Hotel Breakers - Needs better restaurants

It would be really cool if they included some items on the menus of the hotel restaurants for those of us with season dining packages so we can eat with others who don't have the plans who wish to eat at those places.

Pete I agree that B Spot couldn't replace Friday's on the whole, but they could take up only a portion of the Friday's space and still probably leave room for another operator. They typically aren't that big of establishments.

Getting local chains from their core cities (Cleveland, Detroit, Columbus too?, maybe Chicago if the marketing push is productive) could be a good way to expose people to other cities offerings. It is similar to what they are doing with the food trucks.

e x i t english said:

I was going to mention Slyman's. I think it'd be a good fit, but it could also totally flop - because a sandwich that size is already expensive. Hike it up for resort pricing, and it would really turn people off.

Plus, it's not the same as Melt, but it might be close enough that people would think it is.

The Slyman's Taverns offer "light" versions of their famous sandwiches, about 2/3 of the meat or so for about $10. It could work, maybe. :)

If Symon isn't above putting a place in CLE, the most depressing building in Northeast Ohio, he's not above CP. :)

And Cheesecake Factory sucks.

Maybe I'm just lucky, but in general the operations at the Fridays here in Mentor are usually pretty consistent. They usually draw a pretty decent crowd on weekends. They have trimmed their menu options a bit recently, but still offer a variety or food types you don't get from places that are not mid-tier Americana style restaurants. The location in Mayfield used to be better, but the new management hasn't kept up with the previous expectations.

I've only been to BJs a couple times and I wasn't impressed. Most of the other suggestions have limited menu options, by comparison. What other Americana-style place do you see fitting there? Those menu-neutral options are becoming more limited, and I prefer Fridays over Applebees or Max & Ermas. The only thing not really covered is Italian style, which may be a bit heavy for an amusement park?

WolfBobs said:

The Slyman's Taverns offer "light" versions of their famous sandwiches, about 2/3 of the meat or so for about $10. It could work, maybe. :)

Right, but Subway sells $5 foot longs, and we see how that worked out in-park :-D

I only could see BJ's there because it's a brewpub-style. I don't care what it is, throw in a brewpub style place, and it'll be unique enough to pull people in, with familiar enough food to appease everyone in the family.

Maybe the Brew Kettle would put a seasonal location in? :)

A good replacement for TGIFridays in my opinion would be Margaritaville (and I'm not referring to the one in Sandusky [which has really good brisket nachos by the way]). A lot of tourist locations have one such as Niagara Falls, Myrtle Beach, Vegas, and now even The Flats in Cleveland (all of which I've been to). The atmosphere and music might just fit in with that location.

Oh god, please no margaritaville.

Judging from vacations to Nashville and Vegas the average age of a Margaritaville customer is somewhere between 70 and already dead.

Plus the park finally got rid of the cheesy beach boys soundtrack at soak city/CPS and the boardwalk. Let’s not have to hear cheeseburger in paradise every hour while at the fire pits.

Edit to clarify for below: from my experiences, when there are other drinking/dining options, Margaritaville is the clear geriatric choice.
Take into account that Vegas and Nashville are huge party scenes as well, so it may not be reflective of all their locations.

Ok ok. I'll give it to you about "Cheeseburger in Paradise" every hour. However, in my experience at the locations I have been to, they have been a very mixed crowd, both young and old, with a good amount of people from couples to families in it every time.

^^The Vegas location of Margaritaville just announced it is closing. Not sure if it was the decision of the restuarant chain itself or the property it leases space from (Flamingo Las Vegas), but someone feels that it has run its course.

The Orlando City Walk location is always a zoo. The food is average, but I'm not there for the food when I go. The demo is usual tourist families there.

I don't eat red meat, so burger joints are not interesting if they don't have turkey burgers or chicken. Honestly, my go-to food is places like Pei Wei or Tijuana Flats (Florida chain). For lunch, I find myself getting kids meals at some places now because the adult portions are stupid.

I'm not sure what goes in there. The only place I enjoy is Dave's, and I'd probably be ok with Melt since I loved the original back in the day. Perkins is a solid breakfast place, but generally, the Breakers restaurants suck. Most resort hotels have unique, lightly themed places. You don't check into the Royal Pacific Resort at Universal and find a budget chain restaurant inside. I think part of the slow transformation is the realization that this can be a premium place, and that's when they'll hire an executive chef and do original things. Pool bar service is a start.

Does anyone know if the on-point chain restaurants (including Pinks and Melt) are actually operated as concessionaires or is CF simply paying license fees and they run them?

Margaritaville would be an excellent choice, it would be hugly popular at Breakers.

Jeff said:
... I think part of the problem is that all these chains seem to think the public taste is for massive portions of heavy, high calorie food. Do people want that? I don't.

Trouble is, how do they make any money? The model is based on overcharging for a meal, but getting away with it by offering a gigantic portion that looks like a great value. Consider the humble cheeseburger...
Supermarket retail looks something like this; wholesale is of course cheaper.
Bun: $0.10
1/4 pound beef patty: $0.90
Slice cheese: $0.15

So the basic cheeseburger costs about $1.15 and $FAST_FOOD will sell that for $1.29...a whopping $0.14 profit on which to run the joint. But make it a double, and suddenly it has a street value closer to $3 on a $2.05 burger. Profit swells from $0.14 to $0.95, which is far more sustainable. You're up against an environment where customers don't have a good idea of what their meal is really worth, but they know what they're willing to pay for it...and they're more receptive to paying a higher price for a "better value". Increasing the portion size is a comparatively cheap way to talk people into paying more for a meal.

So how do you fix that when people are willing to buy the lighter portion but won't pay for it?

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

haiderodes01 said:

Does anyone know if the on-point chain restaurants (including Pinks and Melt) are actually operated as concessionaires or is CF simply paying license fees and they run them?

It's operated as a franchise. CP employees are in the management positions, with alot of corporate Melt employees there as trainers/supervisors/advisors/ brand ambassadors.

After last years disastrous season, there have been big changes made in the menu(expanded). Also, the kitchen has been totally redone and expanded, now twice as big. Staff is going through serious training to be able to provide better service and menu knowledge. I would expect that this may be the goto restaurant in the park this year.

As for pricing the cost of a sandwich there is not much more expensive than going to a regular Melt restaurant if not the same. We will have to see if the expanded menu has different pricing schedule. Fridays has always been higher pricing on point compared to regular stores, as expected.

Can't wait to try it this weekend.

Has anyone been through the new wing yet? How does it look?

New

Staying at Breakers for three nights next week (Sun-Weds) with my best bud and was wondering where the best post-park watering holes/hangouts are? The last time I went to CP I don't think I was even old enough to drink. LOL

There’s Thirsty Pony at the end of the causeway at Cleveland.
I’ve found the hotel bars and Fridays close early when it’s early in the season.