Farewell Quaker Steak and Lube

Maybe nothing. Because one moves/leaves, does not guarantee a replacement will happen.

Tony mentioned at the Winter Chill Out presentation that nothing is replacing the Famous Dave's building at this time. He did make a point to mention Bay Harbor is reopening and sticking around.

Well there ya go.

Curious whether the extended closure time of Bay Harbor was utilized for a bit of a "re-fresh" . It was a bit dated & had a lingering "old restaurant odor" in there.

Mmmmmm…….lingering odor

I will miss being able to walk to Famous Dave's from within the park. I think we have been eating there since at least 2002. Now we will likely consider it as an option when we are either arriving or leaving.

What was in that marina building before Famous Dave's moved in?

Meanwhile, Friday's stays at Breakers. *grumble*

It was a restaurant called "The Boat House" I believe. I never ate there so I am not sure what the menu was like, but I think it was less upscale than Bay Harbor.

I have exactly one bad photo of The Boathouse. The claim to fame was Montgomery Inn ribs.

They had Montgomery Inn? Those are my favorite ribs ever. Were they anywhere close to as good as what the Cincy restaurants have? I had MI in Dublin OH back in the day and they were nowhere near as good as what Cincy has.

Before it was the Boathouse it was called to Marina Steakhouse. This was back in the 80’s. They served a decent breakfast back then. The lights from the lounge area currently hang in the trail tavern. They are the upside down arrangement of bottles. Before they remodeled the marina restrooms you could walk out of the restaurant passing through where the ladies room is currently. It was a way different set up. They also had giant freezers outside for the boaters. One was near the current kitchen entrance where you could buy a bag of ice for 4 quarters. It would slide down a chute and maybe the bag broke and maybe it didn’t, haha. That building has definitely evolved since I’ve been attending starting in the early 80’s.

Shades:

Were they anywhere close to as good as what the Cincy restaurants have?

Not sure. I can't recall ever having them.

I wouldn’t be surprised that whatever replaces Famous Dave’s becomes a spot only accessibly for the boaters at the marina. It’s a shame because I’m going to miss eating outside while watching Millennium Force go. Assuming they have the room to do so with the addition of Siren’s Curse, I would also be surprised if they don’t use this time to add more parking for the marina. IIRC, parking was always tight over there.

What is going to replace Famous Dave's? That was the best location to escape from the craziness of the park and get some much needed AC. Ridiculous to lose that location. Boaters always would stop by there as well.

They don’t know what is replacing it yet.

TwistedWicker77:

I wouldn’t be surprised that whatever replaces Famous Dave’s becomes a spot only accessibly for the boaters at the marina.

It's possible, but I'm curious to know the percentage of customer base when Famous Dave's operated in the marina location all those seasons. Boaters vs. general park visitors. Why cut off the non-boaters and leave money on the table?

As for the new Famous Dave's location, it would be great to see a water taxi service operate from the park marina to Castaway Bay. Probably unlikely, even if it was an upcharge service. It would be nice for the park to try it for one season if the resources and logistics are available. Famous Dave's was also my go to for so many years for dining and a place to relax in the AC during the hot summer days.