Cedar Fair Entertainment Company High Food Prices

I do agree with coasterxtreme72, but one has to realize 32 or how ever many you end up with won't make CF think twice.

Ralph Wiggum said:
I actually kind of look forward to it.

I can see where you're coming from, but for me, sitting on-property at a Friday's (or similar) is just as 'removed' for me. I simply can't deal with the almost constantly crappy everything the park offers, when it comes to food.

That's why Josh, Adam and I enjoyed Famous Dave's last Sunday for lunch. After the horror stories we had heard from opening weekend, and the weeks after, we weren't sure what to expect, but it was so hot, we wanted to sit down in AC.

We were pleasantly surprised. We had great service. Our food was out very quickly, everything was correct, and nice and hot. Our drinks were refilled without having to ask. And the prices weren't nearly as bad as food inside the park for what we got.

I'll definitely go back there for food. It was a nice little escape from the park without having to leave the peninsula, and a nice break from the heat.

I don't mind paying a premium for food in the park, if it is higher quality than you would expect from a typical high school cafeteria.

For example, in years past I've heard many people complain about the hamburgers in the park. Now, I love hamburgers and until this year, I thought that they were decent enough tasting for the price...mediocre, but edible.

However, I don't know what kind of meat they switched to this year, but they are atrocious. They remind me of the cheap soy bean burgers that were served for school lunches.

I went to Disney World last year and for nearly the same price I ate some awesome double bacon cheeseburgers that were available at nearly every food stand. I'm not asking for something as extravagent as Disney's burgers, but C.P. should at least use something that resembles meat in their patties.

Many here have talked about how they simply go off-point and drive to a restaurant. Many of those people are season-pass holders, so thats greatly accessible for them. What you're forgetting are the non-pass holders, which, believe it or not, make up the majority.

These people who paid to park can only leave once and come back, or else pay for parking again. So what are they to do for lunch and dinner?

The point of going to an amusement park or any park for that matter is to spend your time in the park all day. Do you go to a baseball game but leave in-between innings just to get cheaper food outside the ballpark? No, it would be assinine to do that. The same concept applies to Cedar Point. Yeah, for some it works, but for most, who really wants to pack up the kids back in the car and drive out of Cedar Point just get cheaper food?

The cheaper food should start in the park, or at the very least, the quality should be leaps and bounds beyond the crap that it is currently.

You can always pack a picnic lunch to take with you. When I was a kid and we made our once annual family trips to CP, we always packed a lunch, every single year.

^I agree. Since I usually only make one trip per summer, I don't mind paying the extra dollar for the food at the park. Often I end up just buying a thing of nachos, and then a sandwich for dinner and that keeps me satisfied until we go back to the campground and roast hot dogs :)

But if I were a regular, I'd definitely pack a cooler to leave in the car with sub sandwiches and drinks in it. Just walk to the car, eat a quick meal, and jump back in for more coasters. It's convenient, inexpensive, and saves a lot of time. In other words... If you don't like the food prices... DONT BUY THE FOOD!

When I was in high school, we always packed a cooler and stuff in the car because we didn't have all that much money to blow. Then we'd get park food for dinner. Now that we all travel from out of state (or out of the country) to get to Cedar Point, we eat in the park. But, we're also older and have more money.

So, there are plenty of options at the park. People just need to plan better.

I thought you said the pricing wasn't a big deal?

It's not. If you can't afford it (or don't want to pay it), bring a picnic lunch with you. It's not like they say you can't. If you're on vacation and expect slightly inflated prices because it's a tourist destination, the prices are on-par with other vacation destinations. If you're a season pass holder and only going for a couple hours, eat before or after you arrive at the park. Don't expect the park to price everything like Wal-Mart.

To me, the prices are cheap because I pay literally twice that where I live now. But, I also lived in Ohio for most of my life and I think the prices are fair for the "best amusement park in the world." They're cheaper or the same as the other six parks I've been to this year.

My issue is that it's more expensive than Disney and Universal, and the quality is half what the Orlando parks are. Not to mention that I expect less since the Cedar Fair parks are regional attractions where I expect cheaper than a destination attraction, where I'd be likely to feel "I'm spending a lot anyway."

I guess everyone has different expectations. I've never expected Cedar Point's food to be good. So, that's why I've been ok so far with their food choices. At most, we buy cheese on a stick, dippin dots, chicken fingers and maybe a burger or something during our visits. We also only get the free water or bottled water. It could also be that we don't usually eat that food on a regular basis, so it's just theme park fried food. Nothing too elaborate. I'd say it's pretty hard to mess up food like that, but Six Flags New England did a pretty great job of messing up fries and chicken fingers when we went.

Our impression of the food at Cedar Point is always "meh" (with the exception of the cheese on a stick which always rocks). But, that's what we were expecting too. So, no big deal to us. We go to Cedar Point for the rides. So, as long as Cedar Point continues to have awesome rides, we'll keep going. They never make much "per cap" money off of us anyways.

At Disney, I have VERY high expectations. So, my perception of their parks is totally different than Cedar Point. I never expect them to be on par with each other - rides, food or otherwise. I'll compare them, but I never expect them to be the same.

We all don't have the same expectations or spending habits when we go there. I'd rather spend money on VIP and get as many rides in as physically possible for one day than worry about the price or quality of their food.

