'd like to think.

[shark6495]

And what augmented the lines last year? Or what slowed down the Skyline crew? Not attacking just throwing up that it isn't just a this year trend.

Now I will say that today at Snoopy Grill the line moved fairly quickly and there was no huge headache for the day. And the Coke refill station by Diamondback ran very smooth.

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[BoddaH1994]

And what augmented the lines last year? Or what slowed down the Skyline crew? Not attacking just throwing up that it isn't just a this year trend.

Now I will say that today at Snoopy Grill the line moved fairly quickly and there was no huge headache for the day. And the Coke refill station by Diamondback ran very smooth.

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I didn't feel like the lines were always extremely long last year. Nothing like this year, at least. I haven't eaten at IS Skyline, but there could be a bottleneck in there... or it could have been many of the employees first days. I wasn't there. I'm just saying that long lines certainly aren't the result of employees not caring at this point.

[Hoeter]

Should have seen IS Skyline at closing.

Line was almost to the door.

[Jdm_4ever]

In the old days, McDonald's, who has also slowed down, had only hamburgers, cheeseburgers, fries (one size), sodas (small and large) and shakes. And a motto:

KISS: Keep it simple, Stupid.

And QSC-V

Quality

Service

Cleanliness

Value.

Look at KISS. And QSC-V. How's KI Food Service doing on those?

From what I've seen, I'll give them cleanliness.

As I was a supervisor in many different food locations at Kings Island for five years I agree with you. We were always told the most important things were cleanliness and upsell. But I do hope/ think that from 09 to 12 the food and beverage department shined. Most of the supervisors from this era were older high school students to college students. We tried our best but I will say that I think alot of the problem is that you have to look at the employees most of them are high school students who need a summer job and to most of them they don't care about the job or what it entitles. I've seen it happen to many times where a kid well show up their first week and then you never see them again which leaves your stand under staffed and your management team working long days every day of the summer which in turn makes for an unhappy employee and an unhappy experience for the guest. It's no fun being at Kings Island for 14 to 16 hours a day working. I remember some nights I slept in my car in the parking lot because by the time I would get home I would only get two hours of sleep before I had to get up and do it all over again.

[BoddaH1994]

I can't believe I am saying this as cracked up when I thought about it today. People can't handle the Coke Freestyle machines, its too many options and they get lost. People also need to realize that its not the sampling hour of all these new flavor combos at their disposal. The line being 10 mins long to get a refill is because the guests are slow, nothing else.

 

On the other hand... it took 38 mins to get French Fries today at Rivertown Potato Works. The line was only 13 people deep.

Oh, you're completely right about the Freestyle Machines.  Even if you know what you're doing (most don't) it takes much longer to make your selection.  Five years ago when the park got them it was special, but now you can use them at Burger King, Wendy's, etc.  For the sake of saving a lot of time, no one needs peach flavored Mellow Yellow.

[jcgoble3]

But I like my orange Mello Yello! (Note that there is no "w" on the end of either word. ) And it only takes me three seconds to select it, and one extra second compared to a regular fountain to pour the drink (I tap the button briefly to purge the remnants of whatever the last person got before sticking my cup underneath).

 

For those who have trouble with the machine, here's a tip. One of the most common problems I see is that people will select their drink before getting ice, and by the time they finish getting ice, the screen has timed out and they have to go through the entire process to select their drink again. Easy solution: get ice first, THEN select your drink.

[The Interpreter]

Jdm_4ever:

The years you were there were indeed among KI Food Service's best!

[APE]

We were excited to try the Reds Hall of Fame Grille yesterday however they informed us they wouldn't be opening on time and with a toddler waiting a half hour plus is not fun so we walked to the Festhaus. I wanted Panda Express but that line was long as can be. I settled for a pretty good burger and no wait on the other side. 

