No, qnzzvg, I DON'T want fries with that!!

Obviously the park food is expensive compared to what normal street prices are. I find a lot of the CP food "adequate", meaning it is tasty enough to enjoy but not up to what you would find out of the park for the same price. If they improve the ingredients and quality, I wonder how much the prices will rise? People seem to like the Firehouse food truck and they serve a decent burger, but when I bought one Saturday they charged $11 for just the burger! Not worth it in my opinion. Sunday, I went to Coasters and picked up a cheeseburger and fries on the meal plan. Certainly the burger wasn't as good but being on the meal plan, the price was right and I was more satisfied.

I think a lot has to do with expectations. When I go to a park, ballgame, concert, etc., I expect high prices and lower quality. That is just how it is time after time no matter what the venue. So I'm getting what I expect and I'm not disappointed. As far as parks, I think some have a reputation among enthusiasts as having superior food but I haven't found that to be the case. I have had a lot of food from Busch parks when they owned Sea World of Ohio. While the food was ok, I certainly wouldn't gush over it that it is great. Maybe a little better than CP (especially the deserts), but certainly not up to par with what I would expect outside of the park paying the same amount in a restaurant. Same with Kennywood.

I don't think that anyone here is not expecting inflated prices and we get the idea of serving the amusement park basics. I think it's very old style thinking that you don't up the quality or provide better options, especially when you're selling yourself as a multi-day resort destination.

I'm sincerely hoping this is in the current managements long term goals as seeing how they've upgraded other areas of the two parks and resorts.

There's also more logistics at issue here, not just food quality. The very limited service service window style is dated and needs modernization. I understand that's a large investment and hope the management has knowledgeable people in positions to address those. But it's my understanding from conversations with full time staff, and like what Jeff had posted earlier, that there's not food service leadership that's in place now for this to happen. There's also holdover mentality from prior managements resistance to change and good enough is good enough think.

I believe that Mr. Ouimet is the right guy in charge at the right time, and that eventually modernizing the food services will come to CP. Bringing in Food Trucks and the BBQ/Fish Boil events and the specialty stands over halloweekends was an excellent step in the right direction to alleviate some of the parks deficiencies.

As far as the BBQ and Brew goes, is the food, alone, worth the $20 since I don't drink alcohol. While I did buy the platinum food pass, I would prefer to eat something other than the lousy CP food when it's available.

Yes. Great deal for $20.

When at CP, visit this place in downtown Sandusky for great perch. Best I've ever had.

thedevariouseffect said:

^Now honest question... What would you personally want to add to the lineup?

More or less what DJ said. Planet & Camp Snoopy are well themed and cute additions, but they don't have family rides, just kids' rides that mom and dad can (sometimes) squeeze into.

Honestly, it wouldn't take much. The goal would be something mildly thrilling with low height requirements. A perfect example is Firechaser Express at Dollywood. It's a mild coaster with a height requirement of only 39". Perfection! Our 4 (now 5) year old could ride Space Mountain at Disney, but Mine Ride has a 48" height requirement? She can ride the Wave Swinger at Dollywood, but Cedar Point's has a 48" height requirement because they choose not to install the types of seats younger ones can ride. That's the issue; there's simply very, very little the family can do together (in terms of rides). What Cedar Point markets as family rides are not even close to what those two words together mean.

Harmony Hall, Festhaus, the innumerable Disney options; to me adding something like that that would be the biggest, simplest, most impactful change that could happen. OK, maybe not simplest, but the one "swift" move that would have a resounding impact, assuming of course the food inside was also improved. Halls like that are also such a great venue for Live E.

The Brew and BBQ is certainly worth the the price, and I agree with what was mentioned above that there are signs of life; the clam-bake, Brew and BBQ...these are all great things that have emerged.

Huh. Speaking of food, is it possible to get food off point delivered to your hotel room via Grub Hub or something similar? I ask because I get a ride to the Point every year and I'm pretty much confined to the peninsula, and I'd love to try some of the off point fare you guys have mentioned. 89

I'm not sure about non-pizza food, but pizza cannot be delivered on point. The Domino's located in Hotel Breakers has some sort of legal monopoly where they're the only ones allowed to deliver on point. I learned that the hard way last season, wasn't even notified until they were at the end of the causeway.

There has been a lot of talk here about Harmony Hall...but what if Cedar Point repurposed an existing space, perhaps offering entrance from both inside and outside the park. What if they could turn the Coral...er...Lakeside Dining Room into that sort of facility at the times the space isn't needed for catering? Logistically that has always been a dining facility, so that part is easy, and for my entire lifetime it has been under used...

