Grain & Grill Restaurant for Kings Dominion 2020

[IndyGuy4KI]

https://www.kingsdominion.com/blog/2020/grain-and-grill?fbclid=IwAR15hq9WvPBvXNhzoFcUmxTWCn4t886IpwX2gycjdmaoMVT3rc8gSupZy-I

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Meet, Grain & Grill. This International grill style restaurant will feature seasonally locally sourced ingredients as a part of your All Season Dining plan. You can find Grain & Grill on International Street where Panda Express stood. The building is getting a full refresh including updates to the patio to feature a full-service bar – complete with your favorite craft beers, ciders, wines, and cocktails.

[King Ding Dong]

Not Fair!  We need one if these!

[malem]

It's great to see a Cedar Fair park bringing in a restaurant focused on healthier options. Hopefully it's the start of a trend.

48 minutes ago, King Ding Dong said:

Not Fair!  We need one if these!

Which KI food location do you think could use a concept like this?

Food at KI is already in a pretty good spot after three consecutive years of new restaurants.

[King Ding Dong]

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And, we’re proud to be able to offer a location that can easily cater to many dietary needs. Gluten-Free – That’s a no-grainer. Low-carb? Sweet! Keto? You got it. Paleo – YUP. 

KI has a location that can do all that? Coney BBQ gets close but the sides are really carby, except for the greens possibly.

[Benjamin22]

I think the Skyline on international street being replaced with something like this would be nice.

[BeeastFarmer]

58 minutes ago, Ben43065 said:

I think the Skyline on international street being replaced with something like this would be nice.

I doubt Skyline in the Swiss Building will leave anytime soon since it is a KI sponsor.  And Skyline and KI go hand in hand for many.  I could see it downsized now that there is more patio seating by the Royal Fountain--leaving the seating area open for something like the Yogurt Place.  The French Building would be great for a new eatery if it could be reconfigured.  

 

Of course, I would like a Harmony Hall type eatery, but it may be superfluous with the Festhaus.  But it would be a great indoor venue for Winterfest, especially at the other end of the area formerly known as Coney Mall.

[silver2005]

I wish Skyline at the park would bring back foot long coneys.   

[Benjamin22]

Here’s the menu, looks like it provides some good healthy options. https://www.kingsdominion.com/blog/2020/foodie-friday-grain-and-grill-dining

[brenthodge]

Update. With ChickFilA leaving KI, Skyline could hopefully move there (or just out altogether since we already have it in Coney and add this to the existing IS skyline spot. 

[PKIDelirium]

Eh, it's nice to have an indoor Skyline. Just keep it there and use the CFA building for something new.

[brenthodge]

53 minutes ago, PKIDelirium said:

Eh, it's nice to have an indoor Skyline. Just keep it there and use the CFA building for something new.

Yeah. Indoor skyline. You could NEVET find that about 5 minutes from the park. It’s a waste of indoor seating for something you can get with quick walk a few 100 more yards. Put better fans and a little more covering on the Skyline patio and you’d be set “almost” indoor skyline. 

[silver2005]

^Not everyone wants to leave the park.

[disco2000]

^Plus the meal plan doesn't get you Skyline outside of the park...

[beastfan11]

Not everybody wants to overspend on the meal plan. If there’s a Skyline literally five minutes up the street, why would I want to overpay for already overpriced meal? Especially given the fact that the Skyline in the park, while good, isn’t restaurant quality. 
 

I love Skyline and want it to exist across the park, don’t get me wrong. But I’d rather have a new restaurant on International Street and move Skyline over to the old Chick-Fil-A building. It’s a prime pieces of restaurant real estate that deserves a lot more. 

[brenthodge]

1 hour ago, beastfan11 said:

Not everybody wants to overspend on the meal plan. If there’s a Skyline literally five minutes up the street, why would I want to overpay for already overpriced meal? Especially given the fact that the Skyline in the park, while good, isn’t restaurant quality. 
 

I love Skyline and want it to exist across the park, don’t get me wrong. But I’d rather have a new restaurant on International Street and move Skyline over to the old Chick-Fil-A building. It’s a prime pieces of restaurant real estate that deserves a lot more. 

Amen! I’m all for local and even national brands being featured sponsors but I think with all the work the park is going to improve overall “immersive experience “ they really need to look at how these brands can enhance, not fight that. I’m not saying no skyline anywhere, but put it where it makes sense-in Coney… where you get… you know… coneys. Not front and center (left) when you enter the park. Same with LaRosas. Sell it, but make it part of an overall Italian concept, not randomly stuck in the “river frontier” I feel like the park has let the brands call the shots for a long time, probably relying on them to foot the bill for things like build out and signage. 

 

3 hours ago, silver2005 said:

^Not everyone wants to leave the park.

Then don’t-walk a few feet more and get it in Coney where it makes thematic sense. 

 

3 hours ago, disco2000 said:

^Plus the meal plan doesn't get you Skyline outside of the park...

So use you meal plan at the Skyline in the park… in coney. Are people really that lazy that they can’t walk ALL THE WAY to the location there to get their chili dogs? 

 

On 1/17/2020 at 2:34 PM, King Ding Dong said:

Not Fair!  We need one if these!

And we also need an international street with lamp posts back. 

[BeeastFarmer]

Even with the recent remodel, the Skyline is tired and stale.  It is inefficient as well.  So, if they are going to make a move, they should tear it to the studs and restart.  If there ever was a good time to do a switcharoo, that would be the time.

Whatever goes into the CFA place, it will need to be child friendly.  That was why that spot made a great place for CFA...finger foods to grab and go.  So, for this area, I think Skyline does not make sense.  But for adults, it would make great sense because they wouldn't make (as much) of a mess with the food as kids.  Overall, though, I could see the entire area being covered in cheese and chili and smelling sour on hot days.

I think it's important for Skyline and LaRosa's to be a prominent fixture at KI.  They are local, and LaRosa's, in one form or another, has been there since day one.  And I think it does belong in Rivertown because it has been pizza since the day the building opened.  Can't get more original and nostalgic than that.

[silver2005]

Uhhh....Coney Island and Skyline coneys have next to nothing in common sans being named the same.  Same names do not equate to theming as much as you guys want to overthink it.

Pssst....they're keeping 2 Skylines in the main park. I imagine part of the deal between the park and Skyline/LaRosa's is a sales quota that may require multiple locations.

[Hawaiian Coasters 325]

I've also had a talk from with a friend of mine that if/when subway eventually leaves, the Soak City subway could become a Skyline and the current skyline express becomes a drink stand. Just speculation though.