The Boardwalk - New for 2023

The cafeteria style can be very effective and efficient, especially in the rare occasions that places like Hugo's and Backbeat have both lines open. Lazy Bear Lodge is a huge plus at our home park of Wonderland, and I generally like the concept. I thought that this location was CPs chance to do a signature, sit down non meal plan restaurant. We have loved our visits to the Choclatier restaurant at Hershey, which is the concept I am referring to. With CPs great history (and now with having no museum anymore) I think of all the amazing throwback theming and park history specific menu items that could have really been something special. The ferris wheel appetizer sampler at Choclatier, for example, is so much fun. They had one at probably half the tables when we've visited. With an online reservation system, perhaps a voucher or deal for breakers guests with a qualifying stay package and a small discount for gold and platinum/meal plan passhodlers, that was my vision of what I wanted to see for the grand Pavillion.

If the menu is set up as CP Food Blog shows, I think it will also be a bit of a struggle for families with smaller kids, although there are plenty of other spots like Hugo's, Corral, Backbeat, Happy Friar, Farmhouse and Coasters that can cater to the picky young kids.

I agree, the menu looks less kid friendly than most of the other restaurants. Being a non-kid I appreciate this. We'll see how long it lasts. Most of the larger restaurant menus changed slightly over the course of the season. I think a large number of people would be upset if the Pavilion was not on the meal plan. Especially with them closing so many other meal plan spots with little or no info on replacements.

I'm interested in whether some of those items like the flatbread strips, pretzel bites, and chips and dip will be entrees or side items. Assuming they keep the 1 entree + 1 side item format.

Haven't seen a floorplan, but it doesn't look like seating will be an issue on any but the most crowded days.

I'm hoping that fries come with the walleye as I love fish and chips. Hopefully they serve tarter sauce with it as well.

James Parker jr:

I thought that this location was CPs chance to do a signature, sit down non meal plan restaurant.

I get your point, and agree with you that Cedar Point could benefit from a signature, sit down...well...everything-you-said restaurant.

I just don't think this location would be the best for that. I think the idea, harkening back to the original, was to construct a come-one-come-all hub that ties that whole area of the park together. Much like the Farmhouse now in Frontier Town, it's (planned to be) the heart of the front of the park.

Making it a sit-down reservation-based signature restaurant makes it a more exclusive place that is the opposite of what my take on what they wanted would be.

Other than building something from the ground up (for example in the former Cedars location), a reimagined Bay Harbor could be that signature restaurant on the bay side. We only went there once 4 years ago just to try it, and my honest first (and last) impression was "wow, I bet this place looked great in 1988".

I'm pretty sure that's the year they installed the carpet.

I understand all of that, and I’d agree that a fancier location in the park would be a welcome change for some guests.
I also think about Ohio’s other kingpin, Kings Island, that has a perfect location for a table service restaurant right over the front gate. The view of International Street through those windows is so beautiful at night. That said, the number of unsuccessful concepts that have come and gone since 1972 is plenty and it seems they’ve tried everything from white table cloth, to classy full service bar, to event banquet space, to steam table buffet. Maybe it’s an Ohio thing but we don’t seem to want to sit for an hour and wait to get served a nice dinner at an amusement park.
I contrast that situation with what I witnessed and consumed at parks in Europe. Nice restaurants, beautiful themes, and relaxing experiences. Also- and here’s a huge difference, really good, high quality food. Even places like Universal, for all the money people spend there, populate their parks with many locations that border on self serve.
Oh well, I guess I don’t know what the answer is. I don’t spend a lot of money on food at CP and I quit my dining plan a few years ago. It just didn’t pay off like I thought it would. My last CP meal in ’22 was at Hugo’s and it was ok. At least I didn’t have a Halloweekends-sized wait to get through there.
Thanks for the discussion.

I think you're onto something with the culture of the venue itself. I would never once think about having a nice sit-down meal at Cedar Point while visiting the park to ride the rides. (the Bay Harbor experience was actually part of a last-minute anniversary get-away sans kids with a stay at a Lighthouse Point cottage).

To use a company tagline, "it's not in their DNA".

And thanks to you I just learned that there used to be a restaurant in that KI entrance. I always assumed it was just offices and dressing rooms for the Brady Bunch.