[medford]

I wonder if they have ever thought about staffing LaRosa's & Skyline with regular employees "subbed" out from are stores.  Much of the commentary I'm seeing is that the food is traditionally staffed by young, unmotivated workers.  I'm sure that is a problem in the food industry in general, few people look to make a career out of serving Skyline, its usually just a path to something else and while you are young, you are often still living under the nest of your mother and/or father, so you have not been struck by the highly motivating fact of "if I don't work, I don't have money, won't get food, can't afford a car, etc...."  Obviously that is not all young kids, and some are just naturally more motivated than others, but anyhoo  back to the point.  If they worked with area LaRosa and Skyline stores, to help them staff, say they get a few regular employees a day from the local in addition to their regular wages, KI would give them a couple of free vouchers to spend the day at KI sometime later in the season.  I imagine one of the challenges is that the jobs become stale quickly.  Its fun to work in an amusement park, but I imagine that quickly dies down when you find yourself sitting inside a back room dishing out pizza's all day.  Chick-fila's employees seem to remain upbeat and positive just like the employees you see at their regular stores, since that is run outside of KI's management, do those employees have a job waiting for them at another restaurant in the area once the season is done?

 

The Reds HOF Grille seems constantly understaffed.  While there are no other restaurants in the area to pull from, certainly you could work out a deal with a local chain to find servers.  Sure there is a bit of a learning curve and they wouldn't know the menu like they would at the store they typically work at, but it would be a similar job, in a fun atmosphere.

[shark6495]

CFA is (as I understand it) a franchise staffed not by the park.

The restaurants you mentioned are KI employees.

You could work out a deal, but why would an outside restaurant give up good employees to another place when it hurts their bottom line. Remember restaurants in the real world have bottom lines and sales percentages they must meet.

So if a restaurant gives up its good coney makers to KI for a few days a week, then that Skyline loses money because they have to hire and train new staff. Plus that coney maker may be out of a job when he returns.

TL/DR: KI prob won't work out a deal with a local restaurant for its staff and would be better off hiring and training better staff

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[thedaveyboyshow]

 

I did notice a certain Executive Chef, accompanied by people in business attire, closely watching the lengthy lines at Festhaus (pizza side) and Rivertown Potato Works on Saturday...none of them looked pleased at all. I think perhaps they know??

I actually talked to Chef Nathan today. (Great guy - say hi to him when you see him!) I've spoken to him and a few others about the food lines. 

I do know a few Executive Chef's in real life and was super impressed that he was focused on Front of House as well as Back of House.  It did resound to me that he was taking the time to observe the lines.  This means they are at least going to attempt to do something.  

[thedaveyboyshow]

We were excited to try the Reds Hall of Fame Grille yesterday however they informed us they wouldn't be opening on time ...

 

We were going to eat at Reds Hall Of Fame Grille on Saturday, about half of the restaurant's tables were completely empty, yet were told the wait time for a table would be 30 to 40 minutes.  NOPE!  We walked on by to the cold burgers at Festhaus.  

[Joshua]

We were excited to try the Reds Hall of Fame Grille yesterday however they informed us they wouldn't be opening on time and with a toddler waiting a half hour plus is not fun so we walked to the Festhaus. I wanted Panda Express but that line was long as can be. I settled for a pretty good burger and no wait on the other side. 

 

 

They seemed to be down on employees. I am not sure if this was a scheduling situation or something out of their control, such as no shows and call offs. When we got there, they said there would be a 45 minute wait, but that they would text us when our table was ready. It turned out to me more of a 20 minute wait. Either they got more staff in or people gave up on waiting. 

[thedaveyboyshow]

 

We were excited to try the Reds Hall of Fame Grille yesterday however they informed us they wouldn't be opening on time and with a toddler waiting a half hour plus is not fun so we walked to the Festhaus. I wanted Panda Express but that line was long as can be. I settled for a pretty good burger and no wait on the other side. 

 

 

They seemed to be down on employees. I am not sure if this was a scheduling situation or something out of their control, such as no shows and call offs. When we got there, they said there would be a 45 minute wait, but that they would text us when our table was ready. It turned out to me more of a 20 minute wait. Either they got more staff in or people gave up on waiting. 

 

 

...but can you comfortably get in a ride line to make the most of your wait???

