Higher Food Prices in 2008

$6.00 for chips and a drink? Yikes. What I don't understand is why wouldn't they want to keep the prices competitive towards out of park food. Everytime I go my group always is quick to leave to get food, but if the food in the park was the same price we would have no problem spending our money there.

Correct me if I'm wrong but wouldn't you want to get the people who will buy food in the park at whatever price AND the people who leave to get food to all eat inside the park?

Can't wait to read the TR, Jeff. (if it isn't up yet, which I haven't checked)

Matt, that is true, but regardless... the prize to price ratio (if there is such a thing) sucks. It's just an example I gave in my first post. Point being, CP is really squeezing the wallets of their visitors dry. At some point (if not already), the general public will take notice that quality is dropping as quickly as prices are rising, and it's just not worth going anymore. At some point, the per cap spending wont be quite enough to match the steadily decreasing attendance numbers.

Even worse is that they seem oblivious to the fact that the ever-increasing per-caps are in some cases *driving* the steady decrease in attendance numbers. The problem is that anything you do to **** off your customers this season won't come back to bite you until *next* season. And that makes it harder to judge what it was that was the trigger to make people decide not to come back.

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

I think the hot dog and chips used to be $5.00 or $5.50.

Large dippin dots is $7.50...wasn't it $7.00 last year?

You know what I find most fun? Thirsty Pony has the same dippin dots as CP for like $3.00

In terms of spending in the park, I told the lady that took my $10 for parking even though she had 2 platinum passers right in front of her that she is just taking money that could have been spent in the park, and giving a loyal Cedar Fair customer a bad experience.

Whats driving down them attendance numbers? Gasoline is one guess, I really felt the difference this year with $3.89 gasoline in Michigan and $3.67-3.72 gasoline in Ohio. It was more than just a few dollars this year increase, and these fees start to get to you after time. Even if you get 5% cash back on gasoline...

I would not be surprised if Cedar Point stopped letting you re-enter the parking lot, after you leave the lot, with out repaying the parking fee. If they can stop people from leaving to buy food, they may force us to buy thier over priced crap they call food.

Rideman was going where I was. I have been saying for several years now that the "attendance down but per cap up" was going to bite them in the a$$ sooner or later. We are there now.

The only comparisons I can really draw are to Disney and Disney is down right CHEAP compared to what Cedar Point is reportedly doing right now. And, Disney has a far superior product.

I'm going to stick with what I said a couple of days ago. I think there are too many food establishments (of all types) in the park. I'd rather see them build four or five high volume, fast service restaurants in strategic areas in the park and concentrate on getting it RIGHT at those places.

The Subway prices aren't insulting. They are robbery. Unless a naked woman is going to hand feed me that Sub then there is NO WAY I'm paying that much.

My recommendation? Anywhere you see opportunities to review Cedar Point online...make sure you give the heads up about the exorbinant food prices. Sure, most people expect to pay "more" inside a park but this is ridiculous. Breakfast on the way in...a snack or two during the day and a late dinner on the way out is the way to go. If I'm a restaurant on 250 I think I put up signage telling people to stop by for a reasonably priced dinner on the way home.

Out of curiosity, how much is a 20 oz soda at CP these days?

On the Subway menu a 22 oz soda is $3.59. I imagine that has to be somewhat consistent throughout the park...but...there are no guarantees.

Uhhhh ya, that is a bit much, considering the food cost for a soda that size is around 20 cents!

At Disney resorts a 20oz soda is $2.34 with tax!

Guess I'll be packing a cooler for the trunk of the car!

And $3.95 for an apple? Are you kidding me? Come on CP, give me a break!

I can get an apple martini for less than $3.95.

Why could the attendance be dropping? Hmmm...let me see if I can come up with SOME plausible explanation:

We're building new rides. We are upgrading the resorts. We are brining in parades and skateboarding shows. Gee...why might folks be choosing NOT to come to our park? Could it be oh...I don't know...that if they are going to get ****** they would at LEAST like to get a "happy ending" out of it?

Chief Wahoo said:
that if they are going to get ****** they would at LEAST like to get a "happy ending" out of it?

And we have an early nomination for PB Quote of the year.

