An open PLEA to CP Management (answers please?)

First let me start by saying I've been a member of this site/ former site for over 11 years (changed screen name 2 years ago after joining Pointbuzz) going back to the MF/ TTD construction days. I've been frequenting the park, spending my money there for 38 years (see my screen name) because I love the place, it's like a second home, and personally one of the greatest places on Earth. I will also tell you that I personally, along with others that I know, have emailed CP about the problem I'm about to mention with no concrete satisfactory answer so far, just a "thanks for your feedback" answer.

I know that Cedar Point for the most part cares about their guests as evidenced in the past. I know that Tony sometimes reads this forum so maybe he can fill us in on this ongoing 33 day problem?

For anyone that has children, likes to drink alcohol, frequent sit-down food places at CP, or just have a good time, please read.

Forward to Chickie's & Pete's restaurant at CP, Thursday June 12th. Picture these situations, they might seem extreme to you but yes I've witnessed that they've already happened this year.

1. You're a single father/mother (or spouse stayed home) whose two children wanted to go to CP, are hungry at the park, and all of you want to try out Chickie's & Pete's from hearing good things. 10 minutes into dinner (after food/drinks are on the table), your older 6 year old child tells you (single parent w/2 kids with them) that they have to go to the bathroom but you know that you can't leave the smaller 4 year old by themselves at the booth. Good luck finding a waitress when you need them during this situation,BTW. Your kid tells you that they have to "go right now". You have to go OUTSIDE the restaurant with 2 kids, leave all of your food and beverages on the table, walk across the main midway a couple hundred feet for an 8 minute potty break and then come back across the midway to discover that all of your food/drinks have been wiped clean because you might have mistakenly been considered a "dine and dash". No public bathrooms in this place so what to do?

2. You like to sit at one of CP's fine bars (Chickies & Pete's) and you've had two big beers, suddenly have that "Browns/Lions/Steelers (fill in your team) "halftime football feeling" where you better not dare think of Niagara Falls at the moment. You have to run OUTSIDE across the midway (again no public restrooms here fella) and there it is! (nope that's the WOMEN'S room next to Kiddy Kingdom) oh $***! Run another 100 feet to the LEFT of the Arcade to the MEN'S bathroom before you look like someone on a Depends adult diaper commercial (with the faulty leading brand). Sheesh!

3. Your potty training toddler, baby, little one takes a dump in their diaper right at the restaurant and it reeks enough to gag a maggot. You can hear that big Scottish guy from Austin Powers ringing your ear reminding you that he had "a big turtle head poking out". Again no public restrooms OR changing facilities here big guy.

4. You have to RUN outside across the midway during a torrential downpour/ thunderstorm just to go to bathroom and then run back once again, arriving SOAKED back to eat your meal! WOW, yeah that makes sense.

5. You've frequented Game Day Grille the last 10 years (before this place took over) and then have some "newb" tell you there's never been a bathroom here. Really?

How do these scenarios make good business sense for the park's visitors? The trickle down effect will lead customers not to want to return for a repeat visit to this place, make multiple complaints to Chickie's & Pete's corporate representatives that were at the restaurant, and the server's will feel it from getting less tips from less customers. Again, not good business sense.

Here's what I know according to C & Pete's management (not hearing from Cedar Point's): C&Pete's restaurant representatives feel that some bathroom for customers is better than NONE. I tend to agree. Park doesn't.
Restrooms are supposedly "too close to the dining area", without "proper ventilation". I can tell you that they've been that way since Silver Dollar Cafe's start in 1966 here! (for the last 48 years, wow!) Hasn't been a problem til now.

Matt O, Jason mcC, Tony, whomever...we all love you guys but here's something to think about: if we can get a 16" water main repaired that shut down the entire park then can we PLEASE get some exhaust fans hooked up, put in new plumbing, knock out part of Boo Hill to expand over there, or do whatever its gonna take to get this situation remedied once and for all? It will cost way less, I promise. I really don't want to eat at the McDonald's down the causeway again like I did as a teenager, I've been enjoying the park's food now that I can afford it.
For the sake of small bladders and unpredictable children everywhere, do it for them...

Thanks for reading, good night, drive safely.

I feel your pain, being that I'm the same age and have young children also. But with that age comes experience, which tells me that you are trying to push a rope uphill by addressing this issue. I hope I'm wrong, but I doubt you will get anywhere with this.

For me, it's far easier to just not eat or drink there. There are other places nearby (Famous Dave's comes to mind immediately), so, if I were you I'd vote with my wallet. Counting on the park to listen to one person and take action is setting yourself up for disappointment.

Wait, wait, wait… I got this one. You see, what you fail to realize is management is really smart and makes nothing but brilliant decisions. The fact that you disagree with a decision or policy that they made (no matter how logical, reasonable, or well stated your thoughts may be) just means you are stupid or a troll. Besides, the problems you bring up don’t affect me so why don’t you just wear adult diapers or see a doctor and get a colostomy bag. What you are asking simply can’t be done. I can’t give you a real reason why not; but, I just know it. {sarcasm}

Well stated CPfan1976, I second everything in the entire post.

I find it odd that they have a sit down restaurant with no bathroom - especially considering that the previous occupants of that spot did have one (right?). The closest restrooms are either across the midway near the arcade or at Raptor, right? It's not like there is one right outside the door.

I guess I was under the assumption that the situation was temporary, but you'd think by now, they'd have the bathroom finished. Or is there even going to be one?

CPFan1976 laid out a nice post with a bunch of reasons, but quite frankly, this really should be common sense.