[Joshua]

 

 

We were excited to try the Reds Hall of Fame Grille yesterday however they informed us they wouldn't be opening on time and with a toddler waiting a half hour plus is not fun so we walked to the Festhaus. I wanted Panda Express but that line was long as can be. I settled for a pretty good burger and no wait on the other side. 

 

 

They seemed to be down on employees. I am not sure if this was a scheduling situation or something out of their control, such as no shows and call offs. When we got there, they said there would be a 45 minute wait, but that they would text us when our table was ready. It turned out to me more of a 20 minute wait. Either they got more staff in or people gave up on waiting. 

 

 

...but can you comfortably get in a ride line to make the most of your wait???

 

 

 

We actually just waited in the seats. We could have went to the shops or just simply walk around. If we found a shorter line elsewhere, we could have ignored the text. But having that table reserved was a benefit. The wait only ended up being 20 minutes, so patience is a virtue. 

[silver2005]

 

 

I get that some of you are frustrated about the lines, but with only a few days facing customers, they are doing well. It's not as easy of a job as we'd like to think.

 

As a KI Food Department alumni and a current food service employee- yeah, it actually is easy as we'd like to think.  

[Joshua]

 

 

I get that some of you are frustrated about the lines, but with only a few days facing customers, they are doing well. It's not as easy of a job as we'd like to think.

 

As a KI Food Department alumni and a current food service employee- yeah, it actually is easy as we'd like to think.  

 

 

 

Customer service jobs can be mentally testing, because it can be rather testing dealing with human beings in general. So while the work is simple and light, having to deal with an interchangeable turnstile of terrible people who insult your intelligence for silly, often presumptuous and naive reasons on a daily basis is not. 

[kjkjkj]

Yesterday, the line for the Coke Freestyle refill station was super long at the one by Adventure Express. I feel like they shouldn't have to scan the season long refill bottles one by one, to let people fill up their drink. I know they probably do it to track how many refills people are getting with the season long bottles versus regular drinks or day long refills, but there has to be a better way of getting people through the drink lines. At Disney at the resorts, their paper cups have an RFID chip in them. The pop fountains don't work unless your RFID chip is activated. There should be exclusive "Season Long Souvenir Cup refill stations", where the machines only work after you scan your souvenir cup barcode. or something similar? 

 

 

It just feels like something isn't working. You shouldn't have to stand in a line that long, just for a quick drink refill. Especially if all you want is some ice water in your souvenir cup. I know there are bottle refills on a lot of the bathrooms now, but those don't have ice. I feel as though Holiday World has the best set up for drinks out of any park I've been to. I don't think we waited in line for a drink once there, because you just walk right up to the seemingly endless drink kiosks and fill your cup for free!

[Jdm_4ever]

I wonder if they have ever thought about staffing LaRosa's & Skyline with regular employees "subbed" out from are stores. Much of the commentary I'm seeing is that the food is traditionally staffed by young, unmotivated workers. I'm sure that is a problem in the food industry in general, few people look to make a career out of serving Skyline, its usually just a path to something else and while you are young, you are often still living under the nest of your mother and/or father, so you have not been struck by the highly motivating fact of "if I don't work, I don't have money, won't get food, can't afford a car, etc...." Obviously that is not all young kids, and some are just naturally more motivated than others, but anyhoo back to the point. If they worked with area LaRosa and Skyline stores, to help them staff, say they get a few regular employees a day from the local in addition to their regular wages, KI would give them a couple of free vouchers to spend the day at KI sometime later in the season. I imagine one of the challenges is that the jobs become stale quickly. Its fun to work in an amusement park, but I imagine that quickly dies down when you find yourself sitting inside a back room dishing out pizza's all day. Chick-fila's employees seem to remain upbeat and positive just like the employees you see at their regular stores, since that is run outside of KI's management, do those employees have a job waiting for them at another restaurant in the area once the season is done?

The Reds HOF Grille seems constantly understaffed. While there are no other restaurants in the area to pull from, certainly you could work out a deal with a local chain to find servers. Sure there is a bit of a learning curve and they wouldn't know the menu like they would at the store they typically work at, but it would be a similar job, in a fun atmosphere.

