Cold food at the Burger Patio 8-27

I think some here are missing the point. The customer should not be put in the position to have to go back up to the counter to ask for a replacement. First, it's an uncomfortable conversation to have, especially since (and this has happened to me), a long line of customers waiting think you're taking cuts or otherwise making them wait longer. Hot food should be served hot. Period. I can already here the entitlement police clicking away at their keyboards, but in this instance, yeah, we are entitled to hot food. It's not like we aren't paying a premium price for garbage food already.

Also, there are times when going back to exchange one item (and the few minutes it takes) causes another item that you've left back at the table with the family to get cold. So it's not always as simple as it sounds.

^ I honestly don't feel that I'm missing the point, I just understand that at a park with literally tens of thousands of guests coming and going daily not everything is going to go perfect for everyone. The world is an imperfect place, and stuff happens. You can either keep your cool and try to get it rectified, or complain on a message board where literally nothing can be done to fix it. And it's totally fine to complain here, but don't be surprised and act like people are out of line when suggesting they should have tried to get it fixed while there.

I actually think the food was served hot. He was just too drunk to remember anything.

Why didn't you get a burger from one of the food trucks in the area, instead? I'm just saying - Firehouse is where it's at.

This thread is making me want to try cheese on a stick. Never had it before. I'll get it next time I'm at the park. Oh boy!!

^ It's probably not what you think. I was thinking it was going to be like a cheese stick that was deep fried, kind of like a big mozzarella or provolone stick you'd get from a bar. It's more of a totally melted dip type cheese surrounded by corn dog batter. Loved it.

The Firehouse food truck is indeed a good one. It was here where I work in Cleveland as we had "Food Truck Friday" here this summer. Excellent tasting burgers for approx. $10.00 or so.I chatted with the proprietor and mentioned that I had seen them at CP quite frequently. He said that next year they will be there at CP full time, as in permanent.

There you have it, Lemon Chill Guy style info leaked.

Permanent Food Trucks or Third Party run Stands is a great idea. CP Food services is far behind what other amusement parks offer for quality and service, it is sad to see. I've said before it is an area I'd honestly love for the park to address, and maybe this is a step in the right direction. The park has made improvements in food services other than at the quick service stands, and the options are very welcome (such as lakeside clambake).

I worked for a vendor in the 70's and CP worked really hard to get rid of that sort of operation. Now there are several non CP locations, but... money.

Had a cheese-on-a-stick several years ago. Like someone else said, it was still frozen in the middle. I explained it to the "cook", they apologized and made a new one for me. I thanked them, they warned me it was gonna be HOT. So I went on my way and let it cool. A few minutes later I took a bite and it too was still frozen in the middle. Into the trash it went, haven't tried one since.

Pete said:

I hope you took the food back to the food stand and asked for hot food. They will replace the items.

I know they will, but the two food service employees spoke poor English and it was late. Coasters on the other hand is normally pretty good. I will go there on my next visit.

RCMAC said:

No, he said he was too drunk to deal with foreigners or to think of anything like that.
Keepin it classy.

Drunk and pissed off, not necessarily at Cedar Point or The Burger Patio. I have the all season dining option so it's not like I was shelling out money on the spot.

XS NightClub said:

Cold food at the Burger Patio 8-27

Cold food at CP Food Stands May-October

Fixed that title for you.

kjettski said:
Hopefully Tony reads this...

Not only was my burger cold, it was burnt. Cold waffle fries too.

They need to know, I did send a short email to the park....

Thanks for the suggestion.

In general the food @ Cedar Point is "less than desirable". When the various food stands are busy, the food's normally hot and sometimes edible. I hope that CP will make a concerted effort in regards to the food served in the park.

MaverickLaunch said:

I think some here are missing the point. The customer should not be put in the position to have to go back up to the counter to ask for a replacement. First, it's an uncomfortable conversation to have, especially since (and this has happened to me), a long line of customers waiting think you're taking cuts or otherwise making them wait longer. Hot food should be served hot. Period. I can already here the entitlement police clicking away at their keyboards, but in this instance, yeah, we are entitled to hot food. It's not like we aren't paying a premium price for garbage food already.

Also, there are times when going back to exchange one item (and the few minutes it takes) causes another item that you've left back at the table with the family to get cold. So it's not always as simple as it sounds.