--Dave Althoff, Jr.

Pete said:

When at CP, visit this place in downtown Sandusky for great perch. Best I've ever had.

I can second that - DEFINITELY the best perch in town (and there are several places around town where you can get perch). Just be careful as you eat. It is so fresh that it sometimes still has a few fish bones it in which were missed in the cleaning process.

samosuband said:

I'm not sure about non-pizza food, but pizza cannot be delivered on point. The Domino's located in Hotel Breakers has some sort of legal monopoly where they're the only ones allowed to deliver on point. I learned that the hard way last season, wasn't even notified until they were at the end of the causeway.

I see cars from "Big Daddy's" or some similar name go back and forth to Breakers when we have lunch on the grass strip under the trees. I think it may be the same stuff they make at Castaway Bay. I've never seen any others though

You can buy frozen pizza and a six pack of beer at the Marina store for less than a hamburger combo meal in the park, throw out the pizza and enjoy your six pack sitting on the dock taking in some of the best views of the park.

I was also just mulling over the idea of tailgating within park rules. No open flames and I totally get that. However a George Foreman type electric grill would be within the rules I assume and they look to require about 1200W and can be found at nearly any garage sale. Now your average stock vehicle alternator is not likely to output the amps required but if you have a work truck it might. Those smaller suitcase size generators they make now are surprisingly quite and look to output 1600W continuous and seem to run $400-500.

I just spent $420 on 3 meal plans for 1 season.

Thoughts?

EDIT: cpfoodblog.com has a photo of a small fire at Sagebrush Sue's.

I typically don't eat in the park, aside from chili cheese fries, because few things beat sitting under the Sky Ride as the sun sets enjoying that delicious, and I'm sure, zero calorie treat :-p

Back in the day, on family trips to the park, we'd enjoy homemade brownies and milk before heading into the park -- my mother insisted on arriving very early to score a parking spot in one of the first few rows. Lunch was packed in a cooler and left in one of the picnic pavilions, which were, at the time, inside the park*. Supper would often be at the Cedar Villa restaurant, which used to be just near the Causeway and Route 6.

* Yes, I'm that old.

You know, maybe you just hit on something, Noggin. In fact, maybe tradition is the thing that set this whole system in place to begin with.

Meaning, when I was a kid (80's), the picnic shelters were so jam-packed...in fact it was more or less the "in" thing to do at Cedar Point. If we did eat in the park it was either the fresh BBQ or the Frontier place that served your food on metal plates, but 9 times out of 10 it was the picnic shelters.

These days, while people definitely use them, it's simply no where to the extent that I remember as a kid. So, maybe this built-in tradition of not having to rely on really good in-park dining simply led to a cycle of not placing a heavy emphasis on in-park dining which leads to where we are today.

I'm not sure if folks would agree with me that the picnic shelters simply aren't used as much as they were back in the Reagan-era, but it's a thought.

I don't know if the picnic shelters are used as much now as then. It does amaze me, now, a bit, that people felt comfortable just leaving their coolers or picnic baskets sitting on a table while they enjoyed the park.

When it comes to food service in the park, I tend to think it's on the "to do" list. Changing the service isn't as simple as saying, hey, let's serve better food. There's infrastructure that needs to be changed, from how food is prepared and delivered at the window to how food is sourced and processed to deliver food on a quick turnaround. Cedar Point is the chain's flagship park, but maybe food service, having gotten along so far, is low on the list of priorities.

Good point noggin, perhaps they testing what works best at Carowinds and Knotts so they can get it right at CP.

^^ back in the day when we were all someone else's age people didn't usually mess with your stuff just because they could. These days too many people are a**h***s. I used to leave my car windows cracked a little in the parking lot until someone dumped their leftover Coke into my passenger seat for the hell of it. We just can't have nice things. There's always someone out there to spit in your ham sandwiches and put them back just because they can. I think far enough in the past maybe not so much.

In other news this weekend we will likely have one less food stand to complain about one over by Maverick and The train station and the ride we no longer speak of was on fire this morning. Couldn't see flames in the video my friend texted to me but here was a lot of smoke and she says CP and Sandusky Fire were there.

Too bad. I always though Sue's was a cute little building.

When I worked there in the 70's and the picnic area was busy I knew of employees who would go and raid people's baskets. One guy I knew thought it was funny to just switch one family's food for another's.

We couldn't have nice things then, either.

I remember summer of 2006 I drove my brand new Jeep Wrangler to Darien Lake and left the top down in the parking lot. Came back to find 2 melted ice cream cones on the back seat.