In 2012 I was at street pizza and also street skyline and we actually do bring in actually employees from stores. They work there for a week and on their last day get a free good pass.

[disco2000]

 

 

I did notice a certain Executive Chef, accompanied by people in business attire, closely watching the lengthy lines at Festhaus (pizza side) and Rivertown Potato Works on Saturday...none of them looked pleased at all. I think perhaps they know??

I actually talked to Chef Nathan today. (Great guy - say hi to him when you see him!) I've spoken to him and a few others about the food lines. 

I do know a few Executive Chef's in real life and was super impressed that he was focused on Front of House as well as Back of House.  It did resound to me that he was taking the time to observe the lines.  This means they are at least going to attempt to do something.  

 

Chef Nate is a nice guy and personable.

 

I have met and spoke with him many times.

 

I know many people that are nice and personable but don't understand or know what they are doing.

 

And that is all I will say about that...

[ohioparksrock]

The poor girl in Festhaus Sunday afternoon had no idea what she was doing. She kept trying to swipe my Platinum Pass instead of scanning it...

[jcgoble3]

The poor girl in Festhaus Sunday afternoon had no idea what she was doing. She kept trying to swipe my Platinum Pass instead of scanning it...

 

Wow. I'm beginning to lose all faith in humanity. Or at least the portion of humanity that works in food service at Kings Island.

[disco2000]

On the plus side, I have complained in other threads last year about so many folks cutting the line at Chicken Shack just for a drink refill and thus really bottlenecked the pay line because I would witness frequently 6-8 folks go thru the exit or skip around people in line to get to drink station and then back up the line with many folks already having their food but not able to get to cashier.

 

This year they keep the exit doors locked and it is comical to see people try to go to that door and see it is locked, bang on said door, have cashier come open door and the customer says they just want a refill and the cashier tells them to get in line!  The way it should be.  Doesn't mean folks are not still cutting the line, but it has been a lot less this year so far!

[ohioparksrock]

I said "it doesn't have a magnetic strip. You have to scan it."

This was after she told me meal plans were only available on gold passes. She was sweet as can be but totally overwhelmed (and it wasn't busy at 11:20am) and unprepared!

[APE]

You were in there at the same time as me as i got my food at 11:22. I didn't have any issues but maybe you straightened her out by the time I came through.

[ohioparksrock]

We were on the register closest to the bathrooms. I'm not complaining about the dining plan. We love it and the options at Carowinds and Cedar Point make up for the headaches at KI. That poor girl just shouldn't have been thrown to the wolves just yet.

[ginagirl2020]

So I want to give credit where credit is due. On Saturday afternoon around 3:30ish I took my son through the pizza line in Festhaus and it moved fairly quickly. There was a holdup with people refilling their cups & the cashier seemed to struggle. No biggie...it was only the second weekend so she will eventually catch on. That night we got cheesesteaks at the pit by Diamondback and they were really fast there as well. 

 

We went back on Sunday and hit up Subway in Coney. There were 2 lines. The one line moved fast and the other which was the one I was in was really slow. I almost wanted to tell the kid nicely "hey I am okay if my sandwiches don't look pretty" lol.  Sunday evening we went to Skyline on Intl Street. The line there was surprisingly quick but they ran out of fries & chili. But it was time to close when we were there. All in all, so far I am seeing an improvement so far.

 

I still say that there should be a separate line for drinks. I have not bought & do not plan to buy a souvenir cup. :-) I usually take a bottle of water but I forgot...so I went to the stand in Coney by the bumper cars to ask for a cup of ice water and after waiting a good 10 minutes the worker told me that as of this year they're not allowed to give out cups of ice water. Needless to say I was miffed. 

[Hoeter]

I've gotten cups of ice water, gratis, several times this season already. Once on Sunday at Rivertown Larosas and one last Saturday at RHOFG.

 

Another poster on here said they asked for a cup of water and the particular stand wanted to charge $4.13, tax included for it.

 

They're still getting the hang of things but as far as I know it's the same as in seasons past.