Melt bar and grill open

Something colossally dumb about MELT at Cedar Point;

My favorite sandwich at the now-closing place (we live near Canton) is the Lake Erie Monster. It's a thing of beauty. Huge amount of Lake Erie perch put together on a ridiculously large sandwich. We always went to MELT with the expectation that leftovers were a given. The Canton location has a great bartender and servers that we will miss interacting with.

What sandwich does Cedar Point's MELT not offer?

It has something to do with a lake. And a certain fish.

Sucks.

My only disappointment eating there for the first time last summer was the lack of fresh cut fries.

For the past couple seasons we use it for a quick stop for some decent adult beverages, but that's it. It's not really a Melt, which is sad, but unfortunately expected with regards to CP.

Farmhouse > CP Melt > RRR

Agreed 100% with Jeff about the fresh cut fries.

My wife and I went to a joint in Pittsburgh about 10 years ago called Burgatory and we loved their food. Great burgers and outstanding fresh cut fries. When we returned in 2021, the fries were no longer of the fresh cut variety. They were those "natural cut" fries that come in frozen and have skin on them, but aren't really true fresh-cut fries. I asked the server why they got rid of them and she said they had been serving them for months and no one has even noticed the difference. I was allegedly the first person that asked about them. I'll assume that most people don't notice, but for a lower class foodie like myself, it's a sad day when they swap out the fresh cut fries!

Not that anyone asked, but the best fresh cut fries in my opinion go to Penn Station. Worst fresh cut fries would be the much-loved In-N-Out Burger. I was floored that I clearly saw that they were cutting potatoes in the back, but the fries they serve taste like something you'd get at Burger King or Dairy Queen (which is not a compliment).

Now I want some fresh cut fries. That's an acceptable choice for breakfast isn't it? :)

I've had In-N-Out twice in the last two months, two different locations. The first time, the fries were exceptionally delicious. The second, they were nearly inedible. At least in both cases the meal was a great value. I think I paid less than 9 dollars for a burger, fries, and a drink. Not bad at all, especially compared to Five Guys, whose prices have skyrocketed recently, at least around me. I took my daughter over the holidays and the total for our burgers, shared fries and shared drink was over $30. They make good burgers, but not that good.

And I wholeheartedly agree about Penn Station. Their fries are consistently delicious every time, at every location I've been to.

I understood the CP Melt to obviously not be the full conventional menu, which makes sense since a lot places will simplify it to operationalize large volume. I would also imagine that they're leveraging the park's supply chain, so you're not going to get fresh bread from a bakery down the street. What I had was not bad, but it wasn't quite the same thing.

From articles around the closed stores, it sounds like they're trying to simplify everything across the chain for similar reasons. Makes you wonder how Cheesecake Factory can survive with a small army of cooks serving enormous dining rooms. Ironically, they need the volume to work that way.

How does CP Melt stack up to KI Tom + Chee? Having never had the latter I'm curious 🤔

Not really the same. Tom & Chee has loaded sandwiches but not to the extent that Melt has. And the bread is more of a regular sandwich slice.
T&C has tomato soup for dipping your sandwich and they also have the donut grilled cheese which I think is delicious. I like donut burgers though, so…
I think a couple of the stores in Columbus have closed. I’ve only had the one at KI, which is a walk up. Look for an outdoor table somewhere.

Tom & Chee also has items on the meal plan, while Melt doesn't. That made it a once or twice a season visit for me. Still don't understand why CP could negotiate deals with Chickfila, Panda, etc, but not Melt.

That's good to know. I got a platinum pass for the first time and plan on spending more time at KI this year- definitely going to have to check them out. Thanks guys 😀

Jeff:

I understood the CP Melt to obviously not be the full conventional menu, which makes sense

Not having the full menu absolutely makes sense.

Not serving the Lake Erie Monster 100 yards from Lake Erie?

Why does your local restaurant still serve hard, white, hot house tomatoes during a month when we all have so many red juicy ones spilling over our garden fences?
Same.

RayP1970:
Worst fresh cut fries would be the much-loved In-N-Out Burger. I was floored that I clearly saw that they were cutting potatoes in the back, but the fries they serve taste like something you'd get at Burger King or Dairy Queen (which is not a compliment).

No kidding! I don't know what kind of talent it takes to screw up french fries, but In-N-Out produce these awful dessicated things that kind of look like fries, but are dried out, tasteless and awful. Even worse, they have such a reputation locally that all over Southern California there are restaurants trying to emulate In-N-Out's terrible fries.

I'm also disappointed by the recent trend of fast food places switching to flour-coated fries because they stay crisper-ish when they get cold. Well, yeah, that they do. But they also taste terrible, arguably worse when hot than a traditional fry once it is cold and soggy. And yet people think they're "better". Well maybe so if you've never had a good, fresh fry. Try getting out of the car and eating your food while it's still hot for a change...

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

I saw a poll the other day that placed the top 10 fast food French fries. I took a stab at McDonald’s unmistakable skinny fries as being at least near the top, but no. Maybe 7th or 8th.
The winner was Wendy’s and the more I thought about it the more I agreed. They’re skin-on, skinny, well salted, and there’s an always-hot guarantee. Then I remembered that for a time I was on Wendy’s test panel and months before these fries came out they had us try them. They were so good that I made a note insisting they PLEASE bring them to the stores. I guess they did eventually.
When I went to Lagoon I took advantage of my western locale and found In n Out and loved it so much I went twice, to two different ones. Funny, what I don’t recall are the fries. I’m sure I had them.

^ That In N Out near Lagoon was my first ever experience with one as well. I was so excited after hearing so much about the place and how amazing the food is. I honestly think that is why I was let down. The good about In N Out is that they are a good deal for what you get. I think I had a Double Double, "fries" and a shake for less than $10. And while the burger was good, it didn't taste like it was fresh beef and made right to order. I have also dined at an In N Out in West Valley City, Utah and one outside of Anaheim. Both were also good, but I could never rate them as my favorite burger joint.

We used to have a Burger Fi nearby and that was a fantastic burger restaurant with incredible fries as well. Unfortunately, they closed down about 2 years ago and the closest one (Cuyahoga Falls, OH, right down the street from the last remaining Arthur Treacher's!) didn't taste the same.

Now if we could only get some Anderson's restaurants from Buffalo to expand west. Amazing sandwiches, decent fries (they are frozen unseasoned curly fries, but they are always served hot and taste good), and some of the best frozen custard outside of Culver's and East Coast Custard. I'd probably pack the 50 pounds I have lost over the past 2 years right back on!

Put me in the category that absolutely cannot stand Five Guys. I spent $38 on 2 burgers, 1 regular sized fry, and 2 soft drinks. The food was absolutely subpar. Their fries are “okay” at best.

My favorite fries of all time are at a smash burger joint in Boardman, OH called Sespe’s. They’re fresh cut and have the most amazing seasoning on them.

So legit question for the In-N-Out haters/doubters in here. How many of y’all ordered fries or burgers Animal Style which with locals is definitely considered “THE way” to order In-N-Out?

So you're saying their fries are supposed to suck unless slathered with "cheese", dressing, and onions? Huh, good to know.

^I think that's why it's called In-N-Out. Not because you're supposed to be In-N-Out fast, but because you need to know the In's and the Out's to make sure it all tastes great!

Animal style is the only way to go.