I'm rather split on the issue. On one hand, meals at the park are WAY out of line. On the other hand, some snacks aren't terribly priced (i.e. gourmet pretzels). The problem is that I can't make a meal out of gourmet pretzels, and so I go elsewhere to actually eat, and only grab a snack here or there in the park.

Just from the pictures I saw in the opening day gallery here, I'm apalled by the prices.

I've NEVER thought of myself as a "pack your own lunch" or "leave the park to eat" type of person, but I feel like the prices have just gotten insulting, and I hope that others will feel the same way and stop patronizing the park food services. I think only then will there be a change made in pricing.

I haven't been to the park in a couple years because we have moved, but seriously, what a nightmare... I cannot even fathom $14 for a 6" sub, chips and a watered down soda.

People's wallets are going to be hard enough hit this summer with gas prices... they're nto even goign to be able to afford to eat once they get in the park!

Wow, think about it for a moment. Sub, chips and a drink for two people: $28.00. For $78 I got a four course, two hour meal at the Melting Pot including lobster tail, shrimp, salad, cheese course, and an incredible desert plate.

If I didn't see the menu board I honestly wouldn't have believed it.

I will be getting the famous french fries as usual. But I can assure you that may be it! I agree, I usually enjoy taking a break to eat in the park, and I have enough money saved to do that, but I dont like being raped! I can tell you I will be heading back to the car or cabin more often this year than in years past.

Sorry CP, I just dont like being taken advantage of!

Any idea what cheese on a stick costs this year? That's usually all I eat, as it sits in your stomach like a deep fried brick and holds you until a late-night steak-n-shake run.

I know JuggaLotus's answer but which would you rather have: a 6 inch subway meal for $14.00 or all you can eat and drink at Midway Market for $14.00. Midway Market still seems like a reasonable deal to me.

At the time they announced the subway opening I predicted the "outrageous" price of $12.50 for a six inch meal. CP did not disappoint on the pricing!!!

As I've said before I cannot figure Kinzel out on the pricing strategy. Even though FUN has an 8% dividend yield I just cannot bring myself to buy it because I think this might be the year that everything collapses for Cedar Fair. I think I'm going to wait until after the second quarter earnings report and the subsequent tumbling of the unit price to make a unit purchase decision. I'll go prepare to be flamed now.

Not going to flame you, but if a gas line were to rupture in the MM kitchen and find its way to an open flame, the only tears I'd shed would be ones of joy.

As has been said a few times, the pricing of other items in the park seems, very much, to be in line with what would be expected. Food service is so far out of whack that it is actually becoming funny now.

Its interesting, when our company was bought last year, our President, who had been planning retirement later that year, announced his retirement, effective immediately, when we had our "Welcome to GE" meeting. He realized that for the new company to move forward he needed to step out of the way and go enjoy his retirement.

The Paramount deal (even more-so now) seems almost like DK went out of his way to find an excuse to remain where he's at, when he should have stepped aside and let his hand-picked successor take over and move the company forward.

The Joe Cool prices are insane. My 9 year old who wants to eat there even thought the prices were crazy. I told him we most likeky won't be dining there. I noticed they did not post the adult prices outside with the kids prices.

The Mr.Potato price for fries are the same or about the same as 2007.

Subway prices didn't surprise me. Basically they are charging for a 6" what a regular Subway charges for a 12".

How about $5.00 for a snow cone at Planet Snoopy.

I agree with TerraCoaster you can't beat Midway Market for price at CP.

As high as CP prices are some of the food at Jacobs (Forever) Field is higher. A few examples I noticed yesterday, 20 oz.water and Pepsi, $4.00, Hot Dog $4.25, soft serve cone, $4.99, and a Souvenier cup Pepsi $5.00.

In years, Cedar Point raises the prices at Midway Market during peak season. I think you can expect a increase as the season progresses.

You can't compare to Progressive Field. I don't go to a game and then eat two meals and snacks over the course of the day, the way I would at virtually any amusement park.

I'll agree with Chief on the centralized locations to do it right. Universal does it best with the Comic Strip Cafe in Islands of Adventure, or its sister restaurant, the International Food and Film Festival in Universal Studios Florida. It's not gourmet or anything, but it's fast, and there is a lot of variety.