Of course I've also said for years that it ought to be a crime to serve the greasy food that Midway Market does and only have the little "one banger" bathroom that they have. :)

P.S. PointGuru - you are still acting like a moron. Did someone at CP pee in your Cheerios or something? What is your deal? There are countless examples all over this site of long time fans being critical of certain things at the park. Yes, we love the place because they do a lot right, but I'm not afraid to say so when they screw up.

I don't eat there so it doesn't affect me but I completely get it and I don't think it was a smart move on the park's part. I've run into this issue with many businesses. They post a "no public restrooms" sign and if it's just a convenience store then it's no big deal you aren't going to be there long anyway but if it's anywhere you would spend any decent amount of time shopping they are shooting themselves in the foot. I'm not going to leave to go find a restroom elsewhere and then come back to finish shopping. When someone has to go I 'm usually done shopping there. It's not so much a problem now that the kids are bigger but it used to be a major pain.

Dear CPFan1976....I totally feel your pain -- what a rotten day for you...

But to be devil's advocate, I don't think CP is going to respond with anything but a form letter i.e. "thank you for bringing this concern to our attention" because basically they will interpret this as your poor planning. I'm not saying they are right, but that's the way they will handle this internally and file it away forever.

MDOmnis said:
P.S. PointGuru - you are still acting like a moron.

Don't discourage him. Acting like that will get him bounced sooner rather than later, I'd guess.

Don't be so cynical of CP management RonAnnArbor. I had a minor complaint with foods that I submitted via the electronic feedback form on the website and I received a phone call from a foods manager. She explained why the situation occurred and what was done to correct the problem. The problem was corrected exactly like she said. I think management does take guest comments seriously.

I have not been to Chickie's and Pete's this year. Reading these forums has convinced me that I will definitely be avoiding it. I can't remember a year when a new food place has had so many threads complaining about various things (bathrooms, prices, service).

^Game Day Grille was a much better fit in that spot.

I'm not really sure if this would take effect in this location because I have no idea if there is a private employee restroom within the building, others may be able to chime in from past working experience. But in 2008 Ohio passed the "Restroom Access Act" also known as "Ally's Law" which requires any establishment to grant access to a private/ employee only restroom if there is not one onsite. I do believe it is written in there that this is for guests with certain medical conditions, so I'm not sure if this would help the entire genral public but I'm sure after having to let a select number of guests into the private areas of building they would have a restroom opened much quicker. Again, I have no idea if there is a private restroom within Chickie's and Pete's, but it would be helpful to know as I do suffer from one of those condtions so I would love to see CP's response if I asked to use it. Not sure if this will help but I really hope management understands how important this is, not only just for the ease of the general public but for medical reasons as well.

+1

I agree with the OP regarding the bathroom. I've avoided C&P this season after learning there is no bathroom.

Granted the small bathroom at Gameday wasn't ideal but it was a bathroom.
I've got a 3 year old and six year old. Can't eat anyplace without a bathroom.

I agree the situation is ridiculous, but the solution in the shirt term is: Don't eat or drink there.

Pee in my Cheerios… I suppose that is as good of analogy as any. Yes, if you have read any of my post, CP management pee’s in my Cheerios virtually every visit to the park. The customer service is lower than abysmal. Don’t get me wrong, it’s not the individual efforts employees or even members of management have made. I will be the first to admit I have had good customer service on more than one occasion. What I’m talking about is the deep seated, institutional dysfunction in the higher ups of management that allows for a decision to be made to allow a sit down restaurant in the park to even open without proper restroom facilities. It is disgraceful and whoever “green lighted” the decision to close the old bathroom needs to have their head examined. The restaurant should be closed until the restrooms are addressed.

The “F### you, we will take you comments into consideration” response by the park noted by CPfan and Ron is the rule rather than the exception as noted by Pete. I complain because I want to eat at Chickie & Pete’s; but, can’t for the reasons given by Chuck Wagon. I must admit, it was a warm fuzzy feeling I got when I read Chuck Wagon learned something from all of the “complaining” on Point Buzz. That deafening silence you hear from park management on this issue is the normal response when a lowly park guest points out an obvious mistake or bad decision by management. CPfan wasn’t the first to point out the issue and management has continued to ignore the issue. That is what I call peeing in my Cheerios.

Pointguru, for as much disdain as you show the park, you sure frequent there often.

My apologies if I used too big of words for you.

Guru, you should ad this to your list of reasons they should give rainchecks or refunds if your not satisfied with your visit. I don't think there is anything wrong with stating opinions or pointing out flaws in the park. The park is huge. Surely you'd be able to find room for improvement. You want to be able to spend the day at the park then ask for a refund on your way out the gate. And it bothers you that people disagree with you.

When I try to imagine what Pointguru looks like, the first image that comes to mind is the people of walmart.

redsfan said:
Guru, you should ad this to your list of reasons they should give rainchecks or refunds if your not satisfied with your visit.

Yes, I do.

You want to be able to spend the day at the park then ask for a refund on your way out the gate. And it bothers you that people disagree with you.

It is troublesome when people try to say things that I never said or even implied. If someone wasn't happy with a visit for what ever reason, the park should try to make them satisfied. Customer service 101.

There is something mentally wrong with people who try to find fault in everything.

Back in my day..... (Silver Dollar Cafe) Mom made sure everyone went to the bathroom BEFORE lunch, took care of buisness and washed their hands before we ate. And we didn't blame park management for every blip on the radar screen. But that was a lifetime ago......

And quite honestly, that bathroom was pretty disgusting anyway....