What's up with Breakwater Cafe?

From the website:
"Serving breakfast buffet daily."

Years ago we enjoyed the breakfast buffet at least once every visit, but it has gone into a major decline in quality. And the (lack of) cleanliness factor is a real turnoff. I believe we're staying away this year.

Chris

Chuck Wagon said:

It is not a short walk to get there from Breakers, which I think keeps people away.

I have always thought it was really just meant to service Sandcastle and Camper Village. I can't imagine the restaurant gets many Breakers guests or park guests for that matter each day. Obviously its been getting enough business to stay open back there but it might not take much for that to happen since its the only place for food.

When it first opened people from the area used to go there for lunch and dinner. They got their parking fee refunded.

It was actually very good back in the day. They offered breakfast, lunch and dinner along with late night food. Some of the dinner items were fresh perch and steaks. I went in there once around 11:30pm for a burger and it was busy. Plus they had a full service bar and outdoor patio. I don't know what happened to make it so lame now, especially since it seems they only serve a breakfast buffet. Being right next to Sandcastle, you would think the bar alone could be similar to Surf Lounge.

I agree with Pete. It was a decent place to eat some real food back in the mid-90s when I was a kid. My wife and I did the breakfast buffet in 2014, the last year we stayed at Sandcastle for our 5 day trip. It was really, really bad. I couldn't believe it. When Sandcastle gets it's renovation/rebuild/re-brand I assume Breakwater will be changed as well. Can't be any worse than it was in 2014.

James Parker jr said:

...the breakfast buffet in 2014... It was really, really bad.

The same was true of Castaway's breakfast buffet the one time we ate there in 2014. I'm used to the standard complimentary breakfast buffets that hotels have, with overcooked eggs, soggy fruit, and some sort of meat that they call sausage. What Castaway put out was somehow so much worse than any free breakfast I've had.

I agree, Breakwater breakfast went downhill fast in the last few years to the point of inedible and in a truly filthy environment.

Whoever is running food services at the park needs to be fired like 5 years ago.

It is incomprehensible that the corporate offices are within walking distance of every dining facility in the park and yet they still operate food services the way they do.

We may view it that way, however maybe data the park has otherwise shows different? Maybe dollars are still flowing into those restaurants and not showing any lack of popularity perhaps?

I do agree though, food service in some areas has drastically improved, some though has had an absolute decline. Also, can we get rid of the smell from Sky Ride's burger stand? That grease smell makes my stomach turn every single time.

^You know, I really love the smell of fried food coming from the Sky Ride stand; in fact, smelling that scent during the off season brings me right back to Cedar Point, along with the smell of sunscreen lotion and the taste of my favorite Freestyle flavor, Peach Fanta Zero! Different strokes for different folks. :)

On the subject of food service, I find it amazing that in this day and age there are hardly any healthy/special dietary options available, and even the unhealthy options are mediocre at best. I'm on a special diet (low-carb), and food in the park tends to be pretty monotonous for me, mainly bunless burgers and the Broccoli Beef bowl with veggies from Panda Express. If anyone is listening, I would love to have a place with build-your-own healthy salads in the park (i.e. salads with grilled chicken, not fried). Here's hoping that the Crystal Rock Cafe in CP Shores may fill that niche, but until then, I agree that it's surprising that the flagship park has such poor food quality.

"Healthy" food options come at a premium of shelf life or cost or both. Many places have tried the healthy options, but the fatty sweet sodium filled processed food still outsells the healthy stuff by a huge margin.

It would be nice if they could get that type of food into the sit-down restaurants, at least. But I would never expect it to be sold at the concession stands.

The main problem seems to be whoever is in charge of food services at CP.
KI has much better healthier food choices throughout their park.
Six Flags, of all places, has restaurants dedicated to healthy options.
The Busch parks have really good food and healthier options.

CP, simply just does not. I remember they made a half-hearted attempt a few years ago to add the choices. But it failed (most likely due to the bad implementation, even the 'healthy options' weren't that healthy)

Healthier options aside, even the service and quality of the stuff they do serve is poor.
My guess is that there's an old style mentality at food services that is against change, as it can clearly be done at other parks and even in the CF chain.
Again, it's incomprehensible how they operate with home offices literally in the park.

Busch Gardens winds in the food department hands down. Well Universal IOA beats it for many reasons...but not fair reasons...Frozen Butterbeer..mmmm

Last time I was there, it was ~30 bucks for two meals, and it gave you an entree and a drink. I paid for two sides and a beer ontop of this and still paid maybe an extra 10-15 bucks. We took the coaster tour, so at the park ~5:30 AM, didn't have a meal at all until like 2:30 PM...everything sounded and looked good, so we got everything, and man was it worth it.

I mean, quartered chicken (delicious and very well seasoned), small rack of ribs, sausage, german potatoes and a dinner roll, that was the entree, all that! Then I got the pickles and the torte cake just because both sounded beautiful at the time (the cake is absolutely perfect)

But serious, they develop affordable meal plans with actually quite decent food, it's incredible. No park (except the huge year round parks) operate that well to me. I can't wait to go back this year.

I'd be happy if CP got the fresh, never frozen beef burgers that Ouimet said would happen when he first joined the company. What happened to those?

As some of you know, and probably participated in, I ran a survey in the fall regarding healthier food options at amusement parks. The results showed that the majority of those surveyed do desire healthier food options, although aren't willing to pay a higher price for them.

Here's a short presentation of the results.

I am one of those who want healthier options, but also not willing to pay much more for them . I have zero issues with paying higher prices than normal places would charge though while at cedar point. They are a business in it to make a profit. But to pay more than current prices is laughable. I didn't bother checking the subway in park prices this year, are they still around $20 for a ft long combo?

bootymix96 said:
^You know, I really love the smell of fried food coming from the Sky Ride stand; in fact, smelling that scent during the off season brings me right back to Cedar Point, along with the smell of sunscreen lotion and the taste of my favorite Freestyle flavor, Peach Fanta Zero!

Are you sure you're not me? This whole paragraph is literally me. Well, except for the part where the peach fanta is diet, but I always get the regular peach fanta at the park.

About breakwater café:

I have eaten there a few years ago and got this pasta dish. I actually was decent, but if chef Ramsay came there, I'd expect this place to be on kitchen nightmares! The décor is stuck in the 90s, and when we went, there were only like 5 other people there, and this was dinner time. What I am figuring out....when the park leaves something left to rot or is untouched, that means they have big plans for it soon. Same applies to sandcastle. That hotel is a disgrace to the park. Also, they need to open up the beach!!!!!!!!!!!!!1111

As for healthier food:

I think they won't add it because they see that most people (junk food lovers, kids, teens, gluttons, gigantic families, etc) won't pay extra for it. These groups are the largest type of person who visit each year.

I think the two north wings of Sandcastle next to Breakwater Cafe should be demolished, and construct a new high rise tower offering new amazing views of Lake Erie. Once the new hotel is complete, the remaining part of Sandcastle can be demolished for parking.

Miss_Maverick07 said:

As for healthier food:

I think they won't add it because they see that most people (junk food lovers, kids, teens, gluttons, gigantic families, etc) won't pay extra for it. These groups are the largest type of person who visit each year.

This does not take in to account that other parks, even in the CF chain & KI in Ohio even, have healthier/healthy and actual edible food throughout the parks (I understand that most parks have some outlets with poor service & bad food). However, this is a particular issue at CP. Maybe their highly touted and infallible market research tells them to stay the course, or that there's no additional revenue gain or guest satisfaction from better options.