I share Halltd's thoughts about expectations. I know in this day and age Cedar Point is trying really desparately hard to sell itself as this nice all-encompassing family-oriented park, but to me it;s not, and if it ever wants to be it has a long haul to go. In fact, with our daughter coming, I'm actually looking forward to visiting DollyWood, Hersheypark, etc...parks with much better food, entertainment, and a better all-around experience.

This is where I am coming from in this thread. I expect a little above fair-quality food at Cedar Point. If I want a wrap-around in your face Disney experience and actually care about eating fresh salmon, then Ill go elsewhere.

Cedar Point cant be everything...and I doubt "quality" will ever go up there, because it doesnt need to. People dont go there for a great quality burger, they go to ride TTD, MF, WT, Raptor...and this is the only place they can do it.

I actually look forward to bringing my own food. What's not enjoyable about grilling hot dogs and hamburgers and having a few beers at a Lighthouse Point cottage on the lake? You can kick back and relax in a relatively peaceful setting, rather than fighting your way through a line of crabby people. You can enjoy superior food, and it costs you maybe a tenth as much as in-park. And you don't even have to leave the point mid-visit (unless you run out of beer).

Between that and the chain restaurants, it makes the carnival food a ridiculous choice.

Option 1: A decent steak and potato with a comfortable sit-down wait at TGIFridays for maybe $15-20. Similar to eating out anywhere. In my opinion, the best value of any purchased food at CP.

Option 2: A juicy burger and a beer a la Lighthouse Point, no wait, relaxing setting, for only a few dollars. Yeah you're paying for a room, but you're getting other benefits from it as well, such as staying on-site and having a place to crash. Though relatively expensive, it's another good value if you're staying more than one day.

Option 3: Cold, undercooked fries or stale tortilla chips covered in cold "process cheese product" for $6. A cup of 9 parts generic chocolate syrup and 1 part ice cream labeled a "malt" for $5. A slice of cardboard pizza that makes Little Ceasar's look gourmet for $6. Don't forget standing in line in the blazing sun while the workers pretend you don't exist. There's no value to be had, unless your only other option is to starve. Even then, I'd have to think about it.

I'd even find it preferable to bring a picnic basket and eat in one of the shelters to buying the lame midway food. I haven't done this since I was a kid, but it circumvents the need for getting a room. That's maybe the cheapest eating available. Some people whine that you go to spend money. I don't. I go to have fun, and spending money unnecessarily on crap isn't my idea of fun. Some people say you go to enjoy the midway food. I don't. It's terrible. I'd prefer a bologna sandwich and chips. If paying too much for dumpster food is your idea of fun, to each his own.

If you're interested in eating mostly so you don't starve to death, and aren't interested in buying expensive food that tastes like crap, delivered with painfully bad service, then the picnic shelters would be an ideal choice.

*** Edited 7/13/2007 10:18:52 PM UTC by Jeremy Sell*** *** Edited 7/13/2007 10:29:55 PM UTC by Jeremy Sell***

Kevinj said:
Cedar Point cant be everything...and I doubt "quality" will ever go up there, because it doesnt need to. People dont go there for a great quality burger, they go to ride TTD, MF, WT, Raptor...and this is the only place they can do it.

TDD, MF, WT, and Raptor aren't the main product CP is selling...they're selling a fun time. To that end, people have to eat while they're there. Eating should complement that fun time, not ruin it. I don't know why the enjoyment of CP shouldn't extend to all aspects of your visit, including the food.

We have to chance the climate. We have the final say! Yes buy not buying the food is one thing but we are all fans of this company(Well most of the people here are) We don't really want to hurt them or take money away from them we want to communicate our issues with them. Not Hurt The Company we love. Please Sign it will help if we all get on board.

http://www.petitionspot.com/petitions/CedarFairHighFoodPrices

This really doesn't matter to me. I've only been to CP once, for a short two day trip. The first day we went to Famous Dave's and the food was very good and I remember the waiter was very good, and the rest of the waiters also seemed to be doing a good job. The next day we stopped at this place and got a burger. The burger was alright and the fries were pretty good. I don't remember prices, but I would say it wasn't all that bad. However, when I go at the end of august for 10 days, I would expect that we won't be eating in the park all the time. I know when I go to Six Flags Great Adventure I go to Wawa (a convenience store) and get an Italian hoagie and a water with a bag of chips or something, all for about 6-7 bucks, and it is good and it fills me up. I don't see the problem about going out of the park to eat.

When I go to Cedar Point, I always plan on indulging a little bit (i.e. spending more money than I normally do). Perhaps you should go in with this mindset and the food prices won't bother you as much. Cedar Fair isn't hiking the prices to make the extra dollar so much as they are pricing relative to their competition in other parks.

I think the number one priority in improving the guest experience in the park is to improve food quality and service.

What other scenarios are there to acheive the goals of increased profits, increased attendance, and increased guest happiness? Would it make people happier if they paid $50 at the gate offset by more reasonable food prices? I'm sure the marketing department could find a way to positively spin that.

CP looks at data - they see declining attendance, despite increased investment (in rides). Isn't that cause for alarm?

I'm going to have to go along with what Jeff is saying. Don't expect me to pay 6 dollars for a hamburger that doesn't come with fries, isn't served promptly, without a smile, and tastes horrible. I don't really mind paying that much, I expect better service and taste to go along with the premium.