2024 Dining Preview

RCMAC:

I like junky food, and a glazed donut smash burger is delicious to me.

I'm all about that and have enjoyed the same, but this tower of gastrointestinal terror is just something else.

It's not the ingredients, but the practicality. If you're not humanly capable of enjoying the ingredients together in a bite... ;)

One Pepto Bismol Package please!

And MELT has served its last Lake Erie Monster at the point.

I mean, it never served its first, but now it has lost its chance.

Source: The Forbidden Tabloid

Regarding Tofts.

I'm going to guess it was all about the dollars. On Sunday's preview event, I saw Blue Bunny advertising on the "Fun" TV. I'm going to surmise that Tofts wasn't willing to pay for an ad on the TV, and Blue Bunny was. It may also be a chain wide thing. Management wants the same ice cream served at all parks, so they get rid of another thing that makes Cedar Point unique.

The closing of Melt leaves Chickie's & Pete's and Red Garter Saloon (to a lesser degree) as the only table-service restaurants inside the park, right?

I believe you are correct about that. Melt was an OK place to grab a drink (although not nearly as good as the new Pavilion). I can't say we will really miss it.

Honestly surprised this wasn't an announcement sooner; not that they had to announce it sooner but rather when the other Melts started closing I figured CP's location was on the chopping block.

Table-service doesn't seem to fit the current model of large dining plan locations for food and then smaller stands for adult beverages and drinks/ICEEs.

We visited Melt a few weeks ago because my favorite band had a themed sandwich. I had to give it a go. It LOOKED good, with pastrami, purple cabbage slaw and marble rye bread - but the pastrami was cut way too thick for my tastes and it was extremely fatty and chewy. I could barely eat parts of it. To add insult to injury, it was $19. My wife’s $18 salad was a few pieces of shriveled lettuce and some seriously overdone chicken and cold, fatty bacon.

Food quality has certainly gone way downhill, and the service was just, nonexistent. They had 3 servers and one of them was the bartender AND hosting/seating people.

It’s not the place I remember from years ago. I feel like they expanded too fast and too far, and it became their downfall. It’s sad to see, but it is what it is.

0g:

Regarding Tofts.

I'm going to guess it was all about the dollars. On Sunday's preview event, I saw Blue Bunny advertising on the "Fun" TV. I'm going to surmise that Tofts wasn't willing to pay for an ad on the TV, and Blue Bunny was. It may also be a chain wide thing. Management wants the same ice cream served at all parks, so they get rid of another thing that makes Cedar Point unique.

Blue Bunny is not at Kings Island....they serve Graeters and then whatever brand the Blue Ice Cream stands have.

Regarding Melt- I’m not sad to see them go, I had less than satisfactory food there any time I went. I think we have one left at Easton that I can go to if someone insists. That room was nicely decorated with nostalgic pieces from the past, though, including artwork and the old cartoon/character height requirement signs.
Since those clever (sometimes very clever) height signs went away, any time a new ride is installed I wonder what they would have done for it.

Yeah I miss those signs too and actually do the same thing (wondering what they would've used for current rides). Definitely fond memories, I will miss the nostalgia in melt.

Gee. If only there was a museum or something that could be a home to all that nostalgia...

Haha right!

I remember having a pretty good sandwich at Melt the first year they opened. Every year since then hoping they'd find some way of adding some of their selection to the meal plan.

I stopped in BBQ thinking it wouldn't be that bad to buy a meal once this year before the plan started. Had forgotten how much CP actually wants for a full price meal/drink.

Cedar Point should use the Melt restaurant as a location for another VIP prestige lounge. They did that at Kings Island with an empty restaurant location. Great idea.

Kevinj:

Source: The Forbidden Tabloid

I think we should start linking to it with gravy buffet.

Still waiting on that laugh reaction option...

I tried getting a look at the new prestige area from the top of TT2. Not as much time to look around up there anymore.

If they're planning something prestige-y with Melt, how recently was it decided not to renew. Have they been working on it in secret all off-season and have a big surprise for us opening day? Or maybe something temporary/low budget like the mini golf or Johnny Rockets arcade. Maybe using it for employee services and a fake facade like the frontier town 'bank'.

Or will they just take the sign down, board up the windows, and let it sit empty for a few years.

With the way things have been going recently I can almost guarantee it will sit empty for a few years.

So many vacant areas around the park this year. Kind of depressing.

^Not so certain. They re-did Johnny Rockets last year rather quickly, with that contract also ending at the 11th hour prior to the season. If nothing else they could use the kitchen to just fry up some more world-class chicken tendies.