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Exactly.

t2fastspin said:

I was my neighbor's unofficial tour guide last Saturday. (Yes, they wanted to go on a Saturday, in August) She and her daughter wanted, more than anything, Cheese on a Stick. Not much of a line at Corral, but the disappointment was readily apparent when the first bite, after warning of the hot magma, was nearly frozen.

Before we left the counter, I told the cashier to exchange them for freshly made ones. She did. I saw her drop them in the fryer, and even these came out refrigerator cold, not frozen, but cold.

Have they changed the way they make the Cheese on a Stick? I haven't had one in a few years, but I remember the melty goodness and the size was a lot larger than the dog on a stick. These looked like corn dogs, but with cheese.

Wait until get a corn dog instead of cheese on a stick....

MaverickLaunch said:
The customer should not be put in the position to have to go back up to the counter to ask for a replacement.

Yes ... and no. The customer shouldn't be put in that position, but sometimes that's going to happen, whether you're talking a seasonal fast food place or, say, Red Robin. The people working the counter at Burger Patio or Burger King aren't making the food, relying on the line workers to perform their jobs.

First, it's an uncomfortable conversation to have, especially since (and this has happened to me), a long line of customers waiting think you're taking cuts or otherwise making them wait longer.

I disagree. As a customer I'm due what the park, or the restaurant, ot the business, is promoting. Then again, I'm also the jerk at the front of the line at the car rental desk carefully reading the contract.

Businesses can't correct service errors if they don't know they exist.

noggin said:

Businesses can't correct service errors if they don't know they exist.

Noggin, I love you, but.......
The Corporate Offices are literally in the park, its complete BS that management doesn't know the food services are crap inside the park. They simply do not care enough to fix it. Maybe the new managements miss on this quarters financial report will be a wake up to get some changes done.

The simple fact that people are willing to drive out of a park surrounded by water and possibly wait an hour to get back in the parking lot in order to eat should be a clue to management they are failing horribly in the foods department.

https://mobile.twitter.com/PhilBucco/status/891083011076259840
This guy was clearly not the inspiration that was needed.

XS NightClub said:

The Corporate Offices are literally in the park, its complete BS that management doesn't know the food services are crap inside the park. They simply do not care enough to fix it.

Well, if most people are sitting there eating cold food, corporate probably don't the extent of the issue because it's not coming up the chain of command. Word of mouth, they say, is the most powerful marketing tool.

The simple fact that people are willing to drive out of a park surrounded by water and possibly wait an hour to get back in the parking lot in order to eat should be a clue to management they are failing horribly in the foods department.

I plead guilty to leaving the park for a meal, but that's because of my fondness for Quaker Steak and Lube off to the east rather than any dislike for food in the park. (Also, back in the day, Cedar Villa restaurant right off the causeway entrance.)

As noted elsewhere, sitting under the Sky Ride enjoying chili cheese fries is a delightful treat I allow myself only at Cedar Point (with the exception of one visit to a Chicago drive in that upped the ante by serving the chili cheese fries in one of those taco salad bowls.

XS NightClub said:

They simply do not care enough to fix it.

...

The simple fact that people are willing to drive out of a park surrounded by water and possibly wait an hour to get back in the parking lot in order to eat should be a clue to management they are failing horribly in the foods department.

You have a remarkably black-and-white perspective that does not remotely align with what I suspect most people's experiences are.

Is the food in the park generally expensive compared to what you get outside the park? Duh.

Is it consistently so bad that it's fair to say they're "failing horribly"? A few people getting cold burgers doesn't come anywhere close to demonstrating this when you consider how many are served at CP each season.

The food in the park ranges from "meh" to pretty outstanding, just like outside the park. And just like outside the park, when you're dealing with the numbers that CP deals with, there will undoubtedly be some justifiably-unhappy customers. And I will admit to a few experiences over the years of being one of those unhappy customers.

But the fact is that there's nothing to suggest that most guests have a "horrible" experience when it comes to dining, as you keep insinuating. Furthermore, the park has made strives to improve, and while not always successful, they are at least making progress, so it is clear that they do, in fact, "care enough to fix it."

The specialty areas of food are pretty good now. Pinks, daves, frontier inn and such are pretty good. I feel the area that needs most improvement are the "house brands" like chicken fingers, burgers, cheese on a stick, and the just ok fries that go with them at places like burger patio and dragon inn. If they could solve the problem with their generic food stalls then they will be good all around.