It sat empty for years. The last “good” use of it was as a holiday buffet that was developed when Winterfest returned. The food was as kind of lousy though, and there was a mere discount for dining plan. The view of the tower, and the skating rink and the billion lights was awesome, but anyone could go to the elevator end of the window, take in the view, warm up, and not buy a thing.
Funny about Kings Island- a number of years ago they promised to be the new normal of theme park food service. They brought in a chef, and reimagined restaurants into places like Hank’s and Red’s Cafe. I was never particularly impressed by those changes and what I longed for was the Montgomery Inn rotisserie chicken and the German sausage. Now it seems as if CP is taking up the charge of providing more satisfying in-park service.
As for Canada’s Wonderland as an example, I can only assume there’s a cultural difference much like what I found in Europe. After all, it’s the park where I observed just about everyone leaving their shoes on the ride platform and this was whether the ride vehicle had a floor or whether the shoes tied tightly or not. (Strange side-note, I know, but…Canada) And as for Hershey there’s definitely more of an air of “destination park” than most places. Like Busch, or Dollywood. Some people who travel there from far and wide stay in fancy hotels equipped with chocolate health spas. A nice sit down restaurant with chocolate ferris wheels might be the kind of special novelty treat that plays well there. And clearly, once again, maybe more so than what Ohioans look for in their park visits.

James Parker jr:

If the menu is set up as CP Food Blog shows, I think it will also be a bit of a struggle for families with smaller kids...

Most of the time there are kid-friendly options, and they're not likely to showcase those in these reveals because hot dogs and chicken tenders aren't exactly flashy. And these promotional posts are meant to be flashy, showcasing stuff you wouldn't expect at an amusement park.

As far as GP being set up as a cafeteria, I don't think that necessarily precludes the space being used for a proper sit down experience, other than there being no "back of house" area as far as I know. But as Kevin and RCMAC point out, it doesn't seem like that's what they're going for with GP, which seems like the right move.

Kevinj:

...I just learned that there used to be a restaurant in that KI entrance.

Please remit your Enthusiast Card at the nearest gravy buffet at your earliest convenience.

Right?
And if nothing else points to the failure of that restaurant it may be that the subsequent Kings parks chose not to include one in their design. Which is kind of a shame. The view really is great, as well as unique.

Wondering if it offered a great view of Evel Knievel's motorcycle jump?

djDaemon:

As far as GP being set up as a cafeteria, I don't think that necessarily precludes the space being used for a proper sit down experience, other than there being no "back of house" area as far as I know. But as Kevin and RCMAC point out, it doesn't seem like that's what they're going for with GP, which seems like the right move.

Every time I see “GP” I always read it as General Public. It took me longer than I am willing to admit that you’re referring to Grand Pavilion 😅. But I agree with you. I love the concept of enter the food line, pay for your food, and go find your preferred seat for the nice view I think GP will provide :)

Famous Dave’s, Chickies and Pete’s, Melt, Johnny Rockets, and TGIF on the Beach are the sit down restaurants that I can think of off the top of my head at the park. From my understanding they do decently well. But I think for an amusement park that struggles to hire every year, Farmhouse and GP’s way makes the most sense for a seasonal park.

Yeah.. we really need to break the cycle of that whole calling people “GP” thing. It’s incredibly cringey.

Any news/conversation about the whole mobile ordering thing was conspicuously missing too. The Coasters pickup section was still there and looked unchanged. I'd expect that to be quietly ignored then eventually dropped.

How many people go to an amusement park for a nice sit down and be served restaurant experience?

I mean - I’m all for it. I don’t do it every time, but we will do Bay Harbor or Tomo every once in a while when the park is busy and we feel like chilling in the AC and having a good meal and some drinks.

Its a nice option to have, but it’s not for everyone, especially on a once-a-year visit.

Yeah we do as well. I'm thinking Bluestreaker hasn't been to Disney, where so many people are trying to get an in-park sit down and be served (aka table service) restaurant experience that reservations for same are often hard to get, even 60 days in advance. I know CP and Disney are completely different experiences but CP does have resorts and touts itself as the "resort" experience so it's not out the realm for them to offer some table service as well. I do understand why the 1 day park visitor probably wouldn't be interested but the family that stays 3 nights at Breakers certainly would.

Given the size of the building when announced and location, at the time I did hope they'd have table service in there. Not the white cloth, reservation only, experience referenced earlier in this thread but some form of table service with that view would've been great. That being said, I'm very excited about the menu and photos and welcome that it presumably will at least have inside seating. And the open-air bar on the upper level looks to be great too. So I'm completely happy with what's been shown so far and can't wait to see it person!

Especially Disney. Sit down meals both in park, and at the resorts, are sometimes more of the focus of our visits than rides and attractions.

Yeah same for us.

Scott Cameron:

And the open-air bar on the upper level looks to be great too. So I'm completely happy with what's been shown so far...

Are there pictures floating around of the inside? If so, where are they? I'm curious to see.

You’ll have to sit tight